@iunorth You don't think it helps our case last year, and silences some of the criticism of our schedule if we beat Louisville last year, vs W IL? And, heaped more criticism on us by having done so? IL just went to, and pounded a Duke team I thought might give them some trouble. I think that impresses folks, but I know buying our way out of games like that, doesn't. Yes, it would be great if we could beat, or at least play with, an ND or OSU, but we could also gain more credibility by scheduling a P4/5 team in the precon, or at least playing them when we had them scheduled. Ironic, now that we'll likely need to. If a LVille or UVA derail a playoff bid, we probably weren't making it to begin with. And, I'm not saying we didn't deserve a playoff spot last year, I think we did. But, I'm saying I did understand the criticism, and know we're going to have to do a little more to get the same level of respect as teams who have proven themselves more in college football circles.
Many of the top players come from power 4 in the Belt. Sun Belt is a great place to land after someone realizes playing time at UGA, BAMA, etc. will be difficult to get or grades are an issue. Good teams, players, and coaches. Was at South / Tulane game Saturday. Quality football. Go Hoosiers!
Decent chance we would have lost a game at Louisville early in the season last year. People forget we were a new team coming together and we had growing pains early. A road game vs an established team would have been iffy and could have cost us a playoff birth.
This year we’ll play two top-5 range teams on the road and a top-10 team at home. We’ll be judged on those games and an unranked P4 non-con wouldn’t have mattered much.
I’m all for harder non-cons, but we are a smaller program with modest NIL that is still heavy in the portal. There is a good case we need the cupcake prep we have now. I think we will add P4s when the program is more built-up/mature with a few high school classes under our belt and less roster turnover than we have now.
I'm not arguing the logic. It's reality. Until we prove it for more than a year we will not be given the benefit of the doubt. Which is why beating ODU by 30 was necessary at this point to be ranked higher than we are. Now we win the next 2 convincingly then we will get a little more respect. But being the losingest team ever doesn't go away easy
Our ranking right now seems pretty fair I don’t really see much of an issue here.
@kkott I guess all P4 opponents aren't created equal. Louisville, depending on the year, might help with perception a little bit. A team like Virginia, most years, would not.
We beat, the hell, out of 7 B10 teams last year, and beat the team that beat OSU... Adding an average ACC or B12 team (Virginia maybe) to that list isn't going to change the narrative.
It has taken the B10 winning back to back nattys, and the SEC having subpar bowl seasons, among other factors, for them to change their 8 game conf philosophy... that for most teams included 3 cupcake home games.
Times change, dynamics change... I'm sure Cig and IU will add a P4 OOC opponent back in before the ND home and home happens in 2030/31.
I dont know whether we're better, worse, or about right for our ranking either. Probably about right, top 20 is pretty good.
Still, its hilarious watching the 'unbiased' voters promote Tennessee or Michigan or any other name so vigorously on any normal win or 'good loss'.