BCS playoff

[40bill]

My stars....just go ahead and give Bama the title today and let everybody play for second.

[Blue Heaven]

My stars....just go ahead and give Bama the title today and let everybody play for second.

Juggernaut. Nobody is remotely close.

[Old School]

No one has offered anything in the way of prior seasons in which more than 3 or 4 teams had equal claims to deserving a chance to play for the national championship by having established as legit a claim to being #1 as anyone else, unless you think the two loss Ohio State team that was blown out by Iowa and UCF playing weaklings count.

A four team playoff is almost always going to be all that’s needed or merited.

[Westtncat]

No one has offered anything in the way of prior seasons in which more than 3 or 4 teams had equal claims to deserving a chance to play for the national championship by having established as legit a claim to being #1 as anyone else, unless you think the two loss Ohio State team that was blown out by Iowa and UCF playing weaklings count.

A four team playoff is almost always going to be all that’s needed or merited.

That takes a good deal of research. Also it comes down to your opinion vs. someone elses. I said UCF should have gotten in, especially when they beat Auburn. You say no. So how can I offer proof of an opinion? I am wanting to see how this year plays out. I am positive there are years where more than 4 teams can be considered. If I get time I will try and find some info. You are talking about a lot of research tho and that's more of a reason you don't have an argument than there just wasn't a year.

Also the task of research is on me or whoever wants to disagree with you. After all that research for you to simply say....I disagree isn't worth it. I may still try eventually tho.

[Westtncat]

OK, not to much info at one time because I cant do that. I will start with the 2nd year for CFP with the committee. The final CFP poll was #1. Clemson 13-0 #2. Alabama 12-1 #3. Michigan St. 12-1 #4. Oklahoma 11-1
You also had Iowa at 5. 12-1 Ohio St. 7. 11-1

Iowa had a 3 point loss to a playoff team, they were 12-1 with no shot at a title they did lose their bowl game. Ohio St. was considered by many to be the best team in the country that year, they had 3 point loss to a playoff team they won their bowl game big. Stanford had an early loss and a 2 point loss to Oregon they went on to win their bowl game big. Now you can disagree, I suspect you will but how can you tell some of these teams after one loss you are out and you had three one-loss teams in the playoffs? One loss in certain instances and in some cases even two losses should not rule you out. The bottom line is you could have some damn good football and some surprises. That is only one year. It can be done for many more.

I did that faster than I expected.

[Old School]

There were two teams that year with legit claims to having proved themselves #1. A close call about who should’ve been #4 isn’t the same thing as controversy over who is #1. It was apparent that the Big Ten wasn’t that strong that year. Everyone st the time expected that one of the Big Ten teams would get into the playoff with a 1 loss record and then get slaughtered by whoever they played, and that’s what happened. Postseason play bore that out FWIW if anything; Alabama beat Michigan State 38-0 in the playoff. Iowa lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl 45-16. Oklahoma went to 2 OTs vs. a Tennessee team that lost 3 SEC games. Oklahoma’s other out of conference games were against Akron and Tulsa, and their second to last game of the season was a 1 point win against TCU. More importantly, Oklahoma lost to a team with a losing record. They couldn’t argue with a straight face that they had as strong a claim to being #1 as Clemson or Alabama.

[Westtncat]

There were two teams that year with legit claims to having proved themselves #1. A close call about who should’ve been #4 isn’t the same thing as controversy over who is #1. It was apparent that the Big Ten wasn’t that strong that year. Everyone st the time expected that one of the Big Ten teams would get into the playoff with a 1 loss record and then get slaughtered by whoever they played, and that’s what happened. Postseason play bore that out FWIW if anything; Alabama beat Michigan State 38-0 in the playoff. Iowa lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl 45-16. Oklahoma went to 2 OTs vs. a Tennessee team that lost 3 SEC games. Oklahoma’s other out of conference games were against Akron and Tulsa, and their second to last game of the season was a 1 point win against TCU. More importantly, Oklahoma lost to a team with a losing record. They couldn’t argue with a straight face that they had as strong a claim to being #1 as Clemson or Alabama.

Apparently we are having two different discussions. You are talking about one spot, the number one ranking. This whole thread was about an 8 team playoff. Also you cant take what happened and then say they lost anyway so they didnt deserve it. Thats called hindsight. Unless you can tell me what was going to happen ahead of time that argument holds no value. If you are that good , I hope you made lots of money before the bowl games.

[Uncle Dave]

"A four team playoff is almost always going to be all that’s needed or merited."

Hear, hear!!!!!

[KevinHall]

There were two teams that year with legit claims to having proved themselves #1. A close call about who should’ve been #4 isn’t the same thing as controversy over who is #1. It was apparent that the Big Ten wasn’t that strong that year. Everyone st the time expected that one of the Big Ten teams would get into the playoff with a 1 loss record and then get slaughtered by whoever they played, and that’s what happened. Postseason play bore that out FWIW if anything; Alabama beat Michigan State 38-0 in the playoff. Iowa lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl 45-16. Oklahoma went to 2 OTs vs. a Tennessee team that lost 3 SEC games. Oklahoma’s other out of conference games were against Akron and Tulsa, and their second to last game of the season was a 1 point win against TCU. More importantly, Oklahoma lost to a team with a losing record. They couldn’t argue with a straight face that they had as strong a claim to being #1 as Clemson or Alabama.

It's easy to look back in hindsight and see who deserved and who didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. You also can't pick the teams based on what happened in past seasons. If that were the case Kentucky would never have a chance. Every year year is different. This year seems to be very lopsided. Alabama appears to be head and shoulders above everyone else right. Clemson may be the closest team but they appear to be in a weak conference too. So who knows? Notre Dame has found a QB and they may just be better than most think. Also the SEC may have three teams that deserve to be in a playoff but I doubt that ever happens. Also who knows about Central Florida? Maybe they can compete at the big time level. If a couple of the big boys would take off their chicken suits and play them we might find out. They did beat a good Auburn team last year. But at least we have a playoff. Its tons better than a bunch of sportswriters and coaches picking a national champion. I think 8 teams would be optimal for most years. I think we will go to that after the first year the SEC doesn't put a team in the four team system.

[Westtncat]

I guess we can agree to disagree. I will never concede that one loss can end your season, especially when some one-loss teams are in the playoffs. Especially when one of your losses is to a playoff team. It all comes down to opinion again. Basically, you are saying these three 1 loss teams are better than other 1 loss teams. That's why there is controversy. Same records, some make the playoffs, some don't have a shot.

[Matt Dillon]

As with most other things in life, the almighty dollar will determine if or when the format is expanded. If the powers that be decide a substantial amount of money can be made, as a result of expansion, it will be expanded. If not, it won't be. It's as simple as that.

[Old School]

Apparently we are having two different discussions. You are talking about one spot, the number one ranking. This whole thread was about an 8 team playoff. Also you cant take what happened and then say they lost anyway so they didnt deserve it. Thats called hindsight. Unless you can tell me what was going to happen ahead of time that argument holds no value. If you are that good , I hope you made lots of money before the bowl games.

In almost every year, a four team playoff is going to offer more spots than is necessary to include everyone who has a legitimate claim to having a legitimate claim to having proven themselves to be the best team in the country, and thus deserving a chance to play for the national championship. Once you're beyond teams with that sort of legitimate claim, arguing over who is #4 isn't much different than arguing over who's #32. The present system is almost always going to include everyone who belongs in the playoff. It's difficult to find any team, in almost any year, who would really have a legitimate gripe about being left out of a four team playoff.

What I wrote was that it was obvious at the time that the Big Ten teams weren't cut from the same cloth as the others that year, and that for what it's worth (much or not much, you can choose), results after the fact corroborated that deduction. There wasn't a Big Ten team who anyone regarded as being on the same level as the best two teams that year.

[Old School]

It's easy to look back in hindsight and see who deserved and who didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. You also can't pick the teams based on what happened in past seasons. If that were the case Kentucky would never have a chance. Every year year is different. This year seems to be very lopsided. Alabama appears to be head and shoulders above everyone else right. Clemson may be the closest team but they appear to be in a weak conference too. So who knows? Notre Dame has found a QB and they may just be better than most think. Also the SEC may have three teams that deserve to be in a playoff but I doubt that ever happens. Also who knows about Central Florida? Maybe they can compete at the big time level. If a couple of the big boys would take off their chicken suits and play them we might find out. They did beat a good Auburn team last year. But at least we have a playoff. Its tons better than a bunch of sportswriters and coaches picking a national champion. I think 8 teams would be optimal for most years. I think we will go to that after the first year the SEC doesn't put a team in the four team system.

If - IF - the season ended today, or if it ended with Alabama undefeated, I don't think there'd be much controversy if Alabama was named national champions the way they used to do it before the BCS and then playoff. You're right about Clemson and their conference; they haven't built the resume Alabama has and is building. Some years there's just one team that sets themselves apart that way, just as happened in some (but certainly not all and likely not most) years before the BCS and playoff. Some years, there are 2, maybe 3 teams that have a legit claim that they've proven themselves the best in the country. In the old days, that led to controversy since they didn't always face off. Now they do, but a 4 game playoff is enough to include all of them almost every year.

Central Florida, IMO, has no business anywhere near the playoff conversation. Have they played anyone who even has a winning record this year? That Memphis team that Missouri hung 65 points on almost beat UCF, losing by 1 point. Playing a bunch of nothing teams doesn't mean a team is on par with Alabama. Half the SEC, at least, would go undefeated against UCF's schedule. U of L might even be bowl eligible if they had UCF's schedule. I don't see any reason why P5 teams should put UCF or any other minor conference team on their schedule. College football would improve if the P5 schools only played each other.

With an 8 team playoff you're going to end up with arguments over which 2 or 3 loss team deserves that #8 spot and in any given year you're going to be giving playoff berths to 5 or 6 teams that don't really belong in the national championship conversation, and you're also very much watering down the regular season.

Now, you might talk me into a 5 team playoff, in which a 4 team bracket plays for the right to play the SEC champion for the national championship. "The NCAA Championship Game, brought to you by the SEC..." Or they could call it the SEC Invitational.

[Old School]

I guess we can agree to disagree. I will never concede that one loss can end your season, especially when some one-loss teams are in the playoffs. Especially when one of your losses is to a playoff team. It all comes down to opinion again. Basically, you are saying these three 1 loss teams are better than other 1 loss teams. That's why there is controversy. Same records, some make the playoffs, some don't have a shot.

Wouldn't you agree though, that, say, it's generally going to be fair to consider a 12-1 Alabama team with a one score loss to a ranked SEC opponent with a winning record as a better team than, say, an 11-1 or 12-1 Big Ten team with a loss to an unranked opponent without a winning record?

[catfaninin]

UCF defense looks like they have no business playing anything above peewee football. Given up over 350 yards and 27 points in the first half against Temple.