Scheduling

[Jmonty71]

As we just saw strength of schedule is overrated. Its all about wins. So...why both going for other high caliber schools?

 

[melloace]

Yep, there is zero incentive besides ticket sales for the team to schedule anybody from another P5 conference. Should schedule FCS, and two crappy G5 team every year to pad the record and rest players.

 

[SimpleGT]

The Bama Way!

 

[TechPreacher]

As we just saw strength of schedule is overrated. Its all about wins. So...why both going for other high caliber schools?

Tell that to UCF.

 

[takethepoints]

The Bama Way!

Actually, the formula was pioneered by Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss. Their schedule in his time was once aptly described as "Nine pushovers and Bama." And, sure enough, it was. Dodd wanted to play Ole Miss in the worst way, but Vaught would never agree to that.

And, yes, the only thing that counts or that people remember is wins. It doesn't matter who they are against a couple of years up the road.

 

[tech_wreck47]

Idc how bad Bamas strength of schedule was, it's hard to deny they are a top 4 team. IMO they got it right.

 

[Jmonty71]

Tell that to UCF.

UCF is not in a P5 conference.

 

[Towaliga]

Strength of schedule is only considered a non-factor if you play in the SEC.

 

[4shotB]

imo, replace OSU with Michigan this year. Swap their resumes. Michigan, as a blue blood in the sport, gets in as the B10 champion over Bama. tOSU got the benefit of the doubt before when they weren't their conference champions. I think they paid for that this year. They had used up their favors. I hate that Bama was the beneficiary though.

 

[Towaliga]

Hypothetical question—if Bama had beaten Auburn and lost to the dwags in the SEC championship, would they be “in” (would the committee have chosen a team coming off a loss over a team that won their conference championship)? If no (not in), why would that be different from the way the season went and why are the in now? If yes (in), isn’t that indicating that Alabama was in no matter what, and the SEC was going to automatically have two representatives with 2 P5 conferences excluded before conference championship weekend was even played?

 

[Coloradojacket]

The best way to look at this is on a Neutral field and you have to bet on the game. Take all the teams below Alabama and if you believe they would beat Bama, then place your bet on who. Fact is Bama is better than the 10 teams ranked below them.

 

[GTBandman]

Alabama’s strength of schedule was hurt because FSU unexpectedly stunk after losing the QB in their game. Alabama dominated when FSU was at full strength and was ranked #2 at the time.

 

[LibertyTurns]

Idc how bad Bamas strength of schedule was, it's hard to deny they are a top 4 team. IMO they got it right.

They didn’t even win their half of the conference and the SEC-W lost the championship game. By that measure they’re 3rd best in their own conference. Essentially you’re saying 3 of Top 4 teams are SEC and then there’s the rest of the nation to argue over who’s the 4th? I’m not buying that until they start winning more OOC games than they have been the last decade.

 

[FredJacket]

Hypothetical question—if Bama had beaten Auburn and lost to the dwags in the SEC championship, would they be “in” (would the committee have chosen a team coming off a loss over a team that won their conference championship)? If no (not in), why would that be different from the way the season went and why are the in now? If yes (in), isn’t that indicating that Alabama was in no matter what, and the SEC was going to automatically have two representatives with 2 P5 conferences excluded before conference championship weekend was even played?

This is a great question & a compelling point. I think all it proves is IF you have to find the BEST 4 teams, it ain't easy or clean. It certainly doesn't prove Alabama isn't one of the best 4.

The committee is required to "try" to find the best 4 based on a lot of criteria....some of it in conflict. You cannot just look at Alabama in isolation this way. It must be in context of the teams that may be should be ahead of them. Wisconsin wins... and we aren't having this discussion. But they didn't win. So...your hypothetical (& that is what it is) MAY have resulted in same 4 teams.

I'm not an Alabama apologist by any stretch. I'm more a "system" apologist. Under this system, the committee has done a pretty good job selecting the best 4. One absolute is you cannot place a 5th or 6th team into a 4 team tournament.

 

[JorgeJonas]

If Alabama had different uniforms, I don't think they would have made it. That's a problem.

 

[Towaliga]

Alabama’s strength of schedule was hurt because FSU unexpectedly stunk after losing the QB in their game. Alabama dominated when FSU was at full strength and was ranked #2 at the time.

And in 2016 we beat uga who was the preseason national champion ( per all the dwag fans I know), so shouldn’t we have ended up being ranked higher?

 

[Coloradojacket]

Or as I read earlier, ask Clemson, Oklahoma, and Georgia who they would not want to play of the remaining teams. Answer would have been Alabama. Now we have our 4th team.

 

[jeffgt14]

We should just let every other team in the country play throughout the season to decide which 3 get in the playoffs with Bama. No reason Bama even needs to play a game before the playoffs. They're Bama. They have to be one of the top 4 teams regardless of what happens on the field because nobody wants to play them.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Idc how bad Bamas strength of schedule was, it's hard to deny they are a top 4 team. IMO they got it right.

Tell me who they beat again?

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Let’s just put LSU, Auburn, Alabama, and GA in and call it a day.