Please don't anybody...

[Newt99]

Re: Please don't anybody...

This WIU/Iowa argument is ridiculous. You are all completely comparing apples and oranges here. Iowa is eligible for one of about 60 bowl bids for about 120 FBS teams. WIU is eligible for one of 16 playoff bids (only 8 at large) allocated to however many FCS teams there are. 100? 150? I'm not gonna bother to look it up. Postseason appearances is not a good comparison.

And of course there is the regular season winning percentage argument. As they say -- Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. You can manipulate the data to fit your argument by changing the start year of your data. Last 7 years? 10? 15? What makes MY point the best?

News -- Why is your argument valid here --

Iowa's record in the past 10 years is badly skewed by two terrible seasons.

-- but yet when someone compares the stats by taking out the best and worst seasons for each team, then it is ok for you to say this?

You've clearly lost sight of the subject matter being discussed.

Answer: It isn't, but as Blue said, if you don't agree with someone, it's easier for you to just try to dismiss them as off-topic.

As for Iowa's two CO-championships in the last seven years:

2002 -- Didn't have to play Ohio State, who only went 14-0 and won the national championship.
2004 -- Tied with Michigan at 7-1 but lost to them head-to-head.

WIU might have another title in there if they didn't have to play UNI and/or SIU in one of their better seasons.

I'll say it again to head off more arguments, I'm not choosing a side here, because it just isn't a relevant comparison any way you slice it. Comparing the "program stature" of FBS and FCS schools really doesn't make much sense. Blue made a generalization about where the two teams usually finish in their conference standings and it got WAY out of hand.

[06panther10]

Re: Please don't anybody...

WIU might have another title in there if they didn't have to play UNI and/or SIU in one of their better seasons.

Thats a really good point.

[JayJ79]

Re: Please don't anybody...

This WIU/Iowa argument is ridiculous. You are all completely comparing apples and oranges here.

Oranges are much better. Lots of vitamin C, which helps prevent scurvy and whatnot.

[FOTY]

Re: Please don't anybody...

Only 2 of my friends at their crow. Fans in Iowa City were great though.

I found the fans in Iowa City (including some of the students) to be more respectful and honest than anywhere else. FYI - I also need to find some new facebook friends (or teach them how to show respect).....

[Kyle]

Re: Please don't anybody...

Oranges are much better. Lots of vitamin C, which helps prevent scurvy and whatnot.

You are waaay off base.

First of all, Apples have a much more prestigious history, going back to Adam and Eve in the garden. I don't even need to mention Johnny Appleseed.

Oranges are loaded with sugar and citric acid which is horrible for your teeth.

Without apples you have no apple pie, apple sauce, apple crisp, apple juice, apple cider, apple butter, carmel apples, or vinegar.

[06panther10]

Re: Please don't anybody...

Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

[JayJ79]

Re: Please don't anybody...

First of all, Apples have a much more prestigious history, going back to Adam and Eve in the garden.

just look at all the trouble that that apple caused too.....
if it wasn't for that damn apple I'd be sitting naked in paradise.

[Blue42]

Re: Please don't anybody...

sheesh, that's alot of silly stat doctoring.
but since I still had my excel sheet with those stats open, I'll humor you.

last 10 seasons for WIU, knocking out the best ('02 10-1) and the worst ('04 4-7) yields a regular season win percentage of .586

And for Iowa, knocking out best ('02 11-1) and worst ('99 1-10) yields a regular season win percentage of .581

.586 vs. .581, huh?

You're right News, that comparison was way off. I'll try to get closer than 5 one-thousandths on my next one.

[Newt99]

Re: Please don't anybody...

Good stuff, Jay and Kyle. Cracking me up. Definitely what this thread needed. You've actually convinced me that comparing apples to oranges makes MORE sense than comparing Iowa and WIU!

[UNIpanther99]

Re: Please don't anybody...

Another positive about this game... I've had 3 friends who are big Iowa fans and have no connection to UNI at all contact me and ask to go to a UNI game with me this year.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Please don't anybody...

There are some good points in here. I still disagree, but good points.

First, people keep talking about all the FBS bowl games available. That's fine and true, but Iowa hasn't been playing in the bargain basement, closer to Christmas than New Years bowl games. They've been playing in major bowl games on Jan 1. We haven't seen them in Detroit, Boise or a ".com" bowl, we've seen them in the Outback and Capital One bowls. We've seen them finish in the top-10 THREE consecutive times. We've seen them in the BCS. WIU hasn't matched that kind of finish once.

The "60 bowl game" line is an attempt to make a point by being as unspecific as possible. It doesn't work.

Second, you can't toss out the best and worst to make a comparison, by doing so you're no longer trying to make a comparison. You're playing around with numbers until you find something you like. There are legitimate arguments about how far "back" we should look, but just tossing out seasons on both sides doesn't help make any points.

[Panther'73]

Re: Please don't anybody...

some sponsors of the major bowls are more concerned with the fans following the team and spending money than the quality of the team playing. Iowa has always had an outstanding following - that's another reason Iowa gets decent bowl bids.

[Newt99]

Re: Please don't anybody...

There are some good points in here. I still disagree, but good points.

First, people keep talking about all the FBS bowl games available. That's fine and true, but Iowa hasn't been playing in the bargain basement, closer to Christmas than New Years bowl games. They've been playing in major bowl games on Jan 1. We haven't seen them in Detroit, Boise or a ".com" bowl, we've seen them in the Outback and Capital One bowls. We've seen them finish in the top-10 THREE consecutive times. We've seen them in the BCS. WIU hasn't matched that kind of finish once.

The "60 bowl game" line is an attempt to make a point by being as unspecific as possible. It doesn't work.

Second, you can't toss out the best and worst to make a comparison, by doing so you're no longer trying to make a comparison. You're playing around with numbers until you find something you like. There are legitimate arguments about how far "back" we should look, but just tossing out seasons on both sides doesn't help make any points.

No one is discounting Iowa's bowl record, but even if we only look at the "major" bowl games as you call the Outback and Capital One, there are still more slots than the 16 playoff slots (8 at-large) available to WIU. The Big Ten has I believe 6 guaranteed bowl bids as long as the teams get to 6 wins, the MVFC certainly does not have that. Yes, Iowa has been over the win minimum most years, but that's not the point. If the Big 10 only got two bowl bids in most years, like the MVFC's normal playoff bid total, how many post-season appearances would Iowa have?

It only seems like there are "60 bowl games." I said "60 bowl bids." Even if we ignore the "minor" bowls, there are still way more opportunities to extend your season in FBS than in FCS.

WIU has been down a little bit the last five years, no doubt. The shorter the comparison you make, the more it favors Iowa. If you are so adamantly opposed to "playing around with numbers until you find something you like," then you can't say that "Iowa's record in the past 10 years is badly skewed by two terrible seasons" either. You were the first to start manipulating the data. Now that you don't like the numbers that other people have come up with, you are calling shenanigans. Good try but FAIL.

One more time -- there are no valid comparisons here. You might as well be comparing the overall records and postseason appearances of the Hawkeyes vs. the Chicago Bears. It was just a generalization Blue made about conference pecking order.