Stansbury added to Playoff Committee

[Whiskey_Clear]

Several different teams aside from the playoff teams had an argument (Ohio State, Wisconsin, USC). It'd make for a pretty boring season and weak playoff field if that weren't the case. But that's what makes the current set up entertaining. The playoffs are for elite teams, not very good teams. Expanding to 8 would include some of the good but not elite teams. For example, Ohio State could be considered elite and possibly even Wisconsin, but some of the other teams that would've gotten in if there were 8 (USC, Miami, Penn State) fall in the very good category. It's up to the committee to decide who is elite and who is good. They seem to have gotten it right so far.

But 8 is at least arguable. 16, as I've seen suggested by several, is just idiotic.

I’m not a fan of 16 either, subject to further review of how 8 works. And I respect your opinion that a 4 team gives more entertainment, possibly a higher level of play throughout, and more entertainment from the controversy of invites.

I just disagree as I think more games is more entertaining and more importantly more fair to all.

 

[gtg936g]

That would kill the regular season.

I’f like to see 16 if the FCS and the out of conference cupcakes are cut from the schedule. Play your conference and rival games, and the top 16 out of that go to the playoffs.

 

[Skeptic]

Maybe his first question ought to be why the committee bent itself into pretzels to get two SEC teams into the championship game. To make that possible, they first had to drop Alabama all the way from 1st to 4th after a loss to Auburn, thus pairing up an SEC team with a non-league team, creating the possibility of the All-SEC final. I don't think a coach in the country actually believed Alabama was the fourth best team among that group.

 

[Skeptic]

I can just see it now.

"In the CFP Committee's first vote of the season, Alabama was voted #1 in unanimous fashion. #2 was still undefeated Clemson. #3 was still undefeated Oklahoma. And #4 was still undefeated Miami. But in a strange occurance, 7-3 Georgia Tech got 1 vote for the #4 spot."

I would bet the same game applies as to coaches' polls. A team wanting to be No. 1 will leave their top challenger off their ballot altogether, costing them descending point numbers from 2 through 10, for instance. Somebody in another thread asked if everything was political anymore. The answer is yes.

 

[FredJacket]

Maybe his first question ought to be why the committee bent itself into pretzels to get two SEC teams into the championship game. To make that possible, they first had to drop Alabama all the way from 1st to 4th after a loss to Auburn, thus pairing up an SEC team with a non-league team, creating the possibility of the All-SEC final. I don't think a coach in the country actually believed Alabama was the fourth best team among that group.

Your case was a very good one right up until Alabama beat Clemson & UGA. ...unfortunately.

 

[gtsucks]

Maybe his first question ought to be why the committee bent itself into pretzels to get two SEC teams into the championship game. To make that possible, they first had to drop Alabama all the way from 1st to 4th after a loss to Auburn, thus pairing up an SEC team with a non-league team, creating the possibility of the All-SEC final. I don't think a coach in the country actually believed Alabama was the fourth best team among that group.

Don't recall them bending themselves at all. Seemed like a pretty smooth process to me. And it seems like the two best teams played for the natty. Goal acheived.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Maybe his first question ought to be why the committee bent itself into pretzels to get two SEC teams into the championship game. To make that possible, they first had to drop Alabama all the way from 1st to 4th after a loss to Auburn, thus pairing up an SEC team with a non-league team, creating the possibility of the All-SEC final. I don't think a coach in the country actually believed Alabama was the fourth best team among that group.

Hey, be glad they DID put Bama in there. If they hadn't, then the mutts would probably be NC's today.

 

[Skeptic]

Hey, be glad they DID put Bama in there. If they hadn't, then the mutts would probably be NC's today.

Maybe I was muddled. My argument was that Alabama was 1 or 2 and no worse than 3. They bracketed them to make the all-SEC final possible rather than have one knock the other off in the first game, as Alabama did Clemson. (Maybe it is my objection to the character playing QB for Oklahoma, but they were no better than 4.)

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Maybe I was muddled. My argument was that Alabama was 1 or 2 and no worse than 3. They bracketed them to make the all-SEC final possible rather than have one knock the other off in the first game, as Alabama did Clemson. (Maybe it is my objection to the character playing QB for Oklahoma, but they were no better than 4.)

OK. Gotcha. Regardless of any character flaws in the Oklahoma QB, I was pulling for him and the Sooners to beat the mutts. And they would have too if the coach had not been so unbelievably stupid.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Alabama had no business being in the Playoff based on the season. However, Alabama was the most talented team, and had they been at full strength during the season, Auburn would have never beat them. The four weeks between the end of the season allowed them to get healthy and bring back those backers. Once healthy, Alabama was the best team in the nation playing.

 

[Skeptic]

Alabama had no business being in the Playoff based on the season. However, Alabama was the most talented team, and had they been at full strength during the season, Auburn would have never beat them. The four weeks between the end of the season allowed them to get healthy and bring back those backers. Once healthy, Alabama was the best team in the nation playing.

One loss? Then everybody was out. What every football coach in America knows is that on any Saturday, so to speak, your 18-19 year-olds will act like, well, they are 18 or 19 years old. Happened to Clemson, to Oklahoma, to Alabama, and to Georgia. Don't know if your argument is for a conference title, but in the scheme of things it doesn't mean diddly when you're trying to fill a bracket with the best teams. (I would have left Oklahoma out altogether but that's just me.)

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Wonder if the NFL would ever leave a divisional champ out of the playoffs due to a number 2 in that division being a “better” team.

Or maybe if the NCAA left a conference champ out of the basketball playoffs from a major conference.

 

[forensicbuzz]

One loss? Then everybody was out. What every football coach in America knows is that on any Saturday, so to speak, your 18-19 year-olds will act like, well, they are 18 or 19 years old. Happened to Clemson, to Oklahoma, to Alabama, and to Georgia. Don't know if your argument is for a conference title, but in the scheme of things it doesn't mean diddly when you're trying to fill a bracket with the best teams. (I would have left Oklahoma out altogether but that's just me.)

Alabama didn't win their own division, let alone play for their own conference championship. If Alabama would have lost to uga in the SEC Championship game, I would have less heartburn about this. Bottom line, in my opinion, with a 4-team playoff system, if you want to be part of the final four, you need to show you're a champion of your own conference first. I'm a strong supporter of an 8-team (5+1+2) playoff, but that's beside the point.

In the end, Alabama didn't have the credentials other teams had, and didn't earn the chance to win the national championship. I think at a minimum, the four teams in the current system has to at least participate in their conference championship. If you put Wisconsin and Alabama's season accomplishments side by side, Alabama is inferior in every category that should matter.