What is harder to win...
- Thread starter jjjpppbbb
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I'd say football, simply because not everyone gets an equal chance. It's not settled on the field. Just getting there takes committee assistance.
With a field of 68, it's difficult for anyone to complain because if you keep winning on the court, you'll be the champs.
Edit to clarify: so it's much easier for the traditional powers to win one in football, yet far more difficult for smaller programs to even get the opportunity.
With a field of 68, it's difficult for anyone to complain because if you keep winning on the court, you'll be the champs.
Edit to clarify: so it's much easier for the traditional powers to win one in football, yet far more difficult for smaller programs to even get the opportunity.
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IMHO, BB. You may be in a weak conf and get into the FB FF...win a couple and celebrate.
We have had to beat 4 good teams just to get to the FF, and the chance to play 2 more great teams
We have had to beat 4 good teams just to get to the FF, and the chance to play 2 more great teams
Statistically speaking....
128 FBS football teams...4 playoff spots...4/128 = 3.13% chance of making final playoff...and from there your odds are 1/4 = 25%
351 D1 Men's BB teams...64 playoff spots...64/351 = 18.23% chance of making playoffs...and from there your odds are 1/64 = 1.56%
So I'm not entirely smart enough to analyze it past that but my conclusion is they are both pretty damn hard to do....one easier to get into the mix on the front end, one easier to win it once you're in the mix...
I think football titles will always be regarded as king in this country though
128 FBS football teams...4 playoff spots...4/128 = 3.13% chance of making final playoff...and from there your odds are 1/4 = 25%
351 D1 Men's BB teams...64 playoff spots...64/351 = 18.23% chance of making playoffs...and from there your odds are 1/64 = 1.56%
So I'm not entirely smart enough to analyze it past that but my conclusion is they are both pretty damn hard to do....one easier to get into the mix on the front end, one easier to win it once you're in the mix...
I think football titles will always be regarded as king in this country though
I think BB is harder without a doubt. You can clearly be the best team in the country and still lose in the tournament. There is much more parity in BB than FB.
You should clarify whether this is a general question or specific to our program. If you take an elite team in each sport, the FB team has a clearer path and higher likelihood of winning it all.
You should clarify whether this is a general question or specific to our program. If you take an elite team in each sport, the FB team has a clearer path and higher likelihood of winning it all.
It takes 6 must win bb games for the title
That's half a fb season right there. In football you have a larger separation from good and bad teams. Really only a handful of fb teams have a chance
That's half a fb season right there. In football you have a larger separation from good and bad teams. Really only a handful of fb teams have a chance
BB is much much harder, 6 do or die games to win it all. It's a gauntlet. Still a large amount of politics involved in winning in football even with the playoff system.
It seems to me that football is harder to get your program to a point to be able to compete at a championship level. If you just look at the history of football championships there are only a handful of programs that can consistently field teams that can potentially win it all. With basketball, smaller schools (like Gonzaga) have more of a chance, plus you don't have to be 34-1 in order to play for a championship. BUT, then you have a field of 68 teams, most of which could truly beat even the best of teams. I would say it is easier for a non-traditional power to ascend in basketball to a point of competing for championships, but the blue-bloods have won almost every championship the last 20 years. If you are comparing the difficulty of OUR chances (before this miraculous run) of winning a championship in the two major sports, I would say it is easier for us to win a football title than basketball, although both with very slim chances.
Considering we are in the SEC, I would say football is easier. If you win the SEC you only have to win two more games. There is also a good chance that you will be favored in that first play-off game as well (i.e., SEC champ is typically 1st or 2nd these days in the play-off rankings).
Also, basketball has more parity in the game given the success of mid-majors. Even if mid-majors aren't winning titles, they are still good enough to beat top teams during the tournament. Expecting someone outside of the Power 5 in football to win a title is a stretch.
Also, basketball has more parity in the game given the success of mid-majors. Even if mid-majors aren't winning titles, they are still good enough to beat top teams during the tournament. Expecting someone outside of the Power 5 in football to win a title is a stretch.
Winning the baseball NC is probably the hardest
In FB, it's more difficult to get the chance. Once given the chance, it's tougher in BBall. Given the chance to competet for it in FB, as mentioned above, win a couple of games and you're champs. In BBall, given the chance, you still have - as also mentioned above - that gauntlet of 6 games to run.
It's easier in basketball. One unbelievable recruiting class (like the Fab Five) or a transcendent recruit (think Bird at Indiana State) and you can get to the Final Four.
In football, unless you're one of the usual suspects it takes years and years and years and then you die.
In football, unless you're one of the usual suspects it takes years and years and years and then you die.
Aren't you making a point that could be used as the opposite reason of why basketball is harder? Because one unbelievable recruiting class can tilt the balance of power, it is harder to overcome that variability (but skipping the fact that neither of your examples actually won a title...close.....but did not win...and the fact that the Fab 5 won nothing since most of their success has subsequently been stripped for cheating).
I would argue that it is harder to win in basketball due to the sheer number of competitors and the fact that you cannot have an off night and win 6 in a row against solid competition that are all champions of their conferences or have exhibited excellence during their regular season. With the barrier to competing (one unbelievable recruiting class) making it more difficult to overcome all of those teams.
You could also argue that it is harder to win football because of the pure number of elite athletes required to have success at that level (roster size means more chances for aggregate ability to add up)....but in a 4 team playoff, it is less difficult once you get there with just needing two good games (or two bad games from opponents).
End of the day, the argument can be made both ways and WILL be to support your background and team affiliation. Alabama fans would always argue football is harder and KY/UNC/Duke, etc. would argue basketball. No way to win the argument.
I would argue that it is harder to win in basketball due to the sheer number of competitors and the fact that you cannot have an off night and win 6 in a row against solid competition that are all champions of their conferences or have exhibited excellence during their regular season. With the barrier to competing (one unbelievable recruiting class) making it more difficult to overcome all of those teams.
You could also argue that it is harder to win football because of the pure number of elite athletes required to have success at that level (roster size means more chances for aggregate ability to add up)....but in a 4 team playoff, it is less difficult once you get there with just needing two good games (or two bad games from opponents).
End of the day, the argument can be made both ways and WILL be to support your background and team affiliation. Alabama fans would always argue football is harder and KY/UNC/Duke, etc. would argue basketball. No way to win the argument.
There's only one champion in every sport. They must all be pretty darned difficult to win.
BBall... you have to win more games against more and better competition...
I say they are all harder to win... Football, Basketball and Baseball...
And when you win it, it's sweet....
Football is tougher. It takes years of solid recruiting to build a team that is able to go undefeated (or nearly so) in the regular season, and compete with the Alabamas, Ohio States, LSU's, and Michigans of the world in the post-season. While every football program has up years and down years, you will never see a football team that hasn't played in a postseason game in over a decade suddenly become a world-beater in one season and make the 4-team playoff. But in basketball, a non-blue blood program can have a single solid recruiting class that totally changes their fortunes over the next few years. Or, in the case of teams like Indiana State, they can land that one super-star player that single-handedly takes them to the championship game.
