College Football Playoff Rankings

[MWil23]

16 minutes ago, beekay414 said:

Because their criteria is insanely inconsistent and they make up new rules for the SEC when they deem fit. How are they different than 2017 Penn State? Lost early in the season to a mediocre ACC team, lost big to a conference rival and then won out beating a top 2 Ohio State en route to be a 2 loss conference champion. LSU's losses were also a neutral site game in New Orleans and at home, Penn State's were both on the road. Oh and then a 1 loss Pac 12 team made the CFP over Penn State but apparently since LSU has SEC on their jerseys the rules get changed.

I mean, it's whatever since they would have proven they belonged by beating UGA end of season but this is more about the inconsistency of the committee's reasoning in the process. This is why we need set criteria and not just 12 people in a room saying "eye test" since the eye test can be whatever you want it to be and you can ignore **** like struggling vs Arkansas with a back-up and third string QBs if you so choose.

My biggest issue is the lack of consistency in criteria. One year it's "The Best Four Teams!" and the next it's "The best resume!".

I mean let's be honest, OSU and UM are clearly both in the "Best Four Teams" camp.

[MWil23]

17 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Normally I'd say "hell no" to a two loss team but beating UGA and winning the SEC would certainly be the exception to the rule. I know they sucked earlier in the season but they've been playing well lately and as much as I loathe Brian Kelly, I try to not let my emotions get the best of me. I feel like this year would be the perfect year for expansion. I just hope this doesnt' happen b/c I don't want 3 SEC teams to be included. Hell, I hope we win out as well as TCU and USC. Don't necessarily think it's the 4 best teams in the country but at least it'd be somewhat different

Who gets left out then?

LSU-->Tennessee-->Georgia-->LSU

If you take the winner of OSU/UM and if TCU goes undefeated, that's hard to justify on any front.

We've been told "2 losses is a disqualifier". We've also been told "Conference Championships matter". We've also been told "Teams don't get penalized for losing in a conference title game when other teams don't play" (Tennessee and UGA here)

We've also been told resume matters, and we've also been told it's the best four teams.

[beekay414]

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

My biggest issue is the lack of consistency in criteria. One year it's "The Best Four Teams!" and the next it's "The best resume!".

I mean let's be honest, OSU and UM are clearly both in the "Best Four Teams" camp.

This is why expansion always made sense. LIS in a prior thread, I'd rather be arguing over the final 12th bid than teams that are separated by a razor thin margin that should get a shot at the title.

[MWil23]

1 minute ago, beekay414 said:

This is why expansion always made sense. LIS in a prior thread, I'd rather be arguing over the final 12th bid than teams that are separated by a razor thin margin that should get a shot at the title.

To be clear, I've always argued for automatic qualifiers and conference titles mattering, which is why I've always hated the 4 team model in 5 power conferences, even assuming I didn't actively hate Notre Dame and spend days and nights wishing they get left out in the cold.

[beekay414]

Just now, MWil23 said:

To be clear, I've always argued for automatic qualifiers and conference titles mattering, which is why I've always hated the 4 team model in 5 power conferences, even assuming I didn't actively hate Notre Dame and spend days and nights wishing they get left out in the cold.

Yeah, it never made sense to have a 4 team playoff when you have 5 major conferences. Should've started as a 6 team playoff with the 5 major conference champions getting a bid and then the final spot being an at-large. 

[BobbyPhil1781]

15 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Who gets left out then?

LSU-->Tennessee-->Georgia-->LSU

If you take the winner of OSU/UM and if TCU goes undefeated, that's hard to justify on any front.

We've been told "2 losses is a disqualifier". We've also been told "Conference Championships matter". We've also been told "Teams don't get penalized for losing in a conference title game when other teams don't play" (Tennessee and UGA here)

We've also been told resume matters, and we've also been told it's the best four teams.

If LSU wins out, TCU wins out, then you have UGA and the winner of the OSU/UM game assuming they don't blow it in the conference championship. Do I think TCU is better than Tennessee? No, but I do think they could beat them. 

Wish we had the expansion this year b/c this is an ideal scenario for it IMO.

Edited November 16, 2022 by BobbyPhil1781

[MWil23]

Just now, BobbyPhil1781 said:

If LSU wins out, TCU wins out, then you have UGA and the winner of the OSU/UM game assuming they don't blow it in the conference championship. Do I think TCU is better than Tennessee? No, but I do think they could beat them. 

Wish we had the expansion this year b/c this is an ideal scenario for it IMO.

Why would you take LSU over Tennessee when Tennessee absolutely destroyed them Head to Head in LSU's own backyard and have one fewer loss?

[NateDawg]

Lobbying for Tennessee who doesn’t win their division, lobbying for USC and TCU, just to keep out a team that is probably considered by most to be in the top four as far as quality. Man, the SEC really does hypnotize some people’s ideologies. There’s no logic here. Granted, I have maintained in the past that if you don’t win your conference, you can only be mad at yourself. But there needs to be consistency. It’s going to take some spine for anyone from that committee to put on a brave face and say that a USC is a better team than either of those teams that loses that match up. While at the same time saying oh yeah Tennessee is definitely better, they beat an Alabama team that’s down.

Edited November 16, 2022 by NateDawg

[BobbyPhil1781]

5 minutes ago, MWil23 said:

Why would you take LSU over Tennessee when Tennessee absolutely destroyed them Head to Head in LSU's own backyard and have one fewer loss?

B/c of the hardware. That's literally the only reason. It's ****ty and not always right but I feel it would be a disservice to leave out the SEC champion. Teams go on hot streaks and play better as the season progresses. We got the benefit of that in '14 and it was proven to be true

[NateDawg]

SEC…SEC…SEC…

[CWood21]

26 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

B/c of the hardware. That's literally the only reason. It's ****ty and not always right but I feel it would be a disservice to leave out the SEC champion. Teams go on hot streaks and play better as the season progresses. We got the benefit of that in '14 and it was proven to be true

That's stupid.  Should a 6-6 Indiana team that happens to win the Big 10 championship deserve to be in the playoffs?  Absolutely not.  You can't just arbitrarily choose to decide which championships are being valued, and which ones aren't.  By virtue of H2H, LSU is eliminated UNLESS Tennessee loses again.  And even than, H2H would push me to put Tennessee over LSU.  Tennessee's lone loss is against #1 Georgia.  LSU has 2 losses against #5 Tennessee and Florida State.  Even if you want to ignore their early season loss to Florida State, that H2H loss against Tennessee is too big of an eye sore.  The only way LSU might have gotten in is if Tennessee won the SEC.

[BobbyPhil1781]

3 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

That's stupid.  Should a 6-6 Indiana team that happens to win the Big 10 championship deserve to be in the playoffs?  Absolutely not.  You can't just arbitrarily choose to decide which championships are being valued, and which ones aren't.  By virtue of H2H, LSU is eliminated UNLESS Tennessee loses again.  And even than, H2H would push me to put Tennessee over LSU.  Tennessee's lone loss is against #1 Georgia.  LSU has 2 losses against #5 Tennessee and Florida State.  Even if you want to ignore their early season loss to Florida State, that H2H loss against Tennessee is too big of an eye sore.  The only way LSU might have gotten in is if Tennessee won the SEC.

Well your example is a little extreme bc I doubt a 6-6 team would ever make it but I get your point. I'm not necessarily a fan of it either but can see why they would do it. As they always say "if you're going to lose, lose early". 

All in all, this year is another perfect example on why the playoffs need expanded

[CWood21]

Just now, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Well your example is a little extreme bc I doubt a 6-6 team would ever make it but I get your point. I'm not necessarily a fan of it either but can see why they would do it. As they always say "if you're going to lose, lose early". 

All in all, this year is another perfect example on why the playoffs need expanded

It was a rhetorical question.  Just because you win your conference championship doesn't mean you deserve to make the playoffs.  You're looking for the four best teams.  Can you say definitively that LSU right now is one of the four best teams?  Absolutely not.  Right now, the top 4 teams are pretty clearly Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU.  Since one of Ohio State and Michigan is a guaranteed loss, can you tell me definitively that LSU is better than Tennessee?  No, especially when the H2H matchup between the two of them wasn't close either.  Does LSU beating Georgia change that equation?  No.  Not only would Tennessee have one less loss than LSU, but it also loses that H2H advantage to Tennessee.

[MWil23]

54 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

B/c of the hardware. That's literally the only reason. It's ****ty and not always right but I feel it would be a disservice to leave out the SEC champion.

Tell that to the PAC, BIG XII, and B1G Champs who have been left out over the years, or just grow some stones and say "head to head doesn't matter". Imagine leaving out a UT team who beat LSU's doors off on the road by 24 in that scenario and didn't lay an egg Week 1 against Florida State.

54 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Teams go on hot streaks and play better as the season progresses. We got the benefit of that in '14 and it was proven to be true

And didn't get the benefit of the doubt in 2015. 2014 was also an enigma since the BIG XII decided not to have a conference title game.

[BobbyPhil1781]

1 minute ago, MWil23 said:

Tell that to the PAC, BIG XII, and B1G Champs who have been left out over the years, or just grow some stones and say "head to head doesn't matter". Imagine leaving out a UT team who beat LSU's doors off on the road by 24 in that scenario and didn't lay an egg Week 1 against Florida State.

And didn't get the benefit of the doubt in 2015. 2014 was also an enigma since the BIG XII decided not to have a conference title game.

Sorry, should've added "the hardware from arguably (and it'd be hard to argue against) the best conference in the country". I agree it's not  a perfect thing and this is just my prediction on what would happen and what the committee would think. All in all, it just points to a much needed expansion which we are thankfully getting.