Hawaii strikes Fear into the Hearts of the Big 10

by Mylf

Hawai'i deserves a BCS bid. Yes, I know this has been written before, and I have been a supporter of this since the undefeateds started falling. But, this morning the fury at their standings in the BCS became too much for me to handle.

Why you may ask?

Because they really were trying to play harder teams. Two Big 10 teams canceled games (one of them paying to get out of it) and some schools were refusing to schedule them. Was it because they are a weak team? Was it because the schools wouldn't have strong enough schedules if Hawai'i was on there? Was it because they would have to fly over 10 hours and 4 time zones to get to Hawai'i?

No.

• Michigan canceled their season opener at home with Hawai'i in favor of Appalachian State. Yeah, how did that work out for you?
• Michigan State paid Hawai'i $250K to cancel their game at home with Hawaii. Worried about the long drive back to the dorms?
• Hawai'i tried to replace Michigan State with USC. USC passed. (OK, so they are PAC-10. whatever)

Yes, Hawai'i has a weaker schedule in a weaker conference. And you can only count teams they play. But what happens when the stronger teams won't play you? What happens when the stronger teams cancel the games? If Hawai'i had played those games, and had won, would we be having this Hawai'i deserves/doesn't deserve to go to a BCS Bowl debate. No, because we'd have an answer.

That said, let's turn our attention to Kansas, the other undefeated team. They have beaten such powerhouses as Toledo and Southeastern Louisiana. The teams that they play also have a losing record (47-75 vs. Hawai'i's opponents 34-76). They beat #24 Kansas State (who is no longer ranked.) They have one game left against #4 Missouri. So they are ranked at #2 based on the #4 school they haven't played yet and the potential of a conference championship game? What happens if/when they lose? They drop like a rock.

Let's summarize here:

Hawai'i has played a weaker schedule due to other schools not wanting to play them.. They are penalized and are ranked #15. Kansas has played a weaker schedule due to Big 12 scheduling and their own choices. They are ranked #2.

Don't you just love the BCS?

Source of my fury

(p.s. be kind, this is my first article)

BigPPupMajor Leaguer

325 days ago

Score 2

Hawaii is fun they are glitzy and they are interesting. They are not a power house team. They coul do well against a Big 10 team simply due to their speed and the Big 10 is still 10 years behind every other major conference in football.

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MylfJV Squad

325 days ago

Score 2

Isn't that the reason they are called the Big 10? ;)

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Cougar2000All-American

306 days ago

Score 0

They're unbeaten, they play a pretty good brand of football, BigPPup. Hawaii deserves to be in the BCS and now they have a chance to eat at the adult table instead of the kids table. There's also the argument that the computers like one team over another. I have yet to see a computer play a football game. Let's say that Hawaii beats Ugly Helmet U in Ann Arbor. They would get some major consideration. So your argument holds some water.

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ASwaffAll-American

325 days ago

Score 2

Haha...you say that both their opponents have a losing record, but Kansas's have 13 more wins. Their win percentage is .385 against Hawaii's .306. Not to mention that Kansas has a larger average margin of victory, and they actually play something resembling defense. People aren't dissing Hawaii because of any bias, they're dissing Hawaii because they don't have a balanced game, and they'd be owned by a respectable opponent. Also, it's hard to claim any bias when the BCS computers have Kansas as the number one team, and Hawaii isn't even in the top-25.

But, back to the point of balanced team. Hawaii averages 48 points per game, and Kansas averages an equally respectable 45.8 However, Kansas holds opponents to 14.2 points per game, to Hawaii's 23.5. Kansas beats opponents by an average of 31.3 points per game, while Hawaii wins by an average of 24.5

You're also wrong when you say that Kansas did this by their own choosing. First of all, you don't know who they did or did not try to schedule. Secondly, it's not their fault that the Big 12's rotating schedule of north-south games left them not having to face Texas, Oklahoma or even Texas Tech this year. That's not their fault, either.

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The PipDiv-I Stud

325 days ago

Score 1

So Kansas is ranked 13 positions higher because their Strength of Schedule is .079 higher AND because their margin of victory is 1 touchdown higher? Oh and that SOS difference is partially due to them playing one more game, which apparenbtly didn't help it that much. I think Kansas will get owned once they play a respectable opponent, based just upon your numbers and assumptions. In fact your argument is the entire issue, BCS Conferences have an elitist attitude toward the rest of Div-1a. The whole Boise St v Oklahoma thing should have done some to clear that up, especially to a fan of a Big-12 school. Hawaii deserves the same shot that Boise St got last year, assuming they go undefeated.

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ASwaffAll-American

325 days ago

Score 1

Hawaii hasn't played as tough a schedule as Boise State did, and they haven't been as good as Boise State was. By pointing out those differences, I wasn't trying to say that Kansas is justified for being ranked so much higher. I was just trying to point out that the teams aren't the same. Trying to assert that they deserve a similar ranking just because they've both played bad schedules while ignoring the fact that one has played a tougher schedule AND performed better at it makes for a very flimsy argument. I was just pointing out that the two teams are not on equal ground. I'm not saying that means there should be such a large margin between the two.

You also invoked the "elitist" argument yet again, when I have already shown that the computers heavily favor Kansas over Hawaii. The computers aren't perfect, but this has NOTHING to do with human bias. In the human polls there is only 11 spots separating the two teams, versus 20 for the computers. You have to find something to blame besides human bias if you want to complain.

Futhermore, I still have a difficult time saying Boise State proved anything last year. I'm glad they finally got their chance, I'm glad they made the most of it. But I think people are making a little too much of the number 5 team in the country beating the number 11 team, which was very much in a down year and only eked into that game because of a collapse down the stretch by Texas. I'm not trying to minimize what Boise State did, but I'm just a little tired of people acting like their victory over a team they SHOULD HAVE beaten means that any small conference that beats up on a cupcake schedule is legit. That's a stretch, to be kind.

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Cougar2000All-American

306 days ago

Score 0

Remember that the WAC doesn't have a championship game, so that may or may not be a valid arguement.

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ChachiOSUDraft Pick

325 days ago

Score 2

This argument may be come null and void after the Boise State game this week. Of course I want the BCS to be dissolved so I say "Go Hawaii!" Raise some hell and make some noise. The more teams that get screwed over, the more teams that will push for a playoff.

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NejoshiDiv-I Stud

325 days ago

Score 0

Hawaii will lose to Boise State and the discussion about their BCS candidacy will become a moot point.

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ASwaffAll-American

325 days ago

Score 0

We'll have to see. Frankly, I think that Missouri will beat Kansas, win the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma, and hurdle into the title game. Everyone's overlooking them, but it's a huge benefit to have that conference title game. And when all is said and done, Missouri would have an awfully impressive resume, with victories over Illinois (at a neutral site), at Ole Miss, Texas Tech, at Kansas State, Kansas (at a neutral site) and Oklahoma (at a neutral site). The computers don't like Missouri much right now, placing them sixth, but I think that two good victories in a row would put them over the top of idle Ohio State and West Virginia.

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Amilke60Div-I Stud

324 days ago

Score -2

I completely agree. Boise State is going to win this game and put all of this arguing to rest.

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MylfJV Squad

321 days ago

Score -1

So How was that Boise win?

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1MountaineerWaterboy

325 days ago

Score 1

The BCS is to blame here. They have a very unclear, unfair and biased system of determining a National Champion and who plays for it. This is going to continue to happen till we get a definnitive playoff system established.

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ASwaffAll-American

325 days ago

Score 1

Again, I'm struggling to understand where the bias lies. Are you saying that the computers are biased, because they are the ones that have the massive disparity between Kansas and Hawaii. If that's your case, please explain how the computers are biased. I'd like to hear your explanation.

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1MountaineerWaterboy

323 days ago

Score 0

it's not the bias in the computers its the bias in the polls that the computer uses to determine the standings.

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MECUVarsity

325 days ago

Score 2

Since when did we start rewarding teams for what they tried to do? If we did that, all the teams would be champions because they all tried to win all the games.

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MylfJV Squad

324 days ago

Score -1

Well apparently they can be penalized for what other teams don't want to do, or what they say they will do then back out of.

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ASwaffAll-American

324 days ago

Score 1

That's only assuming they managed to defeat Michigan, Michigan State, and/or USC. If they had played those teams and lost, then nobody would be talking about Hawaii at all. They'd be just another mediocre team with a loss or two. Recognition of any kind for being undefeated is hardly a penalty.

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Audino237JV Squad

321 days ago

Score 0

http://www.a...i_in_the_BCS!

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Cougar2000All-American

306 days ago

Score 0

You're not the only one that tried to get Hawaii to the adult table. Michigan was pretty damned gutless to cancel and put Appalachian State in their place. That was the biggest smackdown since David tossed the rock at Golaith and I think Ugly Helmet U's credibilty took a major hit. The WAC isn't exactly weak (there's also this school called Boise State). At the same time, they, the Big 10, Pac 10 and Mountain West Conferences don't have a post-season championship, so that presents a problem.

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