Does Not Compute
I check out the Ken Pomeroy Rankings from time-to-time simply because I think their equation for computer rankings yields a better representation of reality than RPI...generally. One oddity I couldn't help but notice was the 8-3 Minny Golden Gophers and 6-3 (prior to tonight) Cal Golden Bears in the top-10.
Minny's biggest win to date was over the 4-loss Butler Bulldogs on a neutral court. At the same time, Cal had that awesome 5-point win over Murray State. Okie dokie.
Our Boilers are currently 5th in that poll.
Thunder Up!!!
If you're like me, you love watching the WNBA OKC Thunder play. OK, I'm kidding, but the Thunder's name is worthy to be mocked. But, they've come up with a pretty innovative cheer/tagline for their squad- "Thunder Up!!!"
That's right, the NBA and Oklahoma City's marketing department has seemingly reached their collective hands into Arnette Tiller's bag of catchy taglines to rally their fans. Well-played, OKC!!
Favre Bomb Detonated?
If you've been reading here a while, you know that I'm a huge Brett Favre fan. So I am just perplexed and saddened by the developments in the last few days out of Minnesota.
Alright, not really...Hey Childress and co.- you made your deal with the devil, it's not free. Brett seemed ageless for much of this season and the system seemed to fit perfectly. But, that perfect fit has been replaced with curse-laden heated arguments and the agelessness has been replaced with the old mistake-prone Brett Favre garbage that we all had come to expect in the last few seasons.Expansion according to Morgan Burke
Tonight during the SIUE game, Burke was interviewed by Jim Barbar about the BT expansion topic. He had a couple of interesting points- first- proximity is not too important to the BT. Second, the BT is seeking a renowned research institution that would also help the conference gain strength athletically.
Since PSU wasn't exactly a next-door neighbor to most of the league and they rank in the top-50 of international research universities, I don't think Burke is just blowing smoke...so I've come up with a few theories of who's the next member of the BT.
University of Oxford England is a top-10 research institution and has renowned rugby and boxing clubs...so they're a solid option.
But another on the list that jumps out is the University of Texas at Austin...another top-50 research university with a ton to offer athletically. I'm beginning to think that Burke knew exactly whom he was talking about when he tip-toed around his answer during the brief courtside interview. The tealeaves might seem to be an autumn burnt orange, today.Also on this list and spinning in the rumor mill, The State University of New Jersey...who, unlike UT, is a land-grant university...only four of the conference's 11 schools are not land-grant institutions.
Merry Christmas fellow Boilers to you and your families!!!
11 comments:
Wait'll J-money reads this. Burnt Orange = LaLa land...
I say, bring on UT. Wouldn't that be a fun in conference game to look forward to every year? OSU and UM would be quaking in their snow boots.
And Oxford, that would be interesting but there's probably too many student athletes without passports...er something.
No mention of IU's hard fought loss to Loyola-MD? They sure played hard!
I've also wondered why Pomeroy has MInny so high. Makes no sense.
I already told him he was high if he thinks UT is a possibility. Seriously, this is nonsense. NONSENSE, I tell you!
Why would the premier school in a premiere conference opt to leave? On what level does it make sense? Because they fit a profile? Okay. Because it would be good for the Big Ten? Okay, no argument. But how would this benefit Texas?
I'm sure Morgan Burke thinks distance isn't an issue, but others might.
I'm considering asking the Board of Trustees at Boiled Sports to suspend Boilerdowd for a week for reckless speculation.
Also, just noticed your last line, which reminds me of the OSU and UM write-ups in its festive nature...
Today is Christmas? I thought it was Friday.
I don't claim to fully understand the Pomeroy ratings, but I think they basically amount to points scored per possession and points allowed per possession adjusted for schedule strength. Minnesota has won 7 games by 20 or more points, and many of them have been much bigger blowouts, and their losses have been (except for the Portland loss) close losses to good teams. Cal's record is even spottier but they do have 3 or 4 30+ wins. I think Pomeroy intends his ratings to be predictive rather than a statement of who has had the best season to date. I guess if Minny unexpectedly contends with Purdue and MSU for the title Pomeroy can say his ratings saw it coming.
Oh yeah, Pomeroy dropped us 5 spots after last night's game. Now behind Clemson, Minny, Cal, and Miss St. I sure hope we don't beat Iowa by 25+ and drop to 15!
I could not care less about those rankings. I care about 11-0. I like this schedule... some delicious cupcakes but also some meaty non-conference opponents.
It'll all come out in the wash. You keep winning, they can't ignore you forever.
As a Texan (not the Houston team, mind you) and Boilermaker, I would not want UT in the Big Ten. While UT is ok in academics (especially for a B12 school...most are terrible), they don't fit the standards that most of the B10 lives up to. What I've always loved about the B10 is the tradition, heritage, and relatively high standards. This search for new teams will most likely diminish these aspects of the conference. Sad that such a storied conference of fantastic universities gets so dumped on by the media and has to attempt a facelift by adding schools.
Doesn't Texas have tradition?
I really don't think the 12th member (if they do find one) will diminish the conference in those ways ... that's one reason why most of the names you hear have no chance at all.
Like what J said, while Burke may be saying that geography isn't important, and the Big Ten may not start with strict geographic requirements, I think it'll end up that way. The ADs are probably saying what they are in part so as not to discourage possible matches.
I think what kenpom likes about Minnesota is their defense. Yeah, aside from Butler, Miami, and Texas A&M, their schedule has been soft, but they've been very strong against those teams. Hopefully once they play us, those numbers will drop a bit. (Unfortunately, they'll play South Dakota State, Penn State, and Iowa before us, so I doubt they'll drop much.)
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