Rutgers Related Tidbits from Mandel's Mailbag

[Knight Shift]

Someone posed a question about WSU, which is having a fantastic season, making a P5/P4 conference. Snippets from the mailbag below. No direct RU mentions, but some points

1. It's good to be RU. We are in!

2. Rutgers v. Colorado in a bowl game in Vegas? We have to beat Iowa.

3. The B1G West is weak. Should we beat one of Wisconsin or Iowa, that will dash their chances to win the West. Iowa's schedule is weak, as they face RU and Michigan State, after getting waxed by Penn State. Wisconsin plays RU, Indiana and Ohio State.

1. "Stew, even as someone living in Big Ten country, I can’t help but admire how Jake Dickert is shoving in everyone’s faces that WSU was skipped over in realignment. Is Dickert’s fire and charisma, coupled with Wazzu’s success this year, enough for a P5 (well, P4) to take a flyer on them even after initially skipping over them? Or, does this last and final season not do enough to compensate for their lack of storied success? — DJ, Grand Rapids, Mich.

As we well know, wins and losses have very little to do with realignment decisions, so whether or not Wazzu has a great 2023 season would not be a determining factor in whether the school gets an invite elsewhere. It would be entirely whether ESPN or Fox finds the Cougs to be valuable enough for business to kick in some extra dough, as Fox did for Oregon and Washington to get into the Big Ten.

As Dickert himself referenced, Wazzu from 2015-21 had a higher average TV rating than any school in the 2024 Big 12 lineup, whereas Oregon State was second to last. And the idea that Wazzu is a “small market” school is not accurate, either.


2. Stewart, what do we have to do to get Iowa and Colorado playing each other in a bowl? — Ken, Philadelphia

The Big Ten and Pac-12 are paired in one bowl this year, and you’re not going to believe which one: Las Vegas.


3. What a time to be an Iowa Hawkeye fan. What does it say about the state of things that Iowa fans are disappointed the rest of the schedule is so weak that they could make it to the Big Ten Championship Game? I learned everything I needed to know Saturday night, but in a few weeks, we will have to listen to the turnaround they have made (thanks to the weak West). How many more years of the Ferentzs? — Jeff B.

That may be up to the Iowa fan base.

Mandel's Mailbag: Is Marcus Freeman right for ND? Could Big Ten get left out of CFP?

Through Week 4, Stewart Mandel answers questions regarding CFP scenarios, Iowa's offense and more.

theathletic.com

 

[RUSMOKING]

You have to feel for Wazzu, awesome place, they have played sound and good football, performing way above their recruit rankings going back to the Ryan Leaf days no matter whom the coach. And they get hosed due to their market, and as with any team that has to be on notice, if you are not a giant brand and are the #2 team in your state, you are in deep Kimchi....
Funny thing with Oregon and WA, the so called Fox kicking in $$, supposedly they had already evaluated the 2, so it was not a stretch. There are a few so called tv insiders that said the same about FSU/Clemson/Miami/UNC too. So you have to figure there is a good list, and a bad list. It almost needs a true P5 conference, where teams collaborate or conferences together so nobody gets left out. Honestly Big 1G should have grabbed CO/UT and one of the AZ schools, with thought that big 12 or SEC even (they are already out in TX so why not further, like KSU or ASU?) could take others. But finally, that tv stat was eyeopening for WSU, that used to be the same thing for RU, we draw when on tv, and when we start winning more than losing, it's going to be damn good there on tv.