2014 NCAA Football Thread

[kewp80]

Here's a question for everyone. Let's say that today is the first day we hear a word from the playoff committee. We had no previous rankings, no anything. Based on that idea, did the committee pick the four best teams?

I ask because, based on what I'm hearing on ESPN, the committee took a "hit the reset button every week" approach. If that's really the case, their decision makes a little more sense. Then again, if that's their approach, why bother with weekly rankings in the first place?

I definetely feel they should and will do it this way in the future. You would still have everyone talking about it every week second guessing the other two polls and comparing teams' resumes.

I don't like the idea of an eight-team playoff. Michigan State would make that field this year and play for a national title. That's not a good thing.

The ideal scenario is being able to set the number of teams each year based on how many teams might have claims to being the nation's best. This year, that's six.

If you look at the last 10 years, the number of one-loss or undefeated, power-five/six teams (and maybe undefeated non-P5 teams?) were...

2014 (6): Florida State; Alabama, Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon, TCU

2013 (6): Florida State; Alabama, Auburn, Michigan State, Baylor, Ohio State

2012 (5): Notre Dame; Alabama, Florida, Kansas State, Oregon

2011 (4): LSU; Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford

2010 (6/7): Auburn, Oregon; Michigan State, Ohio State, Stanford, Wisconsin; TCU

2009 (4/6): Alabama, Cincinnati, Texas; Florida; Boise State, TCU

2008 (7/8): Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Texas Tech, USC; Utah

2007 (2/3): Kansas, Ohio State; Hawai'i

2006 (5/6): Ohio State; Florida, Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin; Boise State

2005 (5): Texas, USC; Oregon, Penn State, West Virginia

Granted, there's a level of rawness to this but 8 teams would've been needed maybe once — in 2008 — and that's if you would've backed Utah to be in a playoff (which I would've agreed with). 6 seems to be a much better solution most years.

Are you using the final rankings for these? Because how would Kansas have a claim to the national title over Missouri or Oklahoma in 2007?

That being said, I've always thought that this would be the best way of doing a playoff in the FBS. This year we would have TCU-Ohio State and Baylor-Florida State with Oregon and Ohio State with byes. Makes everybody happy.

See Red, if you have the first round the next week after the conference championships, then have the semi-finals the week after it wouldn't be as if you're taking a whole month off. Then have two weeks for the two winners get ready for the NCG. I don't see a problem with that, and the top two teams probably would benefit from the bye week.

[BlackBolt3]

I just can't wait for Ohio State to beat Alabama, and then have a field day with the Transitive property. The thought that Wake Forest could beat Alabama is simply astounding.

If that happens, best believe I will make a t-shirt, banner, or something.

Oh, and I guess if Michigan State is still ahead of Mississippi State, Clemson goes to the Citrus Bowl. That'll be nice.

EDIT: Dang. Still Orlando, but I would have wanted New Year's Day. Oh well, sorry Louisville.

[DS729]

Here's a question for everyone. Let's say that today is the first day we hear a word from the playoff committee. We had no previous rankings, no anything. Based on that idea, did the committee pick the four best teams?

I ask because, based on what I'm hearing on ESPN, the committee took a "hit the reset button every week" approach. If that's really the case, their decision makes a little more sense. Then again, if that's their approach, why bother with weekly rankings in the first place?

I definetely feel they should and will do it this way in the future. You would still have everyone talking about it every week second guessing the other two polls and comparing teams' resumes.

I don't like the idea of an eight-team playoff. Michigan State would make that field this year and play for a national title. That's not a good thing.

The ideal scenario is being able to set the number of teams each year based on how many teams might have claims to being the nation's best. This year, that's six.

If you look at the last 10 years, the number of one-loss or undefeated, power-five/six teams (and maybe undefeated non-P5 teams?) were...

2014 (6): Florida State; Alabama, Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon, TCU

2013 (6): Florida State; Alabama, Auburn, Michigan State, Baylor, Ohio State

2012 (5): Notre Dame; Alabama, Florida, Kansas State, Oregon

2011 (4): LSU; Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford

2010 (6/7): Auburn, Oregon; Michigan State, Ohio State, Stanford, Wisconsin; TCU

2009 (4/6): Alabama, Cincinnati, Texas; Florida; Boise State, TCU

2008 (7/8): Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Texas Tech, USC; Utah

2007 (2/3): Kansas, Ohio State; Hawai'i

2006 (5/6): Ohio State; Florida, Louisville, Michigan, Wisconsin; Boise State

2005 (5): Texas, USC; Oregon, Penn State, West Virginia

Granted, there's a level of rawness to this but 8 teams would've been needed maybe once — in 2008 — and that's if you would've backed Utah to be in a playoff (which I would've agreed with). 6 seems to be a much better solution most years.

Are you using the final rankings for these? Because how would Kansas have a claim to the national title over Missouri or Oklahoma in 2007?

That being said, I've always thought that this would be the best way of doing a playoff in the FBS. This year we would have TCU-Ohio State and Baylor-Florida State with Oregon and Ohio State with byes. Makes everybody happy.

More like 2007 being a very wonky year up top. LSU would've gotten in for sure with that scenario, but if you let them in, then a potential flood gate starts coming down of 2-loss teams like Oklahoma, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Georgia, and USC. You can't say that Kansas or Hawaii is better than half of those teams with a straight face, another year where an 8-team playoff would've been the best solution.

[crashcarson15]

Are you using the final rankings for these? Because how would Kansas have a claim to the national title over Missouri or Oklahoma in 2007?

It was simply a "teams with 0 or 1 losses" search. 2007 was such an anomaly that it really doesn't make sense to discuss.

And SeeRed, yeah, I'd be envisioning those first-round games happening this weekend. Granted, that's not ideal because finals — maybe shift the season to start a week earlier? Play conference title games Thanksgiving weekend, the first round of the playoffs this weekend?

[Seadragon76]

I think the onus is on the Big XII (Minus II) for not having a championship game and then basically saying that 'One True Champion' is nothing more then PR speak for 'Well, we don't have a conference championship game, so we have everyone play each other and if we somehow get co-champs, then screw it!'

What's going to happen is that the Big XII (Minus II) is going to ask for (and get) a waiver from the NCAA to allow a conference championship game (The SWAC, which is at the FCS level, already does a conference championship game with 10 members). This way, the Big XII (Minus II) doesn't feel left out.

[tj4eck]

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

[kewp80]

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

[hailstateunis]

Glad to see the committee got the MSUs ranked correctly this time.

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

They've been announced. Those are correct- Mississippi State jumped up to the #7 spot and Michigan State stayed at #8.

[Billy B]

Glad to see the committee got the MSUs ranked correctly this time.

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

They've been announced. Those are correct- Mississippi State jumped up to the #7 spot and Michigan State stayed at #8.

So happy this happened. The B1G avoids the disaster scenario of not getting all eligible teams into bowl games.

[rams80]

Glad to see the committee got the MSUs ranked correctly this time.

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

They've been announced. Those are correct- Mississippi State jumped up to the #7 spot and Michigan State stayed at #8.

So happy this happened. The B1G avoids the disaster scenario of not getting all eligible teams into bowl games.

It wasn't going to happen. Although having Penn State stay home would have been a thing of beauty.

[Xist2inspire]

Looks like the best solution to the TCU/Baylor issue was to leave them both out. This is still the committee's fault for showing their hands too early and trying to make FSU/Bama happen before things were actually settled. I think things might've been smoother had they just kept TCU at #4. Then Ohio State could move up from #5 to #3, TCU's fall isn't so drastic (thus easier to justify), and you can "penalize" FSU for their unimpressive season by "forcing" them to face Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Rose Bowl would also get their traditional matchup. Everybody wins.

Hopefully they'll learn from this and be less hasty next time.

[DS729]

I've never been a fan of the rankings, just use the AP Poll as the "rankings" and let people guess whether their resume is "good enough" or not, everyone will be playing their best because no one (for sure) will know whether they're in or not. Then the committee will pick their Top 4 today, and use the AP Rankings for 5-25 (adjusting it so that their playoff teams are in the Top 4) for the New Year's Six Bowls. I don't like the idea of dropping a team three spots because they beat a cupcake by 52 and did exactly what they're supposed to.

And yeah, they should have flipped the matchups. Seeding doesn't really matter once you're in the top 4, I think most teams would rather play a closer game than traveling the extra 1,000 or so miles to play the "worse" team.

[Billy B]

Glad to see the committee got the MSUs ranked correctly this time.

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

They've been announced. Those are correct- Mississippi State jumped up to the #7 spot and Michigan State stayed at #8.

So happy this happened. The B1G avoids the disaster scenario of not getting all eligible teams into bowl games.

It wasn't going to happen. Although having Penn State stay home would have been a thing of beauty.

If Michigan State went to the Orange Bowl, the Big Ten would have given up their spot in the Citrus Bowl. That would have left the Big Ten with one more eligible team than bowl spots. The Armed Forces Bowl would have been a possibility for the left out Big Ten team, but they have a secondary tie-in with Conference USA that may or may be been binding.

[rams80]

Glad to see the committee got the MSUs ranked correctly this time.

Cotton - Michigan St. vs. Baylor

Fiesta - Boise St. vs. Arizona

Peach - Ole Miss vs. TCU

Orange - Mississippi St. vs. Georgia Tech

Switch Michigan State and Mississippi State and you got it.

They've been announced. Those are correct- Mississippi State jumped up to the #7 spot and Michigan State stayed at #8.

So happy this happened. The B1G avoids the disaster scenario of not getting all eligible teams into bowl games.

It wasn't going to happen. Although having Penn State stay home would have been a thing of beauty.

If Michigan State went to the Orange Bowl, the Big Ten would have given up their spot in the Citrus Bowl. That would have left the Big Ten with one more eligible team than bowl spots. The Armed Forces Bowl would have been a possibility for the left out Big Ten team, but they have a secondary tie-in with Conference USA that may or may be been binding.

Not all of the conferences were filling their slates. Nobody would have been left home. The media just needed a story.

[Raysfan12]

Louisville vs Georgia in the Belk Bowl looks like a very interesting matchup especially with Grantham facing his old employer.

[Still MIGHTY]

Sun Bowl: Sun Devils vs Blue Devils... Neat.

And man, Boise State just lives at the Fiesta Bowl, don't they? Well, Go Broncos. Beat UofA.

[TheRicSlick]

Sun Bowl: Sun Devils vs Blue Devils... Neat.

That's going to be one hell of a game.

[Raysfan12]

Sun Bowl: Sun Devils vs Blue Devils... Neat.

This is surely going to be a demonically good game!

[FiddySicks]

Sun Bowl: Sun Devils vs Blue Devils... Neat.

And man, Boise State just lives at the Fiesta Bowl, don't they? Well, Go Broncos. Beat UofA.

Uggh. What a crap way to end such a promising season. Talk of playoffs a few weeks ago turns into a filler bowl in El Paso vs Duke. You couldn't pay me to go to that one.

[dbadefense1990]

Sun Bowl: Sun Devils vs Blue Devils... Neat.

Martin Brodeur will conduct the coin toss.