Link: For the Boise disdainers...(Hate is a strong word)

[GoBamaJags]

College Football: LSU Tigers' Les Miles leads coaching blunders list - ESPN

Pat Forde of ESPN.com gives a list of teams with a weaker strength of schedule than the Smurfs. Not that theirs is great, mind you... Just shows that some of the well thought of teams have a weaker SOS right now.

One comment is kinda funny. Relating to "SEC snobs", he said the East div. went 0-5 last weekend, with USC the only help by not playing.:biggrin:

Now I have a simple question about one of the comments in that section...

Could Boise St. win the SEC east this year? I really couldn't bet against them...they've already beaten two top 25 teams.

 

[crimsonbleeder]

College Football: LSU Tigers' Les Miles leads coaching blunders list - ESPN

Pat Forde of ESPN.com gives a list of teams with a weaker strength of schedule than the Smurfs. Not that theirs is great, mind you... Just shows that some of the well thought of teams have a weaker SOS right now.

One comment is kinda funny. Relating to "SEC snobs", he said the East div. went 0-5 last weekend, with USC the only help by not playing.:biggrin:

Now I have a simple question about one of the comments in that section...

Could Boise St. win the SEC east this year? I really couldn't bet against them...they've already beaten two top 25 teams.

No. They would NOT beat Florida AND USCe AND still win against all the other 6 teams in the SEC they'd have to face and stay injury-free through...just wouldn't happen.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Yes, Boise St would rule the SEC, no matter which division they were in. Pay no mind that they haven't played a string of consecutive games that even come close to what most SEC teams must go through. We all know IF they were to they would dominate. Who really cares that when talking about their schedule people talk about two games then go ahead and assume that the rest of the games are automatic wins because the teams are so bad. And to everyone's surprise they end up being right. They do not lose nor are even tested in any of those games. But we all know that they are so good they would storm through the SEC and prove that competition level means nothing. :rolleye2:

 

[UA_Fan87]

I honestly believe Boise would struggle to even finish the season .500 if they played in the SEC.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Typical Forde. notice he doesn't mention that 3 of the 5 SEC East teams that lost were beaten by SEC West foes. Note also that all 3 lost on the road. Two lost to ranked teams. So unless Forde can show me where Boise has played a ranked SEC West foe on the road, his point is moot.

Also - he is citing current rankings BEFORE the meat of the schedule.

 

[CrimsonSEC]

I don't really understand all the speculation about a question to which the only answer is maybe.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

BS would wilt under attack from weeks of physical play in the SEC.
BS has a pretty good Offense, but I don't think they would look very strong against SEC Defense's.
As for me... I still don't think much of them.
The BS schedule is too soft; if they win em all, they still haven't done anything.

If BS want's to prove themselves; let them chunk the 'Powder Puff Schedule', and start playing some quality teams.

 

[markenk]

Yes, Boise St would rule the SEC, no matter which division they were in. Pay no mind that they haven't played a string of consecutive games that even come close to what most SEC teams must go through. We all know IF they were to they would dominate. Who really cares that when talking about their schedule people talk about two games then go ahead and assume that the rest of the games are automatic wins because the teams are so bad. And to everyone's surprise they end up being right. They do not lose nor are even tested in any of those games. But we all know that they are so good they would storm through the SEC and prove that competition level means nothing. :rolleye2:

For me, the most telling thing is the level of coaching in this league vs the one Peterson faces every week in the WAC. If Boise St. were in this league, that team would be exposed in every way possible because they are now having to play against teams that are coached by Saban or Meyer or you name it. The SEC is a league where a good defense not an option but rather a must, and there are so many good quality defensive coordinators that any team, even our Bama, will get exposed. For Boise lovers to think that they can come in to SEC and be the top 5 team year in and year out is just not living in reality.

Look at what happened to Florida St. and Miami after ACC expanded. They were the king of a conference full of nobodys, then after they added more quality teams they themselves became medicore. Same thing will happen to Boise St. if they were to join a conference of SEC calibur.

 

[GoBamaJags]

So far you guys are writing what I was thinking. They beat two top 25 teams so far... Wow. We've beaten 2 top 10s in a row, an 18, and #19s coming this week in Columbia. Then there is the future schedule. LSU, and AU are right now #12 and #8. Assuming we go undefeated, who will we play in the SECCG. 6 conference teams in a row with a bye before us.

BSU would fold like a cheap tent in the SEC, Big 12, Big 10/11/12/? and Pac 10/12. They'd struggle in today's ACC to play their schedule week in and week out. I think they struggle when they move to the MWC due to the competition increase. They'll have to play TCU, their only saving grace is that Utah moves to the Pac 10.

Strength of schedule is very fluid at this time of the season. Their win against V Tech looks better right now, but I'm sorry... They lost to James Madison. End of discussion. IF IF IF Nevada continues to win, that will mean BSU will play a grand total of 3...Count 'em 3 boys and girls, ranked teams this season. Bama's schedule at the half way point will have us playing 4 of 6.

Thanks for the responses folks, and letting me tweak your thoughts.

Elephant size days, and Roll Tide.

 

[TommyMac]

Boise is a good team and Chris Peterson is a very good coach, but attrition would kick their arses in the SEC.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

I haven't read the article but I do wonder just who the "well thought of teams" are who have a weaker schedule than Smurf. I can't think of any. Of course my well thought of teams are probably not his well thought of teams.

 

[PacadermaTideUs]

Sure, they've had a decent SOS so far (38th according to Sagarin). They've already played the toughest teams they'll face all season in two (formerly) top 25 teams, while other teams with real schedules are just now entering the point in their seasons when they start facing legitimate foes. And BSU's been rewarded well (with a #3 ranking) for doing well with their (so far) respectable SOS.

We'll see where Forde is on the subject later on, as the weeks go by and BSU's SOS gets weaker and weaker while other teams' gets stronger and stronger. No - probably not.

 

[BamaNation]

Anyone that thinks Boise could play a big 10, big 12, or SEC schedule and not average at least 2 losses per year is delusional.

 

[DrollTide]

Boise is a decent team, but we don't know and will never know how much better than that they might be.

Against a weak schedule, you don't have to show any of your stuff, and you can prepare disproportionately for your "signature" games.

There is zero chance, I mean absolutely zero, that Boise could win 6 consecutive games against SEC-type opponents. Even though they might even be the better team, you only get 6 days to prepare for each of them, and any of them can beat you, and so you have to show everything you have.

 

[TideEngineer08]

When you look at it like this:

Can Boise State beat Florida? Yes. Can they beat South Carolina? Yes. Can they beat Tennessee? Of course. Georgia? Without a doubt. Kentucky and Vanderbilt? Probably both on the same day.

But when you look at it like this:

Can Boise State beat those teams playing them on consecutive weeks along with say, LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn and win a division title in the SEC? I think the answer is almost certainly no. They don't have the depth.

At some point, with the system we have, you have to have something to go by to separate teams. You're looking for the two best teams at the end of the year. You've got to rank them in some way. To me, strength of schedule matters. At the end of the year, Boise State's will be putrid while Alabama/Florida/Oregon/Ohio State/Nebraska will be better. I don't care that Boise can't help the conference that they are in. The fact of the matter is that their opponents are the dregs of college football. IF every other team has 2 loses, then Boise State gets the nod. But if that doesn't happen, they should still be on the outside looking in.

It's not fair, but it is the most fair under the circumstances. I don't care if they can beat anyone at any time on a neutral field. A lot of teams can realistically make that statement. The point is, they play a creampuff schedule. Until that changes, or unless the other teams lose twice, they don't deserve the shot.

 

[Tidewater]

No. They would NOT beat Florida AND USCe AND still win against all the other 6 teams in the SEC they'd have to face and stay injury-free through...just wouldn't happen.

That is the key point. Boise can't play a SEC-strength schedule because they are talented but not deep, and injuries would cause a huge drop-off in the on-the-field talent level, followed by dropping a bunch of games.
I don't hate Boise; I just wouldn't put them in the top ten right now.

 

[mdb-tpet]

Who is this Boise State team everyone keeps talking about? I've never heard of a state called Boise... :conf2:

 

[GoBamaJags]

I haven't read the article but I do wonder just who the "well thought of teams" are who have a weaker schedule than Smurf. I can't think of any. Of course my well thought of teams are probably not his well thought of teams.

Here is the quote from the article concerning BSU's SOS...

Boise's strength of schedule remains in Sagarin's top 40 at No. 38. That's higher than fellow unbeatens Oregon (57), Auburn (72), TCU (78), Ohio State (99), Nebraska (134) and Utah (137).

And for every SEC snob who sneers at Boise's theoretical ability to play every week in that league, take a look at the mighty Eastern Division. It went 0-5 last week, with South Carolina upholding divisional pride by not playing.

Think the Broncos couldn't win the East? Think again.

While The Dash readily acknowledges that Alabama looks like the best team in America right now, the battle is lively for No. 2 -- and all that really matters is finishing in the top two. After this past weekend, The Dash has the Broncos second, Oregon a close third and Ohio State fourth.

Who is this Boise State team everyone keeps talking about? I've never heard of a state called Boise... :conf2:

Heh!

 

[p'colabamaman]

I can't understand why anyone would rate BS's schedule at #38. Could be a little homerism right there.

 

[GreatDanish]

No, it's the computers. This is why Boise's schedule is #38.

Alabama's schedule is ranked 26th (these are Sagarin ratings).

Early in the season, the difference in quality of opponent is very weak. It is largely W-L record of opponents. The more games that are played, the more data there is to suggest a team is weak, thus weakening its opponents' strengths of schedule. That is why early in the season, computers will rank TCU and Boise's SOS just as highly as Alabama's and Oregon's.

Remember, it is only strength of schedule. It does not concern WHO a team lost to (e.g., it doesn't care that VaTech lost to James Madison, only that they played them), nor margin of victory (or defeat).

Boise's SOS is going to plummet from here on out. By the end of the season, it will probably be in the 50s to 70s, while the Alabama and Oregon will have top 10 SOSs.

Last year, TCU had an SOS of 60 and Boise's was 96. Oregon's was 6, and Alabama's was 2. I expect a similar result at the EOY this year.