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Play in Bowl game and lose vs never going to a bowl

Which would you rather be?


  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .

Woodsa

Redshirt Freshman
Jul 18, 2004
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The discussion around using weaker schedule to get to a bowl is an interesting debate. So I'm curious what your take is on this scenario.

The obvious issue with playing lesser talent is it doesn't push your team to improve, fight, and earn the win. So, when face equal or harder talent, you lose.
 
I believe with the 4 new teams added to the BIG 10 you will never have to worry about playing a weak big 10 schedule. Look at Ohio st. They are not worried about playing easy non conference teams. They realized all they have to do is win the big 10 championship and they will be selected for the bowl championship playoffs.

Win or lose a bowl game is great for recruiting. I remember as a member of the men’s glee club, we looked forward to all those end of season trips to Florida, Mexico, Hawaii and Europe.
 
I believe with the 4 new teams added to the BIG 10 you will never have to worry about playing a weak big 10 schedule. Look at Ohio st. They are not worried about playing easy non conference teams. They realized all they have to do is win the big 10 championship and they will be selected for the bowl championship playoffs.

Win or lose a bowl game is great for recruiting. I remember as a member of the men’s glee club, we looked forward to all those end of season trips to Florida, Mexico, Hawaii and Europe.
My son ran sound for the Men's Glee Club and enjoyed many of those same trips. Sad to see so many neat traditions ruined / dropped from the club for reasons that cannot be said in a public forum.
 
I didn’t take the bait but the second option should be, double coin flip and only don’t go if we come up double tails, cuz that’s been the true odds. Even with our tougher non-cons we still get to a bowl many years. We played a similar non-con in 2022 as 2023 with road game at Syracuse and FAU and still went bowling. The year before we went bowling despite ND on the road and Oregon state. Year before that was covid so no non-conf. I’ll give you 2019. 2018 we went despite 2 non-conf losses. 2017 we went with a loss against Louisville. I’ll go back to 2011 so we can pick up some Danny hope years. So in 13 non-conf schedules, we went bowling 6 times and only had 2 missed opportunities to go if we had cupcakes. So 75% of bowl potential teams go with our schedules.
 
I all depends on how the B1G schedule falls in that particular year. Would be nice to know, but with expansion etc, it's hard to see far in the future.

When we were in the West division, we could get away with scheduling multiple P5 teams. Because we had a manageable conference schedule every year.

I'm all for 1 FCS, 1 G5, 1 P4. Every single year. If we have a tough B1G schedule that year, (assuming we see far enough out), then we play musical chairs with the schedule and get 1 FCS and 2 G5.

G5 aren't gimme games for Purdue anyway, but it's better than a P5 on the road.
 
If you're a lower tier and/or rebuilding power conference program, you should schedule weaker. You gotta stack some wins. Getting to 6 is important for development and getting extra practices and an extra game. It's boost perception in the positive. It gives an extra game on national television to show your brand of football and what the program is about to football junkies who may not be familiar with a Purdue or a Indiana or Vandy.
 
Bowls are pretty much like the NIT at this point. It's all about getting into the playoffs (top 12 teams currently).
 
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I believe Purdue should follow Ohio State's lead. if cream puffs are good enough for Ohio State's schedule, they should be good enough for Purdue. Unlike years past, Purdue doesn't need Notre Dame to pack our stadium. our attendance has been very good. I believe the casual fan and recruit loves to see a lopsided win.

I'll pose a scenario. Purdue plays Notre Dame and loses, or Purdue plays Eastern Montana St or whoever IU played last week and wins by 50 points. what is the atmosphere going to be like after the game ? what is the atmosphere going to be like during the game. what type of an impression is a recruit going to come away with after a blow out win when he sees the third stringers play ? and what will a recruit see after a loss from Purdue players ? During a loss, how quiet are the fans in the stands ? Does a recruit see the frustration of players losing ? or does he see players who just accept losing because the other team is better and we just expect to lose?

I know there are some die hard football fans here who want Purdue to always play tough competition. I'm not sure why. because your ego is huge and you want to prove to other teams how good you are ? The casual fan just wants to see a win. People get very happy after wins. People get VERY happy and celebrate. after a loss, people go silently back to hotel rooms and punch walls and white boards.

I would much rather see Purdue get blown away at a Bowl game, than losing during the regular season. in going to a Bowl game, there are many other related activities. If the team loses, you can still have fun. Going to the Citrus or Outback or gator Bowl or Rose Bowl or Pin stripe Bowl is a vacation with lot of awesome things . Losing at home during the regular season is just 3 hours wasted in a long day.
 
I loved the old bowl format. No "national champion" or playoff, just select bowls that you played your butt off to get to. I tend to watch those bowl games that are not part of the playoff system as that is their championship game.

The failed leadership of the NCAA has greatly diminished college athletics into "money", "money", "money". Faced with that, the conferences had no choice but to set out and be the dominant force to obtain the largest piece of the pie. I yearn for a day that will likely never come but long live the bowl games.
 
People love football in America and there isn't a sport even close to its popularity. People will watch the Motor City Bowl and be happy as can be because it's football.
I've enjoyed attending the lower tier bowls. Been to Detroit 2x and Nashville 2x as well as Santa Clara for the Foster Farms Bowl. 4 of the games were super fun. Obviously, one was not. Detroit and Nashville were easy drives and hotels were cheap. Cali as always was pricey but it did not disappoint!!!

I did not go to the last bowl because I knew what would happen considering the departures and didn't want to spend the money for that.
 
I’ve enjoyed going to several. Outback Bowl games, several all star games. And several bowl games at Nashville. My family is from Wisconsin and has gone to a couple of Rose Bowl games. Going to a Bowl game is so much more than just watching a football game.

That is why I’d rather Purdue played 3 easy pre conference games and become bowl eligible than to claim a certain game against a tough opponent during the regular season is our bowl game.

Another scenario I present to you. Would you rather go to a non conference basketball game against a tough opponent? Or would you rather to go the Final 4 to watch Purdue?

I believe the answer to that question would be 95% of the people here would agree they’d rather see Purdue play in a final 4 than see Purdue play a tough preseason game.

So if you would rather see Purdue play in the final 4 over a tough preseason game, wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume you’d rather see Purdue play in a bowl game rather than a tough preseason football game?
 
You should just set a poll to ask if people want to schedule 3 gimme games in the non conference or not. And I say no.
I would like to see two easy or relatively easy. A MAC and a Mountain West-like school. Ball State, Fresno State, ND, type of a schedule.

Granted, we lost to Fresno State as they were good. Or maybe a Rice or a Vanderbilt?
 
Haha we lost to Rice years ago too!
If I remember right, we went 1-1. Nobody is saying they are cupcakes, as I think I made pretty clear what I would like in the schedule.

One MAC (I was at the Bowling Green and Toledo losses), one lower tier (which in reality we are), and keep the ND game.
 
I’ve enjoyed going to several. Outback Bowl games, several all star games. And several bowl games at Nashville. My family is from Wisconsin and has gone to a couple of Rose Bowl games. Going to a Bowl game is so much more than just watching a football game.

That is why I’d rather Purdue played 3 easy pre conference games and become bowl eligible than to claim a certain game against a tough opponent during the regular season is our bowl game.

Another scenario I present to you. Would you rather go to a non conference basketball game against a tough opponent? Or would you rather to go the Final 4 to watch Purdue?

I believe the answer to that question would be 95% of the people here would agree they’d rather see Purdue play in a final 4 than see Purdue play a tough preseason game.

So if you would rather see Purdue play in the final 4 over a tough preseason game, wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume you’d rather see Purdue play in a bowl game rather than a tough preseason football game?
Horrible connection dude. Seeding in basketball has zero to do with with wins it’s all based on the body of work. The argument here is a win threshold to qualify.

I think they should change the win requirement and make it so the bowls can pick whoever they want. There should be conference ties but the Idaho potato bowl shouldn’t have been require to take Utah State who finished 7th in the MW because rhey had six wins over teams like Purdue who gets punished for playing the 17th hardest schedule.
 
ok, I'll revisit my thoughts. we had a choice of playing 3 creampuffs or playing ND as one of our nonconference games.

for those of you who say you love playing tough competition even if we lose, was this your idea of a fun afternoon ? Are you sober yet ?

I had a close friend's son invited as a high school prospect to attend today's game. before today, he was not thinking about Purdue. But Purdue/Walters invited him, so he said, OK, I'll be there. at the moment, I'm too ashamed to ask him how his visit went. I would have to believe the locker room would have been a lot different after a big win against a creampuff team. I hate to imagine what my friend's son saw and experienced at today's game.

People like wins. at least when you are going to a bowl game, it's ok to get blown out because there are so many other things going on.

when you get blown out at home, what is there to do in West Lafayette other than to get drunk and hit walls with your fist ?
 
ok, I'll revisit my thoughts. we had a choice of playing 3 creampuffs or playing ND as one of our nonconference games.

for those of you who say you love playing tough competition even if we lose, was this your idea of a fun afternoon ? Are you sober yet ?

I had a close friend's son invited as a high school prospect to attend today's game. before today, he was not thinking about Purdue. But Purdue/Walters invited him, so he said, OK, I'll be there. at the moment, I'm too ashamed to ask him how his visit went. I would have to believe the locker room would have been a lot different after a big win against a creampuff team. I hate to imagine what my friend's son saw and experienced at today's game.

People like wins. at least when you are going to a bowl game, it's ok to get blown out because there are so many other things going on.

when you get blown out at home, what is there to do in West Lafayette other than to get drunk and hit walls with your fist ?
We would have lost to any mac team today and that would have felt worse. The team out there today beats no one in FBS and we wouldn’t have scheduled two plus FCS in a season. Another stupid post.
 
Horrible connection dude. Seeding in basketball has zero to do with with wins it’s all based on the body of work. The argument here is a win threshold to qualify.

I think they should change the win requirement and make it so the bowls can pick whoever they want. There should be conference ties but the Idaho potato bowl shouldn’t have been require to take Utah State who finished 7th in the MW because rhey had six wins over teams like Purdue who gets punished for playing the 17th hardest schedule.
Who wants to tune in to watch 4-8 Purdue?
 
We would have lost to any mac team today and that would have felt worse. The team out there today beats no one in FBS and we wouldn’t have scheduled two plus FCS in a season. Another stupid post.
a typical response from you. I'm not the coach. I'm just a fan. take your anger out on somebody else.

I never said anything about playing FCS teams. I said cream puffs. there are many teams out there that are division 1 schools that are always terrible football teams. Vanderbilt and Kansas used to be very popular to schedule because they were known as cream puffs.

my point was that Purdue needs to stop scheduling teams like Notre Dame and start scheduling three teams they know they can beat. if that means we can't find any division1 school that is a creampuff that we can beat, then we are in deep doo doo. Soon, we will become that cream puff that teams like alabama will want to face as a tune up game and gimme game.

I have to ask, if you continually believe my posts to be stupid, why do you continually read and reply to them. who is the fool ? me? or the one who argues with one ?

so, have you posted any original thoughts lately ? expressed an opinion ? taken a stand that others may disagree with / or do you just live for the opportunity to call me stupid ?

sorry Purdue lost today. have another PBR.
 
Play a decent schedule and still manage to clear the incredibly low bar of winning half your games and still have a chance to win some bowl games.
 
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