Alabama was never ranked #1 in the College Football Playoff Poll this season.
Week 1: Ohio State, LSU, Alabama
Week 2&3: LSU, Ohio State Clemson
Week 4&5: Ohio State, LSU, Clemson
Final: LSU, Ohio State, Clemson
Playoff seedings are out.
- Thread starter czxqa
- Start date
Alabama was never ranked #1 in the College Football Playoff Poll this season.
Week 1: Ohio State, LSU, Alabama
Week 2&3: LSU, Ohio State Clemson
Week 4&5: Ohio State, LSU, Clemson
Final: LSU, Ohio State, Clemson
The SEC Championship Game was #2 vs #4. It was obvious the winner was going to be the #1 team.
I agree with the rankings for the most part. Personally, I think Clemson should be #4 and Oklahoma #3. This would have been similar to 2014 when 13-0 Florida State trailed 12-1 Alabama and 12-1 Oregon in the rankings. Florida State was penalized for playing a weaker schedule as the other teams because only Clemson (18) and Georgia Tech (10) were ranked (OOC was Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Citadel, and Florida who all were unranked).
In a tournament, it is better to have an easier path to the final, than a harder one. It makes it more likely you will win.
Had both teams played the same opponent, that argument holds more water. But OSU played Wisconsin (for a second time) and LSU played a severely wounded Georgia... which makes it less meaningful.
Switch the games, and you'd likely see similar results. OSU beating a limping Georgia badly, and LSU having a tougher time with Wisconsin than they had with Georgia.
Quality of opponent is supposed to matter, as is overall quality of resume. In the end, though, it ended up being "who looked flashier on the last weekend".
The problem with stats sometimes they don't tell the full story. Take Dallas Cowboys for instance. If you look at just the stats they should be undefeated or close to it. Do you think Dak Prescott is the best qb in the NFL? The stats say he is. Sometimes you actually have to watch the games. OSU in its last 3 games had a bad half in all of them.
LSU is simply playing better now. But in the end means nothing. Stats mean nothing until they play the game.
The CFP poll doesn't even come out until late in the season. I'm talking about the other poll where Bama was AP #1 in weeks 5-8. When Bama dropped out of the AP top 5 it was the first time in 4 years. Bama is just a sticky for top 5 until something irrefutable goes wrong
But that's exactly what the committee is supposed to do - look at context, and not just outcomes. That's why there's a committee, and not just computer algorithms.
I watched parts of both games, not the entirety of either one. Georgia looked hapless on offense - which was what I expected from a team that was already overrated by the committee *before* it lost 3 of its playmakers.
But the #1 spot isn't supposed to come down to which team looked flashier in one game - it's supposed to be who was the strongest team over the course of the season. In this case, the committee went with style over substance (as it has in the past).
the context that mattered most was that both teams knew their games would determine the #1 seed. Both teams knew they'd be judged against their own standard. LSU played like they were expected to. OSU did not play like the best team in the country is supposed to play. The rest is excuses.
Early hot (Cold lol) take: LSU - Oklahoma will be the most lopsided CFB Playoff score in its history (6 years - 18 games). I’m thinking along the lines of 55-14
And if LSU had played Northwestern St this weekend instead of Week 3? We should just forget about the strength of the opponent, and just focus on the touchdown celebrations? Ignore the rest of their season because they filled out a uniform well against an overmatched and hamstrung opponent for one weekend?
Eesh.
Reward the teams that play the best all season long against the hardest schedules. Penalize the teams who fluff their OOC win totals by playing FCS schools or dodging ranked opponents.
At least LSU has more legitimate grounds for being #1 than Alabama had of being included in the playoff at all two years ago.
Another factor to consider is that Ohio State had already defeated Wisconsin earlier this season whereas LSU and Georgia didn't play.
Chop...but they didn't play Northwestern State this weekend. They played the #4 team in the country and crushed them. OSU did not crush the #8 team.
Your argument is based on the totality of the season. You undervalue conference championship game performances but the committee did not.
To your way of thinking, all that should matter is the final outcome. That's not the reality of how rankings are determined.
Also, in 2014 Ohio State beat Wisconsin 59-0 in the B10 championship game and jumped two 11-1 Big12 teams ahead of them in the polls to make the playoff (no Big12 conf champ game then) . Would you have argued then that OSU's conf championship game rout shouldn't have mattered ? Because that's the argument you are making now re: LSU.
I am sure that at that time, you would have agreed that the 59-0 rout should have catapulted OSU into the playoff, which it did.
Your argument is based on the totality of the season. You undervalue conference championship game performances but the committee did not.
To your way of thinking, all that should matter is the final outcome. That's not the reality of how rankings are determined.
Also, in 2014 Ohio State beat Wisconsin 59-0 in the B10 championship game and jumped two 11-1 Big12 teams ahead of them in the polls to make the playoff (no Big12 conf champ game then) . Would you have argued then that OSU's conf championship game rout shouldn't have mattered ? Because that's the argument you are making now re: LSU.
I am sure that at that time, you would have agreed that the 59-0 rout should have catapulted OSU into the playoff, which it did.
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My argument is based on the totality of the season, yes. I do not undervalue conference championship games, though - I just don't see them as more than part of the overall picture. Your argument seems to overly value conference championship performance to the exclusion of other factors (like quality of opponents).
You picked the wrong year with 2014, though - you should really be pushing on 2016. I'll address 2014 first, though.
2014 - Yes, OSU deserved to jump over the two B12 teams, because they were idle that weekend and played one less game on their resume than OSU did.
OSU - 12-1 record over 13 FBS games (10 P5 games), with 3 wins over Top 25 teams in final CFP poll
TCU - 11-1 record over 11 FBS games and 1 FCS game (10 P5 games) with 2 wins over CFP Top 25 teams
Baylor - 11-1 record over 11 FBS games and 1 FCS game (9 P5 games), with 2 wins over CFP Top 25 teams
OSU played the toughest schedule and had the most wins over top teams. Had TCU beaten Baylor in a B12 title game, they would have been 12-1 over 12 FBS teams (11 P5 games) and 3 wins over Top 25 teams. And I think that should have warranted a spot over Ohio State.
That exclusion is the reason why the B12 went to a title game so they could get one more ranked win onto their champion's resume.
2016 is where it came off the rails, though. Ohio State got in DESPITE not even playing for a conference championship, let alone winning one.
OSU - 11-1 record over 12 FBS games (10 P5), 3-1 vs. CFP Top 25, did not win division or conference.
PSU - 11-2 record over 13 FBS games (11 P5), 2-2 vs CFP Top 25, with B1G conference championship and head-to-head victory over OSU
OSU getting a spot in the final four without even playing for a conference championship opened the door for Alabama to do it a year later as a 2nd SEC team.
Of course, there are plenty of other factors beyond record. How did teams look in those wins (average scoring offense/defense, total yards gained/allowed, whether they or their opponents were missing key players on the days of the game, etc, etc.)
For me, this year, OSU had the better overall resume. Both teams were undefeated conference champions of the two toughest conferences in the country... but OSU had a tougher overall schedule (no FCS), more ranked wins, better margin of victory over ranked teams (25.2 vs. 12.0), better scoring offense/defense, etc. Counterbalancing all of that with "won their conference championship by more points against an injury-riddled opponent" is too much for me.
Ok...so let’s pretend there was a Big12 title game in 2014 pitting the two 11-1 teams which were #5 and #6 in the country, both ahead of OSU.
If the game outcome, um, say was 34-21, you’d have put that Big12 winner in the Final Four ahead of #7 which won 59-0 in it’s title game ?
I am sure that Big10 fans felt at the time that the jump to #4 was merited, which is why they are wrong and hypocritical to think OSU deserves #1 this time around.
If the game outcome, um, say was 34-21, you’d have put that Big12 winner in the Final Four ahead of #7 which won 59-0 in it’s title game ?
I am sure that Big10 fans felt at the time that the jump to #4 was merited, which is why they are wrong and hypocritical to think OSU deserves #1 this time around.
But why did it come down to one game? While LSU was playing Texas A&M and Arkansas OSU was beating #9 Penn St and #15 Michigan. That should have built them up enough of a lead so to speak to where all they needed to do was win to stay #1. That play Georgia is so banged up on offensive that should have been factored in against LSU.
Excuse me! LSU beat the #4 team handily. OSU is a great team, perhaps the best team, but struggled against #8.
Doesn’t matter, just win, and you move on.
Okay, let's pretend 2014 played out like 2019 did...
#5 TCU beats #4 Baylor 34-21 in the B12 title game, after reeling off 27 unanswered points to close out the game. TCU also was #1 on season in scoring offense and #3 in scoring defense, and had beaten every ranked opponent they faced by double digits.
#7 OSU beats a #18 Wisconsin team (that saw an injured Melvin Gordon get 2 total rushes and was missing 2 of its top 3 receivers) by a score of 59-0. OSU was also the #3 scoring offense and #27 scoring defense and squeaked by two of its ranked opponents by less than a TD.
Yeah, I'd have wanted TCU to get the #4 spot in that situation, because OSU's blowout wouldn't have been that impressive without Wisconsin's playmakers suiting up.
Apples and oranges, because the B12 didn't actually play a 13th game against another ranked opponent that year and were idle on the final weekend while OSU demolished a fully-healthy Wisconsin team.
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OSU beat each of 5 ranked opponents by double digits, and an average of 25.2 points.
LSU struggled against #11 Alabama and #12 Auburn, and got the chance to face a toothless Georgia in the conference final.
LSU is a great team, perhaps the best team, but their resume didn't earn a #1 spot as much as final weekend style points did.
And yes, just win and move on at this point. CFP committee is gonna CFP committee.