CFP Discussion

[cpf2001]

Because it is pure supposition. You have no clue if FSU would be in if Travis was healthy. You just restating what the committee is saying to spin this.

If it’s “pure supposition” to believe the statement but not supposition to label the published remarks “spin”? lol ok

You are entitled to disbelieve whoever you want but let’s stick to English definitions please

 

[forensicbuzz]

Regardless of the SEC, Phillips had the opportunity to get to an expanded playoff THIS year. He blocked it. Otherwise, FSU was in.

This is such a dodge. The SEC should not be in the CFP, PERIOD. Blame-shifting is a weak apology for corrupt behavior.

 

[1979jacket]

I started to add that the ACC would be seeded to always have an away game at an SEC school, then remembered about the first round byes for the top 4 conference champions. I think the SEC & B1G would love to eliminate that provision but they don't get to make that decision by themselves (yet). The original setup of 6 conference champions was to get the G5 conferences to buy in on the format. The conference champions getting byes provision was probably necessary to get the ACC, Big 12 and Pac 12 to agree. At this point I don't see any way that the ACC, Big 12 or any of the G5 conferences agree to change the byes from conference champions to a "best 4 teams" based selection. So, no, I think the top 4 ranked conference champions will continue to receive first round byes for now.

Keep in mind that at some point in the future, the ACC champ may be ranked lower than a G5 champ, and thus the ACC champ could be on the road at an SEC location (not sure if there is a provision for conference champions that are not top 4 are guaranteed to host in round 1). It's also not out of the realm of possibility that the ACC champ is ranked below 2 G5 conference champions and the ACC could be completely left out of a 12-team playoff; not likely but who would have thought an undefeated FSU wouldn't be selected to a 4-team playoff.

I hear you on the byes but I was under the impression that the the 4 P5 conferences including ACC and Big12 champs got automatic spots regardless of ranking. Not a guanteed bye, nor a guaranteed home game if not in top 4, but a guaranteed spot. They get this as a P5 conference.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I agree. That’s why being “undefeated“ doesn’t matter. FSU is undefeated against a competitor group that is sub 500. THAT matters.

FSU won the ACC, which whipped the SEC head-to-head. Alabama lost an OCC game (not a vaunted SEC opponent) by 10 points at home. Oh, did I forget to mention Alabama LOST and then required a miracle to beat a 6-6 Auburn team last week? An undefeated P5 (soon to be P4) champion being excluded for a 1-loss team from an inferior conference this year (yep, look at the head-to-head records) being left out is pure corruption.

 

[TampaBuzz]

The committee didn't want to risk a blowout of a team without their star QB. That is why they got left out. Who doesn't get this? It's all a great story. They don't care about a great story. They want ratings and no blowouts, see TCU-Uga last year and multiple games in prior years.

If Travis is healthy, they are in. He isn't and they aren't. It's not a true playoff. It's like The Masters, it's an invitational tournament at the discretion of the committee and they can invite anyone they want for whatever reason.

That is a crummy analysis. You have to earn your way into the Masters by winning something. If you win, you are in.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Because it is pure supposition. You have no clue if FSU would be in if Travis was healthy. You just restating what the committee is saying to spin this.

I still can’t believe someone could say with a straight face that an undefeated SEC champion would get locked out under the same circumstances. It would never happen.

 

[MidtownJacket]

I still can’t believe someone could say with a straight face that an undefeated SEC champion would get locked out under the same circumstances. It would never happen.

That AND the committee had their chance to lower FSU out of the top 4 leading up to the game - which they didn’t do - and the fact is that their better QB2 was going to be available for action in the playoffs.

It’s a cop out and an excuse to say it showed in the ACC Championship game that FSU wasn’t good enough. Their D is all world legit and the offense will look better with a month of QB2 repoing with the 1s.

It’s insulting to think they can just trot out the line and people will accept it.

 

[forensicbuzz]

That AND the committee had their chance to lower FSU out of the top 4 leading up to the game - which they didn’t do - and the fact is that their better QB2 was going to be available for action in the playoffs.

It’s a cop out and an excuse to say it showed in the ACC Championship game that FSU wasn’t good enough. Their D is all world legit and the offense will look better with a month of QB2 repoing with the 1s.

It’s insulting to think they can just trot out the line and people will accept it.

people accept what they want to accept. Look at any political stance. Half the people cheer and half the people can't believe how stupid the other side is.

 

[TampaBuzz]

Fixed it for you.

Boo, please stop. Your and your cronies got paid off to guarantee SEC participation and we understand the contract requires you to repeat your spiel endlessly. Many of us believe it is stupid and indefensible decision. Speculation supercedes objective results solely for payola. We understand...please just let us vent. Please?

 

[Jacket05]

Hmm. So they said that they were concerned about FSU's offense and that watching the ACC championship game caused them concern. Shocking. I swear I've heard something like that before, but not sure where.

"All of us had the emotional tie, like, 'Holy s---, this is really going to suck to do this,'" one committee member told ESPN. "We talked about that over and over, and we just kept coming back [to] are they good enough with what they have to win a national championship, and it just kept coming back [to] we didn't think they could."

Instead, the crux of the debate into the wee hours of Sunday morning centered around how to evaluate Florida State, which beat Louisville with its third-string quarterback after both Jordan Travis and his backup, Tate Rodemaker, were sidelined by injuries. While the Seminoles' defense impressed the committee -- and had all year -- there were significant concerns about FSU's offense.

It wasn't until the ACC championship game began to unfold, though, that the members' opinions began to truly take shape. The group grew concerned as it watched the Noles struggle to get a first down in the first half. There is a section in the committee's protocol that specifically refers to the "unavailability of key players ... that may have affected a teams performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance." That allowed the committee to do something it intentionally avoids every other week: look ahead.

"People may not believe it, but we don't say, 'Oh gosh, if we vote this way, the SEC is going to be left out," one source said. "That never came up. Ever. We literally look at teams, put them up against each other, and say, 'Who did they beat? Who did they not beat? Who have they beaten on the road? What's their strength of schedule?' Look at the matrix and all the data."

In the end, though, the difference between Alabama and Florida State boiled down to the committee's written protocol, particularly the emphasis on strength of schedule -- which gave Alabama the edge -- and the section that allowed committee members to project what Florida State might look like in a semifinal without their star quarterback.

Not having Heisman hopeful starter Travis "changes their offense in its entirety," said Corrigan, "and that was really a big factor with the committee as we went through everything."

So they left FSU out cause "they struggled to get first downs" with a true freshman 3rd string QB who didn't know if he would be playing until the day of the game and who will not be playing in the playoffs. While Michigan, who played fully healthy that same day and put up the same number of first downs and less total yards than FSU, is considered a lock and gets the #1 seed.

Not to mention the QB that would be playing for FSU put up 58 points in the game he took over for Travis and then put up another 24 against their in-state rival with only a weeks preparation as the starter. While Alabama only put up 3 more points that same day against their in-state rival with their starter that has been playing all year.

The points everyone are making is whatever reasons they gave are flat out wrong! But please don't let facts get in the way of wild misinformed speculations that you and the committee continue to spew.

NCAA football is the only sport I know of in the world that doesn't reward winning when trying to determine a champion.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

If it’s “pure supposition” to believe the statement but not supposition to label the published remarks “spin”? lol ok

You are entitled to disbelieve whoever you want but let’s stick to English definitions please

LOL! I never suggested my position was anything else, but my opinion. At least I am not acting as a lackey for the selection committee regurgitating their talking points as if they are fact.

Also, what evidence do you have that FSU would be in the playoffs if Travis was not injured. Please share

 

[leatherneckjacket]

First of all the selection is SUBJECTIVE without head to head competition or more cross conference games, it is an eyeball test. Second this set of 4 teams gives 4 different sections of the country to watch and better TV ratings.
Until there is a defined criteria for making the playoff, this is what you get. The field of 12 would have gotten FSU in but also tOSU, UGA and others, eg Liberty.

There is no scenario where Washington gets more television viewership than Georgia or Ohio State.

Also, I was responding to the statement that they picked the best matchups. Washington is not a better matchup than Georgia or Ohio State.

 

[Techster]

More gas on the conspiracy fire. Herbstreit: No way the SEC Champ is left out:

 

[Lil G]

More gas on the conspiracy fire. Herbstreit: No way the SEC Champ is left out:

Wow. They really were just preparing everybody for what they knew was already happening. I hope somebody on ESPN staff starts leaking some emails soon. They can’t hide this level of bs forever

 

[okiemon]

They'll twist the logic du jour into whatever justification they can to get an SEC team in the playoffs.

One SEC team and one soon-to-be SEC team, and one B1G team and one soon-to-be B1G team. It’s the Power-2 playoff.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

More gas on the conspiracy fire. Herbstreit: No way the SEC Champ is left out:

I watched this in real time and knew immediately that the fix was in.

 

[Techster]

What if 'Bama was just a ruse so no one would talk about...Texas?!

 

[Randy Carson]

Okay...I'm a bit slow, but it just dawned on me what's really going on.

ESPN's advertisers did not want another UGA-TCU blowout game with fans turning the game off by halftime when it was already 38-7 (final 65-7).

FSU was a risk because its starting QB is out, and they could not be allowed to play because of potentially bad ratings.

Advertisers pressured ESPN. ESPN (and the SEC itself) pressured the committee members.

And here's a take from TuscaloosaNews.com which acknowledges that FSU and Texas - not Bama - should have been selected.

 

[slugboy]

Normally, I woudn’t think FSU and the ACC should sue, but I’m changing my mind.

I bring this next fact up up not to turn this into a political discussion (__don’t__), but from a news perspective:

Sen. Rick Scott to CFP: We Demand Transparency Regarding Unprecedented Exclusion of Undefeated FSU

www.rickscott.senate.gov

It’s just one letter, but the NCAA is already unpopular, and took a body blow from the Supreme Court several years ago. The CFP isn’t an NCAA body, but it is a college football body, and there are a lot of people unhappy with the way college football is doing business. It’s possible that nothing could come out of this (and it’s fairly likely that nothing happens). It’s also possible that a now much more unpopular CFP committee gets brought before a Senate committee to answer questions.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

It's better than the SEC did with the ACC except for UK beating L'ville. 1 game. Their other wins GT x2 and UVA. Meanwhile, the ACC beat LSU, TAMU, UF, USCe, Vandy, and Arky(?). I'd say that's pretty even and competitive.

There is, however, one possible point of comparison. The SEC champion on their home field beat LSU by two touchdowns. The ACC champion on a neutral field beat LSU by three touchdowns.

Also interesting to note that in years past, when the SEC had a winning record over the ACC, pundits never seemed to point out that the SEC was basically beating the bottom half of the conference. The narrative is ALWAYS that the SEC is better even though the metrics for making that assertion change every year.