Alabama plays Mercer and gets the benefit of the doubt by CFP committee?

[cmhawks99]

I think you guys all forgot about 2016, when OSU made the playoffs only because they had that big win over Oklahoma on the road?

The real issue is the committee sends totally different messages each year. In the past it has been really important to be a conference champion (sorry B12) and to have played a tough schedule (sorry Baylor). Other times it matters if you have enough big wins against top teams. But, one thing I will say, they are at least trying to stay somewhat consistent with punishing teams for bad losses, and saying a bad loss is worse for you than a good win is good for you.

I'm not sure about that. They are still pretty convenient about how much they penalize teams or not....

Take a look at Clemson...they lost to four and eight Syracuse, and yes I get it they lost their quarterback!! But here's the thing, they gave up 28 first downs, 440 yards and 27 points to a team that scored 27 points or less eight times on the year.

That loss is not comparable to losing to a seven and five Iowa. That's the whole problem, they are undervaluing Iowa and they should know better. They have a long history of being competitive with pretty much anybody they play and they played the sixth ranked schedule in the country.

Honestly even the way they rate the schedules is a little baffling and sagarins probably does the best but take a look at Auburn...they played the third ranked schedule on the strength of playing Clemson, Georgia twice and Alabama....

But they also played 2-10 Georgia southern, 6-5 Mercer & 4-8 ULM, not to mention a historical down SEC.

And to tell the Truth, I don't care like I used too. It is what it is...but just like politics, there is a lot of slanting..,

 

[HerkysDad]

Please read this on Mercer and tell me they are a worthy opponent for a National Championship Caliber Team.

https://football.mercer.edu/hibernation/

 

[iahawks10]

The process turned out to be a lot of nonsense. Wisconsin was the target for strength of schedule, but nothing on Alabama strength of schedule. My complaint is Alabama may be good, but they had an oprotunity to get in by beating Auburn, but could not cut it. Given a mulligan. Southern California stepped up to the plate and kept winning, but was ignored.

So you just ignore USC getting humiliated at ND and losing at Wash St?

Losing one game @ Auburn is a lot better than losing two games: @ ND and @ WSU.

 

[El Simbolo]

Did Auburn really play two FCS teams? Ga Southern AND Mercer?

 

[El Simbolo]

Another solution... I think every team that doesn’t make its CCG should be viewed as if it has another loss to the winner of the CCG. That’s the only way to make it apples to apples comparing them with teams that were REWARDED by playing the CCG. I swear the committee protected CCG losers (like Iowa) in the past, so not sure why they abandoned that?

So this year Alabama should have been viewed as 11-2 with losses to Auburn and Georgia and Washington should be viewed as 10-3 with a loss to USC. Stanford or TCU should have made NY6

Any thoughts on this? I think it really makes sense. You should not benefit from not playing a CCG

 

[El Simbolo]

Sick of the criteria being changed repeatedly to favor SEC. In 2006, or whenever, we heard that if OSU and Mich had rematch “what did that prove comparing them to rest of country”. But then a few years later we’d got LSU-Bama rematch. Now this. Yes, B12, I realize the criteria also seem to repeated favor big ten over you, but we’re all in this together vs the SEC.

 

[El Simbolo]

THIS! committee should mandate that only conferences that play at least 9 conference games are eligible to have multiple teams in CFP. That would end this

I don’t know the exact statistics, but I would assume the probability of two teams emerging through conference play with no more than 1 loss greatly diminishes when you go from 8 to 9 conference games. ACC should have to do it too if they don’t

 

[Pepperman]

I'm not sure about that. They are still pretty convenient about how much they penalize teams or not....

Take a look at Clemson...they lost to four and eight Syracuse, and yes I get it they lost their quarterback!! But here's the thing, they gave up 28 first downs, 440 yards and 27 points to a team that scored 27 points or less eight times on the year.

That loss is not comparable to losing to a seven and five Iowa. That's the whole problem, they are undervaluing Iowa and they should know better. They have a long history of being competitive with pretty much anybody they play and they played the sixth ranked schedule in the country.

Honestly even the way they rate the schedules is a little baffling and sagarins probably does the best but take a look at Auburn...they played the third ranked schedule on the strength of playing Clemson, Georgia twice and Alabama....

But they also played 2-10 Georgia southern, 6-5 Mercer & 4-8 ULM, not to mention a historical down SEC.

And to tell the Truth, I don't care like I used too. It is what it is...but just like politics, there is a lot of slanting..,

Yeah, but in the case of Clemson they only had that one loss. Maybe I stated my point poorly but what I meant to say was when teams are in the "comparison zone" like OSU and Alabama in 2017, the committee seems to think that the one with the worse loss (maybe more losses?) ends up left out. They don't seem to care as much about the big wins. Although, even then that's hard to say because if you look at PSU vs OSU in 2016 the committee ignored the head to head and decided that OSU had the better win (and admittedly less losses).

I guess I'm talking in circles now, but that's what this committee has left us with. One year it is X that matters. The next year X takes a back seat to Y. Then there's the eye test that occasionally gets used as a criteria. Then we hear things like what sportsbooks think of the teams left. It is basically just a crapshoot each year with who gets selected.

I wish they'd make a check list of sorts to say what is important and what will be used in what order. The other option would be to expand the playoff and bring in the 12 best teams that qualify for it. Top 4 get a bye week into the final 8. Make it like the NFL in that way?

 

[hawkfeever]

That is hard to looks past. I'm thinking Ohio State could have beat Mercer instead of playing Oklahoma. Plus Bama only played 8 conference games...would the Tide liked a trip to Kinnick this year?

The CFP system is suspect and corrupt in my opinion.

I heard that Mercer team was a tuffy.

 

[Eternal Return]

I agree that it’s cool to see karma come back and bite OSU, But I hate that Alabama is the benefactor, not the rightful one... 2016 PSU

True. It would have been hilarious if Wisconsin got in because they also had only one loss AND the loss came in the extra game. If the B10 didn't have a championship game, Wisconsin would have made the CFP this year. Of course, i hate Wisconsin, too, so I wouldn't have felt any better. I really just want all those teams to lose and lose and lose, lol.

 

[RIGHTWINGHAWK]

Perhaps I'm biased(oldest daughter is enrolled at Bama) but I believe the Crimson Tide belongs in the CFP. Buckeyes lost to the Hawks by 31 which to me is an immediate disqualifier. Bama had three LB's out for Auburn game and two of them will be back for Clemson. Vegas oddsmakers have the Crimson Tide as a slight favorite over Clemson. Roll Tide!

 

[BetterLuckNextTime]

Alabama vs OSU on a neutral field... who is favored? Who wins?

I haven't seen Alabama play this year, but I was impressed with OSU every game I watched this year, with the exception of when they looked past Iowa. I think Ohio State would beat Alabama.

 

[BDJHawk]

With Alabama’s weak schedule, I really think OSU might have been selected if they played better against Wisconsin. I thought they looked fairly nonchalant about the game, especially Barrett. How many wide open receivers did he miss for certain TD’s?!! If they would have played as a really dominant team in the CCG (which they could have won by a mile), they would have had a good chance to get in. Barely beating a team that was undefeated but criticized for weak schedule certainly hurt them. They have no one to blame but themselves.