BYU did play pretty well last night, there's no doubt about it. But you can't say there wasn't that look of not wanting to be there every time you looked at Oregon State's sideline last night.

I have said for the last couple years there really is a fine line between all of the FBS conferences anymore (excluding the Sun Belt and MAC, particurlary the upper level teams in what is cosidered the lesser conferences. It's all just a label. At one time it meant a big difference to be a B10, PAC10 or whatever school, but in the past few years the playing field has been evened out.

That being said, having watched Oregon State play on at least three occasions prior to last night I think they did play like shi-ite! They were not mentally ready for that game at all. I am taking nothing away from BYU because I think they are likely just as good if not better than Oregon State on their best day. I just think this particularly game both issues were at play.

Little Danny wrote: I have said for the last couple years there really is a fine line between all of the FBS conferences anymore (excluding the Sun Belt and MAC, particurlary the upper level teams in what is cosidered the lesser conferences. It's all just a label. At one time it meant a big difference to be a B10, PAC10 or whatever school, but in the past few years the playing field has been evened out.

That being said, having watched Oregon State play on at least three occasions prior to last night I think they did play like shi-ite! They were not mentally ready for that game at all. I am taking nothing away from BYU because I think they are likely just as good if not better than Oregon State on their best day. I just think this particularly game both issues were at play.

Yeah, probably. Just saying. That's one of my gripes about the bowl season/fans, in general.

I wouldnt want to be there either if my team was getting my ass whooped by a mid major on national television.

I think its a gripe for most people because that's the spin the media puts on it all the time

Jordo, I agree with you. I am (hopefully) prepared to hear it after my Bearcats knock off Florida on Jan 1. I think the problem is that too many college football fans drink the Kool-Aid that their teams/conferences are just so much better than everyone else. As if the players on other teams aren't there on scholarship either. The media does not help with this as they reinforce this lunacy. At the bowl selection show, I heard them repeatedly comment about how Alabama only lost to Utah because they did not want to be there. Excuse me, they lost by 20 pt?? Same with Oklahoma losing to WVU a few years ago.

That WVU team played some inspired football, and Bama played like absolutely dog shit

boy was I wrong---those Mormon boys played some good football!!!

They should play good football. They have a tremendous advantage when those guys come back from missions and are 22/23/24, with an extensive knowledge of the system

OSU sure looked like it wanted to be there when they jumped out 7-0.

But once they got rolled who wouldn't look like they didn't want to be there lol.

I guess that it's just easier to give up early if you are the rollee as opposed to the roller. I get so tired of hearing that this team or that team just can't get inspired to play in an inferior bowl when they just missed getting into a much more prestigious game. If you aren't going to show up, don't go. It's embarrassing. It seems like our entire society has dissolved into excuse making and lack of any desire whatsoever to go out and fight like hell to beat every team you play and stop making excuses.

BYU is a pretty good team and Oregon State exposed the PAC Ten as the down conference this year that most thought it was. This was not an upset BYU was just the better team.

0311sdp wrote: BYU is a pretty good team and Oregon State exposed the PAC Ten as the down conference this year that most thought it was. This was not an upset BYU was just the better team.

On ESPN when USC was taking their beating. I remember some broadcasters claiming the PAC 10 is better than the SEC now.:rolleyes:

darbypitcher22 wrote: They should play good football. They have a tremendous advantage when those guys come back from missions and are 22/23/24, with an extensive knowledge of the system

I wouldn't think that would be an advantage. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think those guys are in Provo, Utah during their missions; meaning they are away from their team and coaching instruction.

Plus, playing "good football" means they have have 'good' players. I would say that it is hard to convince a lot of non-Mormons (again unsure whether they let non-Mormons in/ make them go on missions) to play football there. The success BYU has is pretty astounding to me

0311sdp wrote: BYU is a pretty good team and Oregon State exposed the PAC Ten as the down conference this year that most thought it was.

This is another extension of my earlier point. Just because Team A from X Conference looses to Team B from Y Conference, it doesn't mean that Conference X is having a down year. Maybe Team B was just actually better than Team A and it has no bearing on the respective conferences. Now if the X Conference looses a mjaority of their bowl games (including a few blowouts) then we may say the conference was not as good as many thought.

jordo212000 wrote:

darbypitcher22 wrote: They should play good football. They have a tremendous advantage when those guys come back from missions and are 22/23/24, with an extensive knowledge of the system

I wouldn't think that would be an advantage. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think those guys are in Provo, Utah during their missions; meaning they are away from their team and coaching instruction.

Plus, playing "good football" means they have have 'good' players. I would say that it is hard to convince a lot of non-Mormons (again unsure whether they let non-Mormons in/ make them go on missions) to play football there. The success BYU has is pretty astounding to me

You don't have to be Mormon or go on a mission to attend BYU. Brett Kiesel of the Steelers went to BYU and he's not Mormon...

pkebker wrote:

jordo212000 wrote:

darbypitcher22 wrote: They should play good football. They have a tremendous advantage when those guys come back from missions and are 22/23/24, with an extensive knowledge of the system

I wouldn't think that would be an advantage. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think those guys are in Provo, Utah during their missions; meaning they are away from their team and coaching instruction.

Plus, playing "good football" means they have have 'good' players. I would say that it is hard to convince a lot of non-Mormons (again unsure whether they let non-Mormons in/ make them go on missions) to play football there. The success BYU has is pretty astounding to me

You don't have to be Mormon or go on a mission to attend BYU. Brett Kiesel of the Steelers went to BYU and he's not Mormon...

They also serve their missions almost anywhere in the world. The basketball player Shawn Bradley served in Australia(Just watch Space Jam...). While on their missions then can focus zero amount of their time on football or other sports. They have 1 day a week of free time where they can play pick-up games and what not.

Little Danny wrote:

0311sdp wrote: BYU is a pretty good team and Oregon State exposed the PAC Ten as the down conference this year that most thought it was.

This is another extension of my earlier point. Just because Team A from X Conference looses to Team B from Y Conference, it doesn't mean that Conference X is having a down year. Maybe Team B was just actually better than Team A and it has no bearing on the respective conferences. Now if the X Conference looses a mjaority of their bowl games (including a few blowouts) then we may say the conference was not as good as many thought.

THEN WHY IS THAT ALWAYS THE CLAIM WHEN oHIO STATE LOSES A BOWL GAME? i'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION. EVERY TIME A BIG TEN POWER LOSES A BOWL GAME THEN THE WHOLE CONFERENCE IS DAMNED AS PATHETIC, SOOOO WHY WOULDN'T THE SAME HOLD TRUE FOR THE PAC TEN, SEC OR ANYONE ELSE?

pkebker wrote:
You don't have to be Mormon or go on a mission to attend BYU. Brett Kiesel of the Steelers went to BYU and he's not Mormon...

Thanks for the info.

I still don't think the Mormon Mission that some players go on, gives them an advantage. That's very counter-intuitive IMO

0311sdp wrote:

Little Danny wrote:

0311sdp wrote: BYU is a pretty good team and Oregon State exposed the PAC Ten as the down conference this year that most thought it was.

This is another extension of my earlier point. Just because Team A from X Conference looses to Team B from Y Conference, it doesn't mean that Conference X is having a down year. Maybe Team B was just actually better than Team A and it has no bearing on the respective conferences. Now if the X Conference looses a mjaority of their bowl games (including a few blowouts) then we may say the conference was not as good as many thought.

THEN WHY IS THAT ALWAYS THE CLAIM WHEN oHIO STATE LOSES A BOWL GAME? i'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION. EVERY TIME A BIG TEN POWER LOSES A BOWL GAME THEN THE WHOLE CONFERENCE IS DAMNED AS PATHETIC, SOOOO WHY WOULDN'T THE SAME HOLD TRUE FOR THE PAC TEN, SEC OR ANYONE ELSE?

Please read the bolded part of my post. The Big Ten has won a whopping total of three bowl games in the past two years. Don't you think that merits some criticism? The Pac10 may very well not be as good as previously labeled, but if they finish with only one or two losses, it might be a bit premature to claim the conference was not any good.

0311sdp wrote: THEN WHY IS THAT ALWAYS THE CLAIM WHEN oHIO STATE LOSES A BOWL GAME? i'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU JUST ASKING YOUR OPINION. EVERY TIME A BIG TEN POWER LOSES A BOWL GAME THEN THE WHOLE CONFERENCE IS DAMNED AS PATHETIC, SOOOO WHY WOULDN'T THE SAME HOLD TRUE FOR THE PAC TEN, SEC OR ANYONE ELSE?

Buckeye fan here. The Big 10 is terrible and like Little Danny said, the Win-loss record speaks for itself. Ohio State's struggles is a microcosm of the Big 10's

Buckeye fan here...please ignore jordo--he's been dipping into the eggnog a little early this year...microcosm??? :huh:

IT is simple.
The Big 10 hasnt had the luck of getting matched up with bad mid major teams unlike other conferences. Every team the big 10 is playing in a bowl game this year are good enough to beat Alabama on any given day(doesnt mean they would). The one exception is Iowa State.

Now your bowl record is obviously going to be better when you are from the big east and have games like Rutgers vs USF and South Florida vs Northern Illinois. The PAC 10 has UCLA vs Temple. Hell the SEC even has a gimme with Arkansas playing ECU.

Wait, people can say the B10 is weak because teams like PSU/OSU get beat by Texas or USC in the Bowl Games. But when the PAC10's #2 team gets rolled by a non BCS school its not a big deal???

I say its probably an advantage based on the fact that when you get them back they're older players and things like that... now, what shape and stuff they're in I'm not exactly sure