B1G Tiebreaker Question

Submitted by KansasBlue on

If this has been answered already, please forgive me.  I tried searching the site and didn't see this particular question answered.  

There was an argument raised by a poster on EDSBS that MSU would have to lose another game in addition to losing to OSU in order for us to truly be ahead of them in the pecking order for the title game.  Their argument was that the B1G tiebreaker stipulates that a team's record within the division, not the conferece, is what is used to rank the teams.  Therefore, the loss to Nebraska doesn't really hurt them since it wasn't within the division.  I've read through the official tiebreaker info on the official B1G site and it doesn't seem to get into that particular question.  

In the scenario we're all hoping for with OSU beating MSU and us beating OSU, we would all have an identical record within the division (5-1) and at that point if the poster is right, we would get into the more complicated threeway tiebreaker rules instead of just going with Michigan as the winner of the head to head between the two teams with the best overall conference records and not even considering MSU.  Anybody know for sure?  Thanks!  Go blue.

Edit:  For those of you interested in reading the thread, here it is.  I would have dismissed it entirely but this JonK2015 fella was just so damn persistent.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/11/8/9691220/bowl-game-pr…

 

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deejaydan

November 8th, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^

Basically, MSU does control thier own destiny.  If they win out, they do have wins over UM and OSU at that point, and OSU does control thier own destiny.  UM needs OSU to beat MSU and then UM needs to beat MSU.

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YouRFree

November 8th, 2015 at 9:06 PM ^

We jsut need MSU to lose another game, not ncessarily the OSU game. for example, the PSU game. It's jsut that the chance that MSU losing at OSU is much higher than losing PSU at home. I am jsut saying. That said, we have a tough road game at PSU too. Let's see if we can take care of the business in the next two weeks before we are in a conversation of contending for the East title.

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TheCool

November 8th, 2015 at 8:29 PM ^

Division record may be important, but it doesn't take precedent over the overall conference record. In our hopeful scenario of us winning out and OSU beating MSU we'd have the head to head over OSU and MSU would have 2 losses.

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Muttley

November 8th, 2015 at 8:48 PM ^

http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/archive/081011aaa.html

Step 0, before the need to go to the tie-breaker procedure, is to compare conference records

With Sparty having two conference losses and UM & OSU one, Sparty would not be considered in the tie-breaking steps.  With only two teams, the winner in this specified scenario (UM over OSU) would win the division.

Note also that in the event of a three team tie, step b1) compares the records of the three teams against each other* before the division records are compared in step b2).

 

*As has been discussed elsewhere, step b1) has been effectively acknowledged by the B1G to be poorly written. The B1G actually means

(b)1. The records of the three tied teams against each other will be compared.

instead of

(b)1. The records of the three tied teams will be compared against each other.

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Michigan248

November 8th, 2015 at 8:30 PM ^

East division record is a tie breaker. We would not be tied with MSU if we won out and OSU beat them. We would be tied with OSU which the tiebreaker would be head to head

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ijohnb

November 8th, 2015 at 8:32 PM ^

If OSU beats MSU and we beat them, it is not a "tie breaker" situation because we are not tied with them. They would have 2 losses and they would have 1. The tie would be us and OSU, and we would win head to head.

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Alton

November 8th, 2015 at 9:07 PM ^

The rules actually require that in years that the Rose Bowl doesn't host a semifinal (including this year), it is guaranteed to have a Big Ten team and a Pac Twelve team.

The rules require that, if the Big Ten champion is selected for the playoff, the highest-ranked Big Ten team not in the playoff will go to the Rose Bowl.  The same rule applies to the Pac Twelve as well.

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Roc Blue in the Lou

November 8th, 2015 at 11:59 PM ^

The issue could come up, though not likely.  It would require OSU winning out and then crushing Iowa in the B1G championship, while UM handily beats Penn St. and Indiana, but barely gets beaten by unbeaten OSU...now, the Rose takes EITHER the just crushed/exposed Hawkeyes or UM which, in this scenario, loses but gives OSU all it can handle in a classic.  Hopefully, this juncture is never reached because UM beats down all three remaining teams on its schedule and then lays Iowa low.  But, just sayin, in that first scenario it could be hard for the Rose Bowl committee to pass up UM because, Harbaugh.

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Perkis-Size Me

November 8th, 2015 at 8:50 PM ^

Sounds like conference record takes precedence over divisional record.

All we need is for OSU to beat MSU. And for us to win out, of course. Just control what we can control for now. Until MSU loses another game, there's no possibility of playing for a BTT.

Beat Indiana and then on to the next one.



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Danwillhor

November 8th, 2015 at 8:52 PM ^

msu controls their destiny - win out and in B1G CG. If they lose another game TO ANYONE that is no longer true. The same is true for us as our only chance is winning out and/or the VERY unlikely scenario of msu/osu dropping two. As it stands we still need osu to beat msu to make "win out and in" true for us. osu simply needs to win as they also control their destiny. It's crazy but we need to root for osu vs msu, and win out. That's it. msu must lose AGAIN (osu the most likely) and we need to win out. msu can't lose again and be in anything without serious help.

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Carcajou

November 9th, 2015 at 6:27 AM ^

3) win out, MSU loses to Maryland[unlikely], or PSU [which is conceivable, though we wouldn't want to wait until after that game to know our fate for sure].

I seem to be one of the few here that hate MSU far less than I hate OSU [who are a greater nemesis over the long term]. But then, I haven't lived in Michigan in a couple decades.

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