WTKA Roundtable 6/6/2024: The Tale of Joe Blue Tony

Things Discussed:
Analytics: You have to know how they're made to understand their value. FPI is going to punish Michigan for having a much tougher schedule than Penn State. SP+ is made from scrubbing play-by-play data and roster data, and isolating what different factors mean. PFF is made from pass-fail grading.
They are predictive up to a point, and then from there it's up to the analyst to understand how it applies to a specific team, e.g. defensive SP+ in the Big Ten West can't handle how bad B10 West offenses are, and measures that say 5-star quarterbacks in their third year of starting are good but not if they've spent that time behind one of James Franklin's OL.
Craig Ross tells the story of the gangs of his high school, and Joe Blue Tony. Moral of the story: Jim Harbaugh wanted love, it was over when they pulled the plug on the TRO case. Sam: makes some sense.
Seth: Michigan's mistake with Harbaugh is they decided to stay in the Big Ten and NCAA instead of joining the NFL, which has the Lombardi Trophy.
Two-loss teams in the Playoff? Depends on who they beat, if they win the B10.
I share my proposal for three showcase games to replace the Big Ten Championship Game.

BRIEF SEGUE: THE SHOWCASE PROPOSAL

Instead of a 1 vs 2 game for the championship we play the best three games that weren't played during the regular season. #1 plays the best team they haven't played, #2 plays the best they haven't played, etc. Where necessary the conference is allowed to make judgement calls so that there is always a *clear* champion after the games are played. The games are all played on championship Saturday in three major cities within the Big Ten footprint (New York, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, etc.). Downside: it's another Big Ten game, not winner-take-all, although in many cases the #1 game will be winner-take-all. Upsides: three big games instead of one, opportunities to enhance resumes for six teams with Playoff hopes, no rematches, no weird Big Ten champions who finished behind better teams, lost to other teams, etc.

Jaishawn Barham: Like adding a 1st rounder. PFF coverage score last year was bunk. He could be an NFL DE, a lot of his Maryland tape he's not the guy making the sack; he's the guy causing the sack. His versatility is what Michigan's wanted from the LB position all along. Think he's going to be a star this year then go pro.
Is coverage more important than pass rush? That's what the Ravens were about. It's true in the NFL because the NFL puts most of its money into beating pass rush: QBs who read out everything and know what to do with the ball immediately, tackles to protect them outside, etc.