NCAA: 2018 College Football Playoff/New Year's Six Discussion

[Tony Romo]

I would think they both get in. I assume the SEC champ is in, Ohio State, Clemson and TCU. If Notre Dame is undefeated so is the PAC 12 champ then there's issues but it has never finished with that many undefeated teams.

Are those OOC games true home and homes or the Alabama variety where they'll play a name program but only if it's in Atlanta or Dallas? I like watching big name teams playing and think more should schedule tougher competition but you're pretty much telling the G5 that they have no chance to get in if quality loses count more than going undefeated. Again schedules are made years in advance UCF had Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina and Pitt as their big OOC games. They lost the GT and UNC gamesbdue to hurricanes which you can't predict. Those are not world beaters but good names, they have been playing either FIU or FAU for awhile and then they have a FCS game like most teams tend to do. The AAC isn't the SEC but it's a tough conference with a few really good teams from year to year. If UCF goes undefeated two years in a row and still gets left out then you should just call it the P5 invitational.

all those OOC games are home and homes.

 

[Say Hey Kid]

The playoffs are dumb. Go back to the old way.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I'm curious to see how the pollsters "value" the OSU blowout loss. I get that the polls mean nothing now, but it's usually somewhat close to the CFP rankings.

 

[HoseEmDown]

I'm curious to see how the pollsters "value" the OSU blowout loss. I get that the polls mean nothing now, but it's usually somewhat close to the CFP rankings.

Them or Texas have the worst loss of top 10 teams, they don't even have a great win with PSU having 2 loses and TCU crumbling. Texas lost at home but did beat Oklahoma. They should drop to 9th one spot ahead of UCF.

 

[rangerssharks414]

I think the rankings come out tonight?

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

I think the rankings come out tonight?

Yes, they do:

 

[HoseEmDown]

I think the rankings come out tonight?

Yes, the SEC love affair continues with 7 teams in the top 20. A 2 loss Florida, who's is ahead of undefeated UCF.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

Yes, the SEC love affair continues with 7 teams in the top 20. A 2 loss Florida, who's is ahead of undefeated UCF.

And both Alabama and LSU in the Top 4, when one's guaranteed to not even make it to the SEC title game since they're in the same division. Not to mention that one will have a head-to-head loss against the other after this weekend.

And speaking of Alabama, everyone cites UCF's weak strength of schedule as why they're ranked so low, yet Bama has had just as weak a schedule so far, and no one seems to care:



SEC/Power 5 bias at its' finest.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

LSU will lose this weekend and they'll be out.

 

[HoseEmDown]

LSU will lose this weekend and they'll be out.

Nope, LSU will win and move to 1 with Alabama at 6. Alabama will do what they did last year and not with their conference, let alone division, yet still end up in. Georgia will win out and beat LSU real close in the SEC championship game to move to 1 in the end. LSU after having already beat Georgia better than Georgia beat them will only fall to 4. Georgia, LSU and Alabama all in the playoffs.

 

[Canes]

Nope, LSU will win and move to 1 with Alabama at 6. Alabama will do what they did last year and not with their conference, let alone division, yet still end up in. Georgia will win out and beat LSU real close in the SEC championship game to move to 1 in the end. LSU after having already beat Georgia better than Georgia beat them will only fall to 4. Georgia, LSU and Alabama all in the playoffs.

Still better than UCF making it and losing by 4 scores.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Still better than UCF making it and losing by 4 scores.

Just like they were supposed to do to Baylor years ago or Auburn last year?

4 scores will still be better than FSU, Michigan State or Ohio State did in years past.

 

[flyershockey]

If Notre Dame and Alabama do what they're supposed to do and win out, you won't have two SEC teams in the playoffs. Clemson still has tough out against BC in two weeks and then it's smooth sailing. I actually think the B1G will pillage itself enough that Oklahoma will sneak back into it at some point.

An undefeated UCF is only ever going to make the playoffs in a year where you have multiple loss teams in the top five. That's the reality of being a mid-major program.

 

[rangerssharks414]

It's a small sample size, but I think the third ranked team in the initial rankings has never made it.

 

[JB52]

I don't understand how Alabama can be #1. Between the three 8-0 teams, Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame, they have by far the weakest schedule. Yeah, I guess their margin of victory is impressive, but they played two Sun belt opponents and Louisville (2-6) as their non-conference schedule.There biggest win is against Texas A&M but guess what, Clemson beat them too!

During this time Notre Dame beat #5 Michigan, previously ranked Stanford and Virginia Tech and common sparring partner from the SEC (Vandebilt) and the ACC (Wake Forest and Pittsburgh). Yet they are #4 ???

Who had a toughest schedule than Notre Dame ? How many game did they lost? What do you want more?

The committee discredited themselves last year by putting a team that didn't even play in their conference championship (benefiting instead of a bye week) in the playoff, by making it impossible for non-major teams to reach the playoff (because if UCF didn't with an undefeated season, who will ever do?), yet that farce is still in place with no accountability to show for.

 

[flyershockey]

They're a power brand coming off a national championship. They're going to be number 1 in the country until they lose a game.

 

[HoseEmDown]

If Notre Dame and Alabama do what they're supposed to do and win out, you won't have two SEC teams in the playoffs. Clemson still has tough out against BC in two weeks and then it's smooth sailing. I actually think the B1G will pillage itself enough that Oklahoma will sneak back into it at some point.

An undefeated UCF is only ever going to make the playoffs in a year where you have multiple loss teams in the top five. That's the reality of being a mid-major program.

Why does it take multiple losses by other teams for them to have any chance? I hear people say they play nobody and all the top teams would be undefeated too with that schedule, which might be true it hasn't been that good to this point. But look at Clemson or Alabama, UCF would still be undefeated if they played their schedule to this point too. Give UCF Clemson schedule for the entire year and they're 12-0 too. Ohio State should be out of it even if they run the table from here on out. Their best win is Penn State who is a couple of plays from being 4-4 not 6-2. A 29 point loss to a mid table P5 team should automatically eliminate you, it sure would if it was UCF who's eliminated even without losing. The P5 argument is a joke, theirs a lot of conferences this year who are crap, they have 1 maybe 2 top teams the rest are mediocre but the top teams get more credit for beating them than teams like Temple, Cincinnati, USF or Houston who'd be mid table or higher in some of those conferences.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Because Alabama isn't just winning games. They are crushing teams. The starting QB hasn't seen a 4th quarter yet.

 

[GKJ]

The committee tried last year to not have Alabama be #1 and they still ended up being #1. The reason Alabama always gets the benefit of the doubt is because of their results. They've been the best program in college football since Saban showed up, and second place isn't even close.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

 

[HoseEmDown]

So the committee is determined to get two SEC teams in this playoff. Outside of Louisiana they are the only people who think LSU is the 7th best team in the country. Shutout at home to Alabama, sure Alabama is good but not to where you look worse than Arkansas good. They lost to a bad Florida team too. Living off the overrated SEC hype, same with how Kentucky is still ahead of UCF too. UCF would mop the floor with either of those two teams on a nuetral field.

 

[keonsbitterness]

They're not letting UCF in no matter what. It's a playoff created by and run by the P-5, and they effectively control 9 of the 13 committee members. I bet no G-5 team will ever be in a 4-team playoff.

 

[MaxV]

Big 10 needs to do something about these divisions. This is ridiculous.

Northwestern (2-4 at home) is leading the West by 2 games and is in a great position to play in B1G title game.

Yes, I know that this situation won’t be the case every year, but the current format pretty much relies for BOTH Iowa and Wisconsin to have great season every year. Both programs are solid, but not elite.

2018 Big Ten Football Standings | ESPN

That is NOT a power conference caliber division.

I would move Penn State to the west (yes, I know they are an East team, but geography is pretty irrelevant in football). That would balance things out far more. Besides, PSU doesn’t really have a natural rival. They are forcing PSU-MSU on people as a rivalry for a decade but both teams consider one of Michigan or OSU as their main rivals. PSU-Wisconsin or PSU-Iowa is not any worse then PSU-MSU I would say.

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

 

[Blitzkrug]

The reality of it all is if UCF is to get it, it's as the 4 seed.

There's no logical scenario in this world where they don't go toe to toe with Bama and get absolutely dismantled in the process. Ergo, the 4 spot will go to a team that may actually threaten Bama.