2016 College Football Season and Playoff

[LD1]

Wild year thats for sure.

I am an avid CF fan. Last year, OSU slipped up against MSU, and allowed them to win the conference. MSU didnt represent the conference well at all, and I still think OSU was the better team that year as well. I think the committee wants to avoid a repeat of last year.

For the better part of the last 5-10 years, we have had to listen to how great and dominate the SEC was. And how weak the big 10 was. And how many times did we hear that OSU was over ranked, undeserving, etc etc because they play in a weak conference.

Funny now that the tables have turned, And the SEC is one of the weaker conferences with Bama sitting alone at the top......and there is none of that clatter. SEC-ESPN conglomerate was the worst thing for CF IMO. Too much biased media reporting. Look back to pre-season polls, and early in the season polls. HOw many SEC teams were right up there and arent no more.

One thing is for sure, Big 10 is back.....and stronger than ever. ITs a very REAL possibility that the BIG could get THREE teams in. A clemson loss.....puts them and the ACC out. I think the Big 12 is already out. The Pac10.....I do think washington is in if they win....but a loss to colorado.....I dont think Colorado has what it takes to make the jump to 4.

Alabama is in even if they lose. OSU is a lock IMO. IF clemson and washington both loose. I think it would be hard for colarado to jump a a big 10 champ or michigan.....who beat Colorado, Penn state, and washington ALL in a head to head.

We can play what-IF's till the cows come home. But at the end of the day....the conference champions are ONLY about the most deserving two teams playing. Which is USUALLY the best two teams. However.......this year, the two most deserving teams in the big 10 happen to be the 3rd and 4th best teams in the conference.

Which is where all the drama and chaos starts. And the committee has to sort out. The committee is tasked with selecting the 4 best teams....NOT the 4 most deserving. This is why you see OSU and Michigan still ranked so high....and OSU a likely lock to be playing in the playoff.

OSU lost to penn state.....there is no denying that. But if those two teams played 10 times on a neutral site....OSU would likely be the winner 9 times. And you look at the rest of their resume, Wins over #5 Michigan, #6 Wisconsin, #9 Oklahoma....and only loss to #7 Penn state.....and the only 1 loss team in the big 10.......hard to deny them a spot.

ANd fun fact I seen after OSU lost.......ALL of urban Meyers national championship teams were with 1-loss teams.

 

[rtimgray]

I'm not an Ohio State fan - in fact, they are one of the teams that I love to hate - but I have to admit they are due a playoff spot. Similarly, the first year they had the playoffs (2014 maybe?), I think OSU made it in - barely - as a No. 4 seed, and proceeded to roll the Tide and beat Oregon to win the championship.

While I hate it that it was Ohio State to do it, I was glad that it proved that a team that likely would have been left out of the BCS championship game (that would have presumably pitted Alabama vs. Oregon) could win the playoff championship, thus proving the value of the playoff.

That's why I hope that the playoffs eventually get expanded to include non-Power 5 conferences getting bids. I know that in most years, an undefeated or one-loss non-power 5 team is not going to beat an Ohio State or Alabama. However, you could have that perfect set of circumstances of a seasoned mid-major roster, good coach, etc. and maybe the brand name teams are down a little bit, and someone like Western Michigan could have a chance to go toe-to-toe with the college football bluebloods. The more that can be settled on the field, the better. I'm sure that they (the non-power 5 schools) would have to play their first round games on the road, but at least they would get a chance.

Just my opinion.

Good luck and take care.

 

[roadhunter]

Not to be a downer the B1G is not getting 3 teams in the playoffs IMO. TV would never want fan interest limited to the rust belt and Southeast (Bama).Literally half the country would have no interest. Seems much more likely that we see a PAC school get that spot instead of a 3rd B1G school.

 

[LD1]

I'm not an Ohio State fan - in fact, they are one of the teams that I love to hate - but I have to admit they are due a playoff spot. Similarly, the first year they had the playoffs (2014 maybe?), I think OSU made it in - barely - as a No. 4 seed, and proceeded to roll the Tide and beat Oregon to win the championship.

While I hate it that it was Ohio State to do it, I was glad that it proved that a team that likely would have been left out of the BCS championship game (that would have presumably pitted Alabama vs. Oregon) could win the playoff championship, thus proving the value of the playoff.

That's why I hope that the playoffs eventually get expanded to include non-Power 5 conferences getting bids. I know that in most years, an undefeated or one-loss non-power 5 team is not going to beat an Ohio State or Alabama. However, you could have that perfect set of circumstances of a seasoned mid-major roster, good coach, etc. and maybe the brand name teams are down a little bit, and someone like Western Michigan could have a chance to go toe-to-toe with the college football bluebloods. The more that can be settled on the field, the better. I'm sure that they (the non-power 5 schools) would have to play their first round games on the road, but at least they would get a chance.

Just my opinion.

Good luck and take care.

I am an OSU fan.....but an even bigger fan of the game. I cannot stand NFL football.

I have mixed feelings about expanding the playoffs. All the argument I hear about expanding to 8 teams.....usually include something like each of the power 5 conference champions.....and a group of 5 team, and two at large. I dont like that. Dont like guaranteeing anyone a spot, power 5 or not, conference champ or not. Because that then defeats the purpose of selecting the truly BEST teams.

Conference games are for the two most deserving teams in the conference....not always the two best.

The regular season is over. The committee has the teams ranked. If the playoff were tomorrow....the big 12 would still be left out, so would the group of 5, and the big 10 would have 4 schools in there. And the group of 5.......they absolutely would have had a bid in there this year in Houston had they taken care of business.

Lets say alabama or clemson has a fluke game and looses to florida or Virginia tech. In an 8-team playoff guaranteeing all conference champs a spot.....we would see Florida or VT......both 3-loss teams.....be playing in the game while lots better teams sit out.

And in the end, it dont matter how many teams are in the playoff.......their will always be the first few out that will be unhappy. Heck, look at march madness with basketball. 64-team playoffs and still have the same drama with teams 60-70 about who it should be.

 

[roadhunter]

I like the guaranteed spots for conference champs as it's like basketball where each team knows what it needs to do to get in the playoff. Occasionally there will be upset but that is part of the fun. I remember when Wisconsin beat Nebraska in the B1G championships game and ended up going to the Rose bowl with 5 losses I believe, but they won the conference.

This year would work well for the 8 team setup as tOSU and Michigan could get the wildcard spots and WMU/Navy gets the g-5 spot. Nothing wrong with that group.

 

[LD1]

Not to be a downer the B1G is not getting 3 teams in the playoffs IMO. TV would never want fan interest limited to the rust belt and Southeast (Bama).Literally half the country would have no interest. Seems much more likely that we see a PAC school get that spot instead of a 3rd B1G school.

The beauty of football and these rankings is we can all play whatifs, and there are hundreds of possible scenerios. But we just dont know until it happens.

I did say it would take alot to happen to get 3 b-10 schools in. BOTH washington and clemson would have to loose. But I dont see any chance at all that colorado will jump michigan. Same record, Mich has better metrics across the board, SOS, Strength of W/L, etc etc. AND they won head to head.

So IF.......both Clemson and Washington loose..... 1. Bama......2. OSU.......3. Mich 4. Colorado??????????? Which would render the Big 10 championship game irrelevant? And 2 big 10 schools that get the nod that didnt even win their conference.....let alone their division?

If Washington and clemson both win.....the top 4 I dont think is gonna change sunday.

But, let me ask you road hunter.....IF both Washington and clemson lose, Who would you put in the top 4?

 

[LD1]

I like the guaranteed spots for conference champs as it's like basketball where each team knows what it needs to do to get in the playoff. Occasionally there will be upset but that is part of the fun. I remember when Wisconsin beat Nebraska in the B1G championships game and ended up going to the Rose bowl with 5 losses I believe, but they won the conference.

This year would work well for the 8 team setup as tOSU and Michigan could get the wildcard spots and WMU/Navy gets the g-5 spot. Nothing wrong with that group.

What if bama and clemson were to lose? Would you be okay with florida and VT getting in. Now your wildcard has to only chose two out of
OSU, Mich, Clemson, Bama

Two of those would sit at home while Florida, VT, and a Group of 5 school ranked in the high teens all get to play for a title?

 

[roadhunter]

The beauty of football and these rankings is we can all play whatifs, and there are hundreds of possible scenerios. But we just dont know until it happens.

I did say it would take alot to happen to get 3 b-10 schools in. BOTH washington and clemson would have to loose. But I dont see any chance at all that colorado will jump michigan. Same record, Mich has better metrics across the board, SOS, Strength of W/L, etc etc. AND they won head to head.

So IF.......both Clemson and Washington loose..... 1. Bama......2. OSU.......3. Mich 4. Colorado??????????? Which would render the Big 10 championship game irrelevant? And 2 big 10 schools that get the nod that didnt even win their conference.....let alone their division?

If Washington and clemson both win.....the top 4 I dont think is gonna change sunday.

But, let me ask you road hunter.....IF both Washington and clemson lose, Who would you put in the top 4?

I believe the committee would put Colorado or Oklahoma in the playoff in that scenario and use them conference champions as the reasoning for them jumping a non conference champ Michigan. I certainly see the logic you are using but in the end there won't be any conference getting 3 of the 4 playoff spots, not even the SEC.

 

[roadhunter]

What if bama and clemson were to lose? Would you be okay with florida and VT getting in. Now your wildcard has to only chose two out of
OSU, Mich, Clemson, Bama

Two of those would sit at home while Florida, VT, and a Group of 5 school ranked in the high teens all get to play for a title?

Yep. They would have had thier opportunity and lost it on the field. That's how basketball has worked for decades and it certainly makes the conference championships more exciting knowing they are playing for a playoff spot.

 

[LD1]

I believe the committee would put Colorado or Oklahoma in the playoff in that scenario and use them conference champions as the reasoning for them jumping a non conference champ Michigan. I certainly see the logic you are using but in the end there won't be any conference getting 3 of the 4 playoff spots, not even the SEC.

Oklahama over michigan.....maybe.But their only win yet over a ranked opponent is WVU. I just dont see how Colorado can jump Mich with the Head to head.

We shall all see in due time though.