They do this every year -- use the rest of the rankings to help support their arguments at the top.
CFB 2023 Conference Championships: A thread enjoying five major conference championship games for the last time
- Thread starter Awesome Fossum
- Start date
I keep seeing this clip and variations on the same quip. I'm not sure how the Michigan players were supposed to react. This isn't like a bubble team hearing that they got an at-large bid to the tourney. Do people really think they would've erupted into cheers if they'd found out they were playing Texas or Washington?
Under my scenario, I think that it has to be Michigan, Washington, FSU, and Texas, probably in that order. I don't see how else you do it. Otherwise you're fucking a power 5 undefeated conference champ to sneak in a one-loss power 5 conference champ. I think if Texas had not beaten Bama then clearly the committee would have fucked TExas and taken Bama but you can't do that given the h2h win.
Obviously this is all spit balling but to me it just underscores that this is as simple as FSU lost their QB, didn't look great offensively in their next 2 games, and the committee decided to stick in Bama instead. The other arguments are just attempts to justify that reality.
I don’t watch enough to make this determination, but should Jordan Travis at least get an invite to New York?
Logic would seem to make him second at worst (Penix) but logic is irrelevant. He is out.
Ale Xander top 6 Heisman list:
1. Daniels, QB, LSU
2. Nix, QB, Oregon
3. Penix, QB, Washington
4. Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State
5. Watson, LB, Mississippi State
6. Harrison, WR, Ohio State
1. Daniels, QB, LSU
2. Nix, QB, Oregon
3. Penix, QB, Washington
4. Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State
5. Watson, LB, Mississippi State
6. Harrison, WR, Ohio State
Anyone with any connections to the LA Bowl (Boise vs UCLA)? ESPN/ABC? SoFi Stadium?
Tickets aren't hard to get... but man, I'd be all over a road trip if I could get some special event (I don't even know what this might be) tix...
Tickets aren't hard to get... but man, I'd be all over a road trip if I could get some special event (I don't even know what this might be) tix...
Rumors that Florida State might boycott the Orange Bowl. Press conference tomorrow cancelled.
I just wish the players had strung it along until they could totally fuck over the TV folks the day of the game.
Sounds like a great plan, and makes the committee look even better. The FSU performance against Florida was a bigger tell than the unwatchable ACC title game.
Stay home, not practice, and enjoy the lack of prep time to get ready for all of the transfer portal one-and-done's leaving. Great idea! Cry me a river.
Bama vs.Texas 2.0 for the title will be a great post New Year's present!
Stay home, not practice, and enjoy the lack of prep time to get ready for all of the transfer portal one-and-done's leaving. Great idea! Cry me a river.
Bama vs.Texas 2.0 for the title will be a great post New Year's present!
This is incorrect.
FSU was out the moment Alabama beat Georgia. Doesn't matter if they have Travis or not.
CFB is driven completely by money and ratings. The $EC is it's cash cow. They weren't leaving out Alabama and because Texas beat Alabama at home (and also because Texas is joining the $EC next year), Texas had to be in too.
The big college football names at ESPN (Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler) have been subtly planting seeds about if FSU was worthy all year.
This is college football and it's partners (ESPN, etc) trying to get there to be a "Power 2" with the SEC and the Big 10. Of the top 12 teams in the CFP rankings 11 of them are going to be in the "Power 2" next year.
Your arguments have been pretty successfuly rebuked by @CFB_Rules and @smokin joe wood and you keep moving the goal posts or basically putting your fingers in your ears. The crux of your argument is that FSU should be penalized because their conference, and more specifically Clemson, had a down year (even though they had a winning record against the SEC, go figure)
The SEC had a down year this year. The only teams that scheduled tough non-conference games lost (Alabama AT HOME to Texas and LSU on a neutral field to FSU). They all cannibalized each other.
What is Georgia's most impressive non-SEC win? They played Tennessee-Martin, Ball State, UAB and Georgia Tech
Alabama's? They played Texas (L), USF on the road (struggled mightily to win), Chattanooga, and Middle Tennessee.
So the best non-conference win for BOTH teams is.....USF.
I'd add Florida AT Utah (another SEC loss) as a tough non-conference game.
This is all Auburn's fault .
This is all Auburn's fault .
The crux of my argument is that FSU being left out isn't the unjust result that many people are making it out to be. It's not clear that FSU is better than Alabama (or Texas). How many of the Michigan fans of this board would rather play FSU than Alabama (or at least have no preference either way)? I'm betting none, and that they would all prefer to play FSU. That alone is indication that Alabama making it over FSU isn't unjust.
So, the best non-conference win in the SEC period was.....wait for it.....Kentucky over Louisville. Kentucky won, on the road, by 7 points (38-31).
FSU beat Louisville by 10 points (13-3) on a neutral field...with their 3rd string QB, Brock Glenn, a true freshman who had thrown 6 passes total in college before that game. Glenn also hurt himself during the game (I believe in the 2nd quarter), which forced FSU to change its game plan and take away the threat of him running.
Glenn also wouldn't have played in the CFP, Tate Rodemaker would have, so I am not sure why the data point of the offense against Louisville is that important anyway.
FSU beat Louisville by 10 points (13-3) on a neutral field...with their 3rd string QB, Brock Glenn, a true freshman who had thrown 6 passes total in college before that game. Glenn also hurt himself during the game (I believe in the 2nd quarter), which forced FSU to change its game plan and take away the threat of him running.
Glenn also wouldn't have played in the CFP, Tate Rodemaker would have, so I am not sure why the data point of the offense against Louisville is that important anyway.
This is the ultimate slippery slope argument because it gets incredibly close to "why even play the games?". Just let Vegas decide the 4 best teams at the beginning of the year and that's the playoff.
It's also the ultimate what have you done for me lately because before beating UGA, Alabama needed a fucking prayer to beat a 6-6 Auburn team. And if the argument against that is "well, it's a rivalry game!!! Those games are always close, you can't hold that against Alabama!"..well, then there goes the argument of the FSU wins against UF and Clemson (both on the road) not being impressive enough.
The bottom line here is that this is all about money, ratings and protecting the big college football brand of the SEC. It's not a meritocracy and it wasn't based on the games. Another thing to acknowledge is that Saban vs. Harbaugh may never happen again and that should be a ratings bonanza. I guarantee you that will be a major talking point and hook to advertise that game.
Yes, I think it's a combination of who's deserving based on record and with emphasis on later games over earlier games. They'd rather have the Alabama team that beat Georgia than the FSU team that struggled against Louisville (even though FSU's second-string QB will be healthy in a month), even though FSU had the better record (but only by a game and they had their share of "close calls", too).
IOW, it's about ratings and money -- but we've known that forever, so why is anyone surprised?
If every game had gone as it did, but Auburn beat Alabama, what happens? A two loss SEC champ makes the playoff? Or UGA makes the playoff? Neither, and FSU gets in? UGA and FSU but no Texas or Alabama?
I think the latter - because the committee could say that the Texas victory over a two loss team, even the SEC champion, would be devalued.
I think the latter - because the committee could say that the Texas victory over a two loss team, even the SEC champion, would be devalued.
Yeah the whole Bama is peaking argument is really shaky given their miracle win against Auburn. We’re not talking about a struggle like FSU vs Louisville where the outcome was rarely if ever in doubt. We are talking about a once every 10 years type of miracle win.
Huh. Had no idea you were on the selection committee. I don't think they could have left FSU out if Travis is still playing regardless of how much they wanted Alabama in; in that scenario, even if your hypothesis about the raging Bama boner the marketing guys have is true, I'd guess Texas is out in the cold.
I don't really have any issue with the idea that the committee wanted Alabama over FSU; I'm just hypothesizing about what they would be forced to do if FSU still had Travis. iJust have to agree to disagree, I guess.
I would think FSU probably gets in. Why would UGA get in over conference champs (one of which, using CFB math, beat the team that beat UGA)? I guess if the posters above are right on the SEC >>>> all front.
Louisville was down 10-6 and had goal to go in the 4th when Plummer threw a pick. It was a 1 score game until 3 minutes to go. The result was very much in doubt.
It has nothing to do with a raging Bama boner. It’s a RAGING SEC boner.
Maybe you’re right and Travis being injured just gave the cabal deciding who makes the playoffs the excuse to do what they wanted to do and pack in the “Power Two”
Personally, I think it’s all such a fucking sham that I struggle to say with any confidence that Travis being out made that much of a difference. In the eyes of the committee and network executives, FSU is in a tier two football conferece. I think that had just as much to do with their exclusion, if not more, than the Travis injury.
It wasn't just that the Louisville-FSU game was close, it was that it sucked ass (while Bama is coming off two exciting games). They want entertaining games that keep viewers tuned in all the way through.
Hah--I don't think we actually disagree all that much. I woke up the night after the championship games half-expecting to see them cram both Bama and Georgia in. We're just weighing the corruption/bad publicity vector differently.
This. And FSU was going to get trucked by Washington or Michigan and they want competitive games-at least on paper.
How about make the playoff be the champion of the SEC vs the Big 10? The Conf CG being the semifinal.
On paper is the key point. Because there have been plenty of blowouts in the playoffs.
Who do you think is a better team, Washington or Georgia?
One of Michigan's big wins - Penn State - featured them not passing the football for an entire half and relying on stifling defense. Shit, I could have legitimately played QB in that game, which is basically the model that FSU used against Louisville.
In that case, it's both not "the best team" or the "most deserving", but some random judgment with no criteria or consistency. They might as well use Vegas lines.
I think it's "the best 4 teams at the time of selection among teams that can fairly be thought to have an argument to be in the top 4, with the caveat that no team shall fall out of the top 4 absent compelling reason (e.g., starting QB is hurt)."
Michigan coming out as the #1 seed while playing a joke of a non-conference schedule and barely winning at Maryland is the thing that gets me the most.
Alabama is going to roll them.
Alabama isn’t very good. It’s going to be a 3 point game one way or the other. 20-17.
That would be a big departure from their last three bowl games against SEC teams.
Three losses by scores of 41-15, 35-16, 34-11.
I just don’t see them having enough offense to stay in the game.
Why the fuck would FSU get trucked by Washington. Washington hasn’t won a game by more than 10pts since since September.
I don’t have a problem with them playing a tight game, it’s more in reference how they were simply annointed the top spot while FSU is on the outside looking in.