The Downsides of 4 West Coast Teams in the B1G

Knight Shift

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A lot of folks, including some schools, teams, fans, etc are not particularly enthused about these moves. Sure as fans of a team in the B1G, we can stand up and puff out our chests and exclaim that we have a seat at the B1G kids' table, but the stark realities of that are not all that appealing for most parties involved.

Behind a paywall, but The Athletic has a story on this about B1G men's' hoops coaches talking about the downsides of these new additions. Sure football drives the bus, but is it driving the bus off the cliff for everyone else involved?


"But coaches also want to figure out how an 18-team league with four squads on the West Coast will schedule games without creating the unintended consequence of contenders too gassed and worn out to actually contend in March. “The million-dollar question,” as Purdue coach Matt Painter put it."

“Certainly the argument could be, hey, they’re young guys,” Holtmann says. “But any of us who’ve looked at sleep studies and travel and nutrition and how that impacts performance over a long period of time — it has a real impact. NBA teams will tell you that. College teams would tell you that. That’d probably be my only question for those of us outside of football.”

"Pikiell, when contacted Friday, required confirmation from the caller that his league had, in fact, expanded again. He hadn’t followed the blow-by-blow over the previous few days nor has the Scarlet Knights coach spent much time cogitating on the ramifications for the schedule. Why bother? He would be, as he put it, the last to know anyway.

“The way they presented it (when UCLA and USC joined) was every other year, one trip out to L.A., so that really wasn’t a big deal,” Pikiell said. “It was probably going to be more taxing on them. It really wasn’t that big of a deal for us. Now, I don’t know. I wish I knew more.”

Here, Pikiell joked: “But no one cares what I think.” In jest, yes, but also, very true. He is not wrong."


 
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Queztastic

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Not sure if this fair, but I'll give it a shot.

If 20 conference games, you play 14 teams once, 3 teams twice. The 4 west coast teams always play each other twice. The non west coast teams either have USC/UCLA on the road and Oregon/Washington at home in the same year or vice versa so they can knock out the 2 away games in one west coast trip either to socal or the pnw.
 

Greene Rice FIG

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Can you imagine the women's volleyball team having to make the trip. I am sure it isn't a chartered flight. They are going to have to manage getting sleep, getting to classes and their sport. All of this for a few extra dollars.

I have done a complete 180 and athletes should be getting paid....they shouldn't have to do it through NIL.
 

NickRU714

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It's slightly OT but very encouraging that teams and looking into and using data on sleep and rest and travel.
Wish it was just Rutgers getting an angle on this but encouraging regardless.
 

hankee18

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I thought this was going to be about 10pm game starts for us fans who can't stay up lol

Seriously though, a valid complaint. We're going to wear these kids out. Rutgers is just as affected by this being so far east
 

Roy_Faulker

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I’d guess the last few series before the BIG tournament could be among those teams - let them play themselves and keep the travel a bit more controlled…a west coast round robin.

Also, I’d sure hope NYC get another BIG tournament before it goes to LA.
 
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biazza38

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Who cares if the players are worn out. As long as the product gets watered down the the suits get more morning, that’s all that matters.

None of this is being considered. We just have to accept it and be grateful that we’re still at the table until we’re not
 

Nycrusupporter

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I thought this was going to be about 10pm game starts for us fans who can't stay up lol

Seriously though, a valid complaint. We're going to wear these kids out. Rutgers is just as affected by this being so far east
The high school kids at Peach Jam played 2 games a day for 4 days in a row and are fine. Dylan flew back from the U19 USA team in Hungary and basically landed and started playing. These kids will be fine. Once your on a plane you can go to sleep or study.
 

Arizona Knight

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I look at it another way. I would imagine Rutgers student athletes will do a west coast swing annually regardless of sport. This may take them away from NJ for a couple of weeks. They will attend classes virtually. If I was a student athlete I would be stoked about getting out to the west coast for a couple of weeks. That’s a pretty fun road trip and they will be well taken care of.
 

hankee18

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The high school kids at Peach Jam played 2 games a day for 4 days in a row and are fine. Dylan flew back from the U19 USA team in Hungary and basically landed and started playing. These kids will be fine. Once your on a plane you can go to sleep or study.

They're pros now. No more complainin' lol
 

rufamily

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I look at it another way. I would imagine Rutgers student athletes will do a west coast swing annually regardless of sport. This may take them away from NJ for a couple of weeks. They will attend classes virtually. If I was a student athlete I would be stoked about getting out to the west coast for a couple of weeks. That’s a pretty fun road trip and they will be well taken care of.
Other programs don’t get chartered planes the fly commercial or take busses. Have you tried studying on a bus or getting back at 1am having to turn your stuff in and then get home and get up for an 8am class. What about the professors that do not like athletics or athletes and you miss one of their classes because you have to leave on a Wednesday for a Thursday/Sunday away trip where you fly to one place and then take a bus to another and fly out of their.
 
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knightfan7

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Would 1 West Coasr trip a season cause that much of an issue? Play one on a Thu and the other Sun Aft. Just make sure they don't have a gane the following week until Wed or Thu.

IIRC @zappaa said it was tougher to travel west to east than east to west and he was playing almost every day. I'd imagine the WC teams will have a more difficult time.
 

LotusAggressor_rivals

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Can you imagine the women's volleyball team having to make the trip. I am sure it isn't a chartered flight. They are going to have to manage getting sleep, getting to classes and their sport. All of this for a few extra dollars.

I have done a complete 180 and athletes should be getting paid....they shouldn't have to do it through NIL.
The compensation of college athletes should have come from sharing all this increased TV revenue. This will be the next battle.
 

scarletnewyorker2006

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Can you imagine the women's volleyball team having to make the trip. I am sure it isn't a chartered flight. They are going to have to manage getting sleep, getting to classes and their sport. All of this for a few extra dollars.

I have done a complete 180 and athletes should be getting paid....they shouldn't have to do it through NIL.
I would be in favor of the non revenue sports playing in more regional conferences instead of the B1G. The conference was built for football. Why not allow the volleyball and swim teams play in a league more acclimating?
 

rupittsburgh

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Arnt pro teams flying around the country playing throughout the season, seems kinda strange we're worried about 2 games a seaon, when literal pros do it 20 times a season.
 
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Scarlet83

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Arnt pro teams flying around the country playing throughout the season, seems kinda strange we're worried about 2 games a seaon, when literal pros do it 20 times a season.
Your numbers are off, bro. And I believe the B1G can schedule with a lot of forethought to make it easier for the student athletes.
 

knightfan7

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I think we'll see something like what the PAC8 did with basketball years ago where the 4 sets of teams would travel and play the other 3 on 3 weekends or in our case extended weekend. For example UCLA would go to Washington and play both Wash and Wash St., sometimes Fri and Sat.

As I said earlier, in this case it may be Thu/Sat or Fri/Sun. I realize that's a lot even once a year, but nothing like the 4 WC teams will go thru.

Sports like Baseball, Softball, Soccer, XC, Field Hockey, Track, Golf, Gymnastics, Swimming, Tennis, already don't go up against all B1G schools until the conf championship. Do these 4 newbies play Lacrosse? Rowing? Volleyball does play all B1G schools.
 

Arizona Knight

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Other programs don’t get chartered planes the fly commercial or take busses. Have you tried studying on a bus or getting back at 1am having to turn your stuff in and then get home and get up for an 8am class. What about the professors that do not like athletics or athletes and you miss one of their classes because you have to leave on a Wednesday for a Thursday/Sunday away trip where you fly to one place and then take a bus to another and fly out of their.
No one is sending these kids on a bus trip to California.
 

rufamily

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No one is sending these kids on a bus trip to California.
No, But they routinely take a bus from Iowa to Nebraska on a weekend fly into one and out of the other. You think they are going to fly the softball team from Oregon to Washington, no they will but them and it will be several hours for them on a bus.
 
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Arizona Knight

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No, But they routinely take a bus from Iowa to Nebraska on a weekend fly into one and out of the other. You think they are going to fly the softball team from Oregon to Washington, no they will but them and it will be several hours for them on a bus.

Well if they are OK with the trip between Nebraska andI Iowa I’m sure they’ll be fine with Oregon to Seattle.
 
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BigEastPhil

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I don’t see much downside of a national conference.

Shoot if I was back in college, I’d kill for a trip to CA in the winter in lieu of a trip to Iowa or Michigan.

Furthermore as college students , we all suffered thru nights of limited / no sleep

Life is too short. Maximize all you can via travel / seeing new places etc.
.
 
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Plum Street

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For football not a huge deal . For a Saturday game, chartered flights on Thursday and a charter back Saturday night. For hoops , it’s a bigger deal but still chartered flights.
For the other sports, it’s gonna be ridiculous. This is what college athletics is supposed to be about ??
 

Plum Street

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I don’t see much downside of a national conference.

Shoot if I was back in college, I’d kill for a trip to CA in the winter in lieu of a trip to Iowa or Michigan.

Furthermore as college students , we all suffered thru nights of limited / no sleep

Life is too short. Maximize all you can via travel / seeing new places etc.
.
Ummm….these kids are not doing any sight seeing.
 

Arizona Knight

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I don’t see much downside of a national conference.

Shoot if I was back in college, I’d kill for a trip to CA in the winter in lieu of a trip to Iowa or Michigan.

Furthermore as college students , we all suffered thru nights of limited / no sleep

Life is too short. Maximize all you can via travel / seeing new pl
Ummm….these kids are not doing any sight seeing.
I’ll bet a months salary that these kids will get to see the Pacific Ocean while on these trips. Hollywood. The Puget Sound (so?). Space Needle. The PCH. Etc.
 

Plum Street

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I’ll bet a months salary that these kids will get to see the Pacific Ocean while on these trips. Hollywood. The Puget Sound (so?). Space Needle. The PCH. Etc.
Maybe if some of the Olympic sports are out there for a few days , maybe they do some tourist stuff if they’re a few travel days etc. But that’s a stretch.
Football teams are gonna fly in and be sequestered in a hotel with walk throughs, meetings . They ain’t sight seeing. Maybe they can go to a mall or something and walk around for an hour.
 

Arizona Knight

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Maybe if some of the Olympic sports are out there for a few days , maybe they do some tourist stuff if they’re a few travel days etc. But that’s a stretch.
Football teams are gonna fly in and be sequestered in a hotel with walk throughs, meetings . They ain’t sight seeing. Maybe they can go to a mall or something and walk around for an hour.

I thought this was about the Olympic sports. They will certainly have time. Football I have no idea.
 

Plum Street

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I thought this was about the Olympic sports. They will certainly have time. Football I have no idea.
Oh ok . Yeah they might have some time.
Flying across the country and bussing around for games, doesn’t really lend itself to getting a quality education back at school
 

Arizona Knight

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Oh ok . Yeah they might have some time.
Flying across the country and bussing around for games, doesn’t really lend itself to getting a quality education back at school

But for most of them it’s a free education. I would send my kids to the moon to play softball if it meant I saved $150,000.
 

Plum Street

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I think football is gonna have to be football .

But the rest of these sports you have to do some type of pod or division system.
 

Nycrusupporter

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I would be in favor of the non revenue sports playing in more regional conferences instead of the B1G. The conference was built for football. Why not allow the volleyball and swim teams play in a league more acclimating?
I suspect this will happen over time. Not only is it better for the athletes, but the conferences are literally just throwing away money to pay for the travel, getting nothing in return.
 
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Fat Koko

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Men’s basketball is traveling to 3 countries on 3 continents this week. Rutgers seems ok with lots of travel or they wouldn’t have scheduled this trip.
 

Plum Street

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Men’s basketball is traveling to 3 countries on 3 continents this week. Rutgers seems ok with lots of travel or they wouldn’t have scheduled this trip.
Off-season . Once every 4 years . This is more of a bonding/educational trip. No pressure to perform nor will they be judged by this
 
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BOGDANOVICH

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Forget about the ridiculous travel. The biggest downside of adding these four premier football programs to the schedule is that now Rutgers will find it even harder to finish in the top half of the conference.

It is not good news for Rutgers football regardless of the extra money.
 
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Arizona Knight

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Forget about the ridiculous travel. The biggest downside of adding these four premier football programs to the schedule is that now Rutgers will find it even harder to finish in the top half of the conference.

It is not good news for Rutgers football regardless of the extra money.
We could be Syracuse.
 
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