Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted April 3 Like it or not, USC has improved their team in the off-season with portal transfers, especially on defense. Wouldn't it be a hoot if it was Oregon vs. USC in the B1G Conference Championship in 2024? Wouldn't that make some heads spin? Could it happen? 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 2 Share Posted April 3 Traveler is my Dark Horse favorite to come out of nowhere and capture the B1G title in 2024. Game one versus LSU in Las Vegas will give us the first look at which of the Tigers and Trojans rehab of the defense was the most successful. Both will score points even without a Heisman winner at QB but will they be able to stop anyone's offense? One reason I like Troy's potential to make it to Indianapolis? USC in 2024 does not play Oregon and does not play Ohio State. SC plays both Penn State, coming off a home game versus UCLA, and Wisconsin in LA. A loss to LSU and Notre Dame will not affect the B1G conference standings. If SC goes 8-1 in the conference and Oregon goes 8-1 with the loss versus Ohio State, I believe SC would hold the tiebreaker vs Oregon if Ohio State finishes 9-0 or 8-1 in the conference. 247 Sports projects Oregon playing tOSU in the champ game. Big Ten football predictions: Way-too-early order of finish, final records for 2024 season 247SPORTS.COM Picking the wins and losses for every Big Ten team. If USC and Oregon trip to a champ game played in Indy, will the game sell out? I imagine many long-time B1G fans would not be happy with this matchup. Oregon vs. tOSU or SC vs. tOSU would delight the folks at Fox and perhaps, challenge the SEC for the number of champ game viewers? Fun stuff to ponder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 3 Share Posted April 3 College Football News has an interesting scenario. Ohio State finishes 12-0/9-0 USC finishes 10-2/8-1 with losses to LSU in Las Vegas and Michigan in Ann Arbor. Oregon finishes 11-1/8-1 with the loss coming against Ohio State in Eugene. Oregon defeats Michigan in Ann Arbor. USC does not play Ohio State and drops the game in Ann Arbor. I have no idea which team the B1G tiebreaker would send to play Ohio State in Indy. https://collegefootballnews.com/schedules/college-football-schedules-predictions-for-every-game-spring-2024#big-ten-football-schedules-predictions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 4 Share Posted April 3 I don't believe the B1G has announced their tie-breaker rules yet. Jon, based on Big12 rules, in your scenario the two teams tied at 8-1 would be compared. If they did not play each other, then their W-L record against the 4th place team is compared if the 4th place team was a common opponent, and then the 5th place common team, and then....until a W-L difference is evident. In your scenario, if Michigan was the fourth place team, then Oregon would get the nod. There are additional rules if that first step doesn't result in a decision. For the Big12, open this link and scroll down. Latest Big 12 standings with tiebreaker rules, remaining schedule, more DKNETWORK.DRAFTKINGS.COM Here’s how the Big 12 looks as of now, and which games will matter to determine the conference champion in Arlington, TX. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 5 Share Posted April 3 Meant to add, though lengthy and potentially cumbersome, the Big12 approach is preferable to some beauty contest with AP or Coaches or CFP Committee's early rankings being the deciding factor. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solar No. 6 Share Posted April 3 The odds of OSU finishing 3rd or lower in the BIG10 has to be less than 5%. Then multiple that times the odds Oregon is in the top 2 and multiply that by the odds USC is in the top 2 and you get "slightly more probable than impossible, or about a 1% chance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 7 Share Posted April 3 On 4/3/2024 at 2:43 PM, Solar said: The odds of OSU finishing 3rd or lower in the BIG10 has to be less than 5%. Then multiple that times the odds Oregon is in the top 2 and multiply that by the odds USC is in the top 2 and you get "slightly more probable than impossible, or about a 1% chance. In 2024, Ohio State has the easiest conference and out-of-conference schedule of B1G title contenders. TOSU, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and USC have the best odds of winning the conference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solar No. 8 Share Posted April 3 On 4/3/2024 at 12:01 PM, Jon Joseph said: In 2024, Ohio State has the easiest conference and out-of-conference schedule of B1G title contenders. TOSU, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and USC have the best odds of winning the conference. The only close probability for OSU to lose is against us. Outside of that, any loss would be a massive upset. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 9 Share Posted April 3 On 4/3/2024 at 3:08 PM, Solar said: The only close probability for OSU to lose is against us. Outside of that, any loss would be a massive upset. I like the call but upsets happen in The Game. I do not see Michigan winning in 2024 but all of the pressure will be on Day and tOSU. 8 home games help the Buckeyes 2024 cause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckley Palace No. 10 Share Posted April 3 Any update on the Big Ten holding the championship game anywhere but Indy? If this is going to be a National landscape conference, they should have alternate sites. Especially if Florida State and Clemson join up in a couple years. As far as the question goes, it would shock me. USC is in for a culture shock, because Lincoln has a style built for the Big Twelve, or the now defunct Pac Twelve. Talented squad, but it takes a while to integrate toughness. I like their new DC though. He has the chance to do what Knowles has done at Ohio State. But it'll take more than one off-season imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 11 Share Posted April 3 On 4/3/2024 at 3:08 PM, Solar said: The only close probability for OSU to lose is against us. Outside of that, any loss would be a massive upset. I like the call but upsets happen in The Game. I do not see Michigan winning in 2024 but all of the pressure will be on Day and tOSU. 8 home games help the Buckeyes 2024 cause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 12 Share Posted April 3 On 4/3/2024 at 4:57 PM, Duckley Palace said: Any update on the Big Ten holding the championship game anywhere but Indy? If this is going to be a National landscape conference, they should have alternate sites. Especially if Florida State and Clemson join up in a couple years. As far as the question goes, it would shock me. USC is in for a culture shock, because Lincoln has a style built for the Big Twelve, or the now defunct Pac Twelve. Talented squad, but it takes a while to integrate toughness. I like their new DC though. He has the chance to do what Knowles has done at Ohio State. But it'll take more than one off-season imo. Good take and thoughts on the Trojans in 2024. But for 1 guy, it's an entirely new D staff. Including bringing in a guy who coached the Rams DL for the last 4 seasons; a line that included Mike Donald. Absent Grinch, SC's tackling looked better in the Holiday Bowl than it did the entire season. Just verbal 'commits' but SC is recruiting very well in 2025 including on the D side of the ball. SC finally has its NIL act together. Riley knows that the D must improve or he's gone. Take out the 2 OOC games vs LSU and Notre Dame that have no bearing on conference standings. SC has an easier conference schedule than the Ducks in 2024. USC will likely be favored in every conference game except Michigan in Ann Arbor and SC's roster is at least equal to Michigan's 2024 roster. Penn State and Wisconsin trip to LA. I don't see Minnesota, Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska, 2024's UW, and 2024's UCLA as games the Trojans can't win. 5 B1G teams enter 2024 with Blue Chip Rosters, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, and USC. You could of course be spot on and SC will again go 8-4. If so, no matter what it costs, I think Riley is gone. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
