College Football vs College Basketball - Which title is tougher to win?

[Original Rookie]

Thoughts?

[mexitucky]

Football. One loss and you are done. Heck, go undefeated and start the year ranked low enough and you are done. You have no chance to redeem yourself, and your destiny is not always in your own hands if you run the table.

[Original Rookie]

As goofy as the BCS is, it seems like the "best team" wins more often in football than in basketball.

[Original Rookie]

One thing about football is there is not time to 'find yourself' throughout the year. An early loss or two and you are out of it already. On the other hand, basketball is most often about who is hottest in March.

[Randy Parker]

Basketball

[bugatti]

Tough question.

 

I am going with football. With no preseason you have to be on your A game from day 1. It means very little to improve through a season if you drop a game early on. In basketball you have four weekends to be on top of your game. In football 13 weekends.

 

The basketball tournament can be difficult in that anything can happen in a one game scenario, but you also have the benefit of a bracket opening-up for you. While I know they lost to VCU, Kansas had the chance to play Boston University (16), Illinois (9), Richmond (12), VCU (11), Butler (8), then UConn (3) for a national title. UConn being the only legit ranked opponent. That is much easier than what Auburn did this past season. Heck, even UConn's run, while amazing had to play only 1 opponent they were not favored against.

[Hatz]

Tough question.

 

I am going with football. With no preseason you have to be on your A game from day 1. It means very little to improve through a season if you drop a game early on. In basketball you have four weekends to be on top of your game. In football 13 weekends.

 

The basketball tournament can be difficult in that anything can happen in a one game scenario, but you also have the benefit of a bracket opening-up for you. While I know they lost to VCU, Kansas had the chance to play Boston University (16), Illinois (9), Richmond (12), VCU (11), Butler (8), then UConn (3) for a national title. UConn being the only legit ranked opponent. That is much easier than what Auburn did this past season. Heck, even UConn's run, while amazing had to play only 1 opponent they were not favored against.

 

Great point except for the anomaly year: LSU winning the National title the last time. They lost twice BEFORE the title game and still made it there.

 

In football it all depends not just on you but what other teams are doing all year.

 

In basketball, you just have to make it in to the tournament and then the rest is up to you. :thumb:

[Original Rookie]

The year LSU won it with two losses it balanced out in the argument by the year Auburn didn't even make the title game when they were undefeated.

[mobaar]

For the elite teams its baskeball (have to play more elimination games and its easier to have an off game). For the small schools its football because they have to be good for 3 or 4 years before they have a shot at getting enough votes to make the title game.

[5thIndian]

Hard to say! March madness is harder to win than the BCS Championship game. But it is harder to get an invite to the Football championship. Basketball you compete against everyone, where in football most teams are not in the running. I am going to say basketball, but it really depends on who your team is.

[5wide]

For the elite teams its baskeball (have to play more elimination games and its easier to have an off game). For the small schools its football because they have to be good for 3 or 4 years before they have a shot at getting enough votes to make the title game.

 

I disagree. Pretty much every week is an elimination game in the football season.

[5wide]

As goofy as the BCS is, it seems like the "best team" wins more often in football than in basketball.

 

I don't like this "best" team argument. Does it matter if the "best" team wins? In basketball, it is possible for a team to develop and improve and actually be the "best" by season's end without having been the best through the regular season as a whole. That isn't possible in football. The tournament determines the National Champion. That's it. It doesn't have to be the best team.

 

And, the best team idea is always based on our opinion. Kansas and Ohio State were deemed the best this season, so had one of them won it, everyone would have proclaimed them the best. If anyone else wins it, the best team didn't win. So, based on opinion and performance, we have a short list of teams that are considered worthy of the title of Best Team. The BCS simply guarantees that the champion comes from our short list of teams deemed worthy of that moniker. It doesn't mean we get a 100% lock best team champion though. In most years, there are always teams with an argument who get left out...teams that nobody would have a problem declaring the best had they been allowed in the big game and actually won it. Auburn didn't even play for the title with an undefeated season, but I guarantee nobody would have hesitated to say they were the best had they played USC or OU in the championship and won.

[CatsCatsCats]

Football. Everyone that should have a shot to win the basketball title gets a shot. Football is not that way. A team can win every game on it's schedule, play a tough schedule and still not get a chance.

[Pancake]

Football. One loss and you are done. Heck, go undefeated and start the year ranked low enough and you are done. You have no chance to redeem yourself, and your destiny is not always in your own hands if you run the table.

 

Well put... :thumb:

[mobaar]

I disagree. Pretty much every week is an elimination game in the football season.

 

Only if its against a bad team. You probably only play 3-4 top teams a year, and if you lose one of those, you're not necessarily out.