Arkansas' Bret Bielema proposes Big Ten/SEC football challenge

[bama57]

Bielema, who is in his third year at Arkansas after spending eight seasons as Wisconsin's head coach, proposed the idea of a "Big Ten vs. SEC Challenge," similar to what college basketball does now with the "Big 12/SEC Challenge." Bielema's concept would consist of ranking all 14 teams in both conferences during the preseason and matching them with their respective nonconference counterpart for a game that season.

"Let the best of the best play each other, and maybe the lower ones play each other week-in and week-out," Bielema said on Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference. "Just reserve a week every year, it would be kind of a fun thing. People would get into that now. I've been in both leagues, and I have the utmost respect for both. It would be something kind of fun if you could just reserve that and that might eliminate the whole need for an FCS [team]. Then you schedule three other opponents that are FBS and go."

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[N.AL-Tider]

So he wants the best and the worst of both conferences to play each other?  The Big Ten only has about 3 or 4 "good" teams and the SEC only has so many teams that would be ranked = to the other Big Ten teams... So that would pit Vandy and UK playing how many Big Ten teams? 

[2Stater]

So he wants the best and the worst of both conferences to play each other?  The Big Ten only has about 3 or 4 "good" teams and the SEC only has so many teams that would be ranked = to the other Big Ten teams... So that would pit Vandy and UK playing how many Big Ten teams? 

All of them. 

[bama57]

So he wants the best and the worst of both conferences to play each other?  The Big Ten only has about 3 or 4 "good" teams and the SEC only has so many teams that would be ranked = to the other Big Ten teams... So that would pit Vandy and UK playing how many Big Ten teams? 

All of them. 

[Jamos]

So he wants the best and the worst of both conferences to play each other?  The Big Ten only has about 3 or 4 "good" teams and the SEC only has so many teams that would be ranked = to the other Big Ten teams... So that would pit Vandy and UK playing how many Big Ten teams? 

All of them. 

Exactly 

[ricky023]

So he has come to the SEC and he now knows the SEC would beat the Big Ten and settle the argument. RTR!

[SUPERCOACH]

I approve of this idea.  That is all.

[bamaphil]

A thought that just came to me...

We go back to an 11 game regular season, but introduce pre-season "bowl games".  Marquee programs can matchup against each other the week before the season officially starts in a game that doesn't count towards the win-loss record. 

Everybody wins:
1) $$$$ for everyone involved
2) Fans get to see great matchups
3) Top teams get to play each other and find out how good they are/what they need to improve from the beginning of the year
4) Championship caliber teams get to play championship caliber teams without the threat of a loss leaving them with no room for error the rest of the way

[N.AL-Tider]

A thought that just came to me...

We go back to an 11 game regular season, but introduce pre-season "bowl games".  Marquee programs can matchup against each other the week before the season officially starts in a game that doesn't count towards the win-loss record. 

Everybody wins:
1) $$$$ for everyone involved
2) Fans get to see great matchups
3) Top teams get to play each other and find out how good they are/what they need to improve from the beginning of the year
4) Championship caliber teams get to play championship caliber teams without the threat of a loss leaving them with no room for error the rest of the way

I don't think that would work and here's why... Many of the sportswriters would not be able to separate the "pre-season" from the regular season games and definitely WOULD hold a loss against a team regardless.  That loss would come back to bite a team no matter what.  Also, given those criteria, Awbren would have likely played a pretty good team this year but look how well they have performed in the season...

[Chechem]

Do we have to let the Aubs play?

[2Stater]

Do we have to let the Aubs play?

 

[Catch Prothro]

The idea is OK for the lower ranked teams.  But it is a losing scenario for the top ranked teams (Bama/OSU) to play each other early in the season.  Better for them to make the playoffs and meet there.  (No way Urban Meyer plays Bama in week 1).

[Chechem]

The idea is OK for the lower ranked teams.  But it is a losing scenario for the top ranked teams (Bama/OSU) to play each other early in the season.  Better for them to make the playoffs and meet there.  (No way Urban Meyer plays Bama in week 1  unless he has to).

 

[bamaphil]

I'm not sure how long five power conferences are going to agree to competing for four playoff spots.  I think it's almost inevitable that we eventually end up with four 16 team superconferences that either separate from the NCAA or form a new division and only play each other.  Nine conference games, one game against a team from the other three conferences determined each year by previous year's performance, a conference championship and the four conference champions are the four playoff teams. 

[SUPERCOACH]

Do we have to let the Aubs play?

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