If Alabama loses to Georgia, Should They Make The Playoffs?

RetroVK

RetroVK

This claim is disputed
I find this to be a fascinating debate.

Let me start by saying that I think this years Alabama is one of the best teams I have ever seen since I started watching college football.

But their strength of schedule is worse than both TOSU and Oklahoma by a significant margin heading into this week. Their SOS gets a boost from playing uga but OU and TOSU are playing ranked teams so it seems unlikely that Bama's SOS would come close to passing both of those teams.

Given all the benefits that the SEC has gotten over the years (Alabama in particular) based on strength of schedule, how could the committee take Alabama over Ohio State or Oklahoma ?? The eye test against a weaker schedule? If so, how do you take Alabama over an undefeated UCF based on SOS?

It's an interesting situation in my opinion. Discuss.

Will there ever be a season where the SEC championship game matters?
 
RetroVK said:
I find this to be a fascinating debate.

Let me start by saying that I think this years Alabama is one of the best teams I have ever seen since I started watching college football.

But their strength of schedule is worse than both TOSU and Oklahoma by a significant margin heading into this week. Their SOS gets a boost from playing uga but OU and TOSU are playing ranked teams so it seems unlikely that Bama's SOS would come close to passing both of those teams.

Given all the benefits that the SEC has gotten over the years (Alabama in particular) based on strength of schedule, how could the committee take Alabama over Ohio State or Oklahoma ?? The eye test against a weaker schedule? If so, how do you take Alabama over an undefeated UCF based on SOS?

It's an interesting situation in my opinion. Discuss.

Will there ever be a season where the SEC championship game matters?
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No, I would exclude the Tide.

If I were in charge, I would make it single elimination as follows, so every regular season game would matter:

1. Pick the #1 seed
2. Eliminate everyone number one beat, unless they played twice and split
3. Pick the number 2 seed from the remaining teams
4. Eliminate everyone the 2 seed beat, unless they played twice and split
5. Pick the number 3 seed from the remaining teams
4. Eliminate everyone the 3 seed beat, unless they played twice and split
7. Pick the number 4 seed from the remaining teams
 
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gps_3 said:
He’ll update it to include this week’s games tomorrow, but heading into it, S&P+ had Alabama’s SOS at 48, OU at 76 and Ohio st at 74.
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S&P significantly understates the importance of SOS; however, the difference between Bama's schedule and those of OU and anOSU is only about two points per game.
 
I have no doubt that Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia are the three best teams, but it's ridiculous to replay the SECCG. Let them play once for all the marbles.
 
To answer the question, it depends on what criteria you want to use. If you go by what the committee is tasked with, then I think it’s hard to argue that Alabama is not one of the 4 best teams in the country and they absolutely should be in. If you want to use your own criteria, then it won’t be hard to form an argument for why they shouldn’t be in.
 
I think they are the three best teams too but I had a pretty good idea that Michigan was better than Ohio State too.....
 
This is all great information but shouldn't we really be discussing the


CHEEZ-IT BOWL

I see that they are projecting TCU vs. Utah State at this Phoenix based game.

TCU is a good fit but Utah Stste deserves better I'd personally like to se them in the SERVPRO BOWL, but that's just me, I'm sure y'all will have equally strong opinions.
 
RetroVK said:
I think they are the three best teams too but I had a pretty good idea that Michigan was better than Ohio State too.....
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Yes, but I value my opinion because it has been consistent since January, Lol.

It's a "big picture" opinion that has already been vindicated to a great extent by its lasting through the preseason and season.
 
If Bama lost two more games are they still the best team? Personnel is the same.

Just curious where you guys draw the line.

I mean had Bama turned it over a bunch of times in the second half against Auburn and somehow lost does that matter? They are still the best team.
If they lost to Mississippi State or TAMU ..... they are still the best team.

You can look at the best team as who you would favor... aka who the best team is ....
Or you can compare accomplishments/resumes.

If it is who the best team is, then the games don't matter very much or in the case of UCF, at all. UCF has an equal chance of going to the playoff with a 24 game losing streak as they do with a 24 game winning streak. And they won't be able to do anything to convince you they are deserving. They go undefeated and beat a team playing in the ACC championship and that is still not enough.

It's fine .. I am a UTEP Alum and will not be winning any cfb championships and don't really care who does in the sense of a fan of a team ... but as a fan of the sport, I wanted the playoff to develop ONLY because I didn't want a fictional champion but here we are ... still picking teams based on what we think rather than objective measures. It's stupid and will always be stupid until it is fixed.

The idea that a non-conference winner gets into the playoff is the biggest travesty in structure that one could imagine in general ... but when you add in the fact that the SEC is almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs every year, to take two from an automatic bid conference is an absolute joke beyond words.
 
BCS

fuck it's not even fun anymore, same f'n teams, boring. I don't even remember last year's game and it wasn't because of alcohol. I enjoy bowl season until this ridiculous playoff, if it ended on 1/1 every year I'd be stoked. Guessing that's not a lonely opinion.
 
Computers gave us LSU-Alabama rematch in 2011 too. What happens when computers give us an answer we don’t like? Send in humans to overturn.
 
KJ said:
I still actually still prefer the two poll system
Click to expand...

I think it’s better than trying to determine a “true” champion. NCAA football has no interest in a basketball-type tournament because they want to preserve the regular season. Just go back to the way it was, letting whatever poll name whatever champion they want based on their own criteria.
 
Any undefeated team is IN
If more than 4, then determine criteria for which team(s) get eliminated.
If less than 4. Eliminate any non conference winner. Eliminate any team with more than one loss. Then determine criteria for which team gets eliminated.
 
Yes. without a doubt. They have clearly been the best team in the nation all year and I don't think it's even close. If they lose in the SEC championship game, I would drop them a spot or 2 but they should DEFINITELY make the 4. ONLY way I would justify them not making it is if they demolished vs UGA and Tua has a serious injury.. even then, i'd personally probably put them in based on their body of work this year.
 
Top 4
Notre Dame
UCF
Alabama/Georgia winner
Clemson if win, otherwise debate between them, Ohio St, Oklahoma (I lean Oklahoma)

If you want to continue leaving UCF out because of the QB, if Georgia wins, I replace UCF with Alabama.

If Alabama and Clemson win and you keep UCF out, I lean Oklahoma at 4 if they win regardless of what Ohio St does
 
gps_3 said:
He’ll update it to include this week’s games tomorrow, but heading into it, S&P+ had Alabama’s SOS at 48, OU at 76 and Ohio st at 74.
Click to expand...

I chuckled at that remark. I had no idea what the actual strength of schedule numbers were when I read it, but the notion that either of those teams played a harder schedule than Bama struck me as utterly laughable. Just off hand, LSU and Texas A&M are better than any teams either Oklahoma or OSU played this season.

I'm always a gambler first, and a fan second, so I care much more about favorable betting opportunities than who goes to the playoffs or wins the national championship. I mean OSU got blown out by a team that would probably be the 8th or 9th best team in the SEC. That alone should disqualify them from any playoff consideration.
 
What I want to see if Alabama and Clemson winning. Georgia, Ohio St. and Oklahoma losing and them trying to keep UCF out then if they win championship game.
 
Jimmydafreak said:
I chuckled at that remark. I had no idea what the actual strength of schedule numbers were when I read it, but the notion that either of those teams played a harder schedule than Bama struck me as utterly laughable. Just off hand, LSU and Texas A&M are better than any teams either Oklahoma or OSU played this season.

I'm always a gambler first, and a fan second, so I care much more about favorable betting opportunities than who goes to the playoffs or wins the national championship. I mean OSU got blown out by a team that would probably be the 8th or 9th best team in the SEC. That alone should disqualify them from any playoff consideration.
Click to expand...


Per Sagarin they had.
 
Fondybadger said:
What I want to see if Alabama and Clemson winning. Georgia, Ohio St. and Oklahoma losing and them trying to keep UCF out then if they win championship game.
Click to expand...

I think I would take Bama -60 versus UCF, and that's with Milton. But I do agree with you. Been saying all season that is the matchup I would love to see the most.

Saban is ot one to run up the score, but he would against them. I would expect something like a 66-3.
 
There is some arrogance somewhere in there, to say Purdue would be the 9th best team in the SEC is just a snarky conference fan opinion. Could they beat A&M and LSU a few times out of 10? I think so but I don't really have a clue. I think both conferences after the top one or two are just whatever, like every other conference. Bama should go play on a campus away from home every year as should every team in P5, and all P5 teams should go the route of the few and refuse to schedule FCS. The money issue for them is their own problem.
 
gps_3 said:
Computers gave us LSU-Alabama rematch in 2011 too. What happens when computers give us an answer we don’t like? Send in humans to overturn.
Click to expand...

GPS -We don't need computers. We have conferences and we can take conference winners and have a playoff and it isn't hard as it is done in the LOWER division which has less money. Then you get an objective championship.

1. Win your conference.
2. Win all your playoff games.
3. You are now the champion.


And every team starts with the opportunity instead of just the handful of schools that are also the schools that are corrupting the system. This isn't hard and it doesn't hurt the regular season. Someone will have to explain that one to me.

The regular season right now couldn't be more meaningless .. hell, you guys are telling me losing the SEC title game is meaningless.

It's absurd.

Equality of opportunity is a cornerstone to any system resembling fairness. If you take that away, corruption wins out just about every time, as it OBVIOUSLY has with our selection committee process.

Jimmy, Bama's schedule was a joke and everyone, including bama fans, were in here in the preseason talking about how easy their schedule was this year. It's pure leftist garbage to not want equality of opportunity. Centralized power is awful. Awful in government and awful in our processes for choosing champions in college football.
 
Put the college back in college football! Shit's done nothing but integrate politics and sports. And mid-game naps.

:beerbong2:
 
My current top 4 were I on the committee

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. UCF

My current top 4 by PR

Alabama
Clemson
Georgia
Ohio State
 
RetroVK said:
GPS -We don't need computers. We have conferences and we can take conference winners and have a playoff and it isn't hard as it is done in the LOWER division which has less money. Then you get an objective championship.

1. Win your conference.
2. Win all your playoff games.
3. You are now the champion.


And every team starts with the opportunity instead of just the handful of schools that are also the schools that are corrupting the system. This isn't hard and it doesn't hurt the regular season. Someone will have to explain that one to me.

The regular season right now couldn't be more meaningless .. hell, you guys are telling me losing the SEC title game is meaningless.

It's absurd.

Equality of opportunity is a cornerstone to any system resembling fairness. If you take that away, corruption wins out just about every time, as it OBVIOUSLY has with our selection committee process.

Jimmy, Bama's schedule was a joke and everyone, including bama fans, were in here in the preseason talking about how easy their schedule was this year. It's pure leftist garbage to not want equality of opportunity. Centralized power is awful. Awful in government and awful in our processes for choosing champions in college football.
Click to expand...

I am well aware of your preference for how the sport should operate. I don’t disagree. If you are asking what should the committee do if Alabama loses to UGA, their directive is to pick the 4 best teams in their opinion. Nothing about going undefeated, nothing about conference championships, etc. Subjective? Absolutely. But the committee should do what they’ve been instructed to do, not what other people think is more fair. If the majority don’t like it, change it. Make it conference champions only. Then wait until a team like Northwestern wins their conference and even more people are bitching.

If it goes to conference champs only, I’d expect conference championship games to be eliminated.
 
what if georgia ransacks them by 21 and Tua gets hurt in the process? not going to happen (blowout part), but what if it did? do you say it was an acceptable loss in final game because it was to the #4 team? or do you say they played so crappy that it cannot be overlooked and they are dropped out ??
 
detroit187 said:
Notre Dame just gets a free pass because they don't have to play at least a quality team next week is as unfair to me.
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Not a ND fan, but how can you look at their schedule and say it is unfair. They do not duck anyone. It is not their fault teams did not play well. They have name brand teams everywhere on that schedule.
 
Fondybadger said:
What I want to see if Alabama and Clemson winning. Georgia, Ohio St. and Oklahoma losing and them trying to keep UCF out then if they win championship game.
Click to expand...

I think I would take Bama -60 versus UCF, and that's with Milton. But I do agree with you. Been saying all season that is the matchup I want to see most.

Saban is not one to run up the score, but he would against them. I would expect UCF to be exposed to the tune of something like a 66-3.
 
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booksbestfriend said:
Not a ND fan, but how can you look at their schedule and say it is unfair. They do not duck anyone. It is not their fault teams did not play well. They have name brand teams everywhere on that schedule.
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this is true. i am not a ND fan either but when you do not belong to a conf and you want national respect, you have to schedule teams that traditionally strong. ND and BYU have brutal schedules in terms of the names. not their fault if some of those teams were down this year (florida state, to name one)
 
majent said:
this is true. i am not a ND fan either but when you do not belong to a conf and you want national respect, you have to schedule teams that traditionally strong. ND and BYU have brutal schedules in terms of the names. not their fault if some of those teams were down this year (florida state, to name one)
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VT, Stanford, USC..beat Pitt (ACC Rep)
 
Some teams like ND, USC, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma, tOSU, Mich etc seem to never schedule FCS teams
 
Making it 8 would be so easy

You add one game week in the middle of december, do it week after next weeks conference title games

5 major conference winners

3 at large

Make some rules like, at least 1 at large must be a G5 team if they have 1 loss, maybe two teams if they have an undefeated and a 1 loss, or if they have less than 2 losses last two seasons, either way you guarantee ucf of last year doesnt get fucked

Remaining 3, 2, or 1 are at large

If anything that keeps the regular season interesting, as 3 potential at large bids keep the top 15 in playoff hunt into late november, imagine lsu effectively needing to win that ot game last night

The quarter finals 2nd or 3rd week of December

Keep the new years schedule the same
 
Also, yes i think you take bama, unless they get trucked

With a non perfect system, which the 4 team playoff is, i just want to see the 3 potential best games

Bama being there creates that

The interesting thing to me this year, assuming no upsets, is who they pick for 4th

They should pick who they think can give bama the best game, not the 4th 'best' team, which in my mind is Oklahoma, bamas biggest issues have been those type of offenses over the years, ya tua is gonna put up 40 or more, but kyler may too

Id rather see thst matchup, their d vs a great offense, instead of ohio st most likely, where bama is better in every facet
 
I just desperately do not want to see Georgia beat Bama next weekend just to see them have to play again in a month. Avoid that at all costs.
 
I definitely want to see Alabama play. I think they are incredible and like I said, one of the best teams I have EVER seen since I started watching college football. I have no problem with them as a team, their ability, their being deserving or anything along those lines. I want to be clear on that.

My problem is that we have a team on a 24 game winning streak and they never even receive the opportunity to play for the accepted national championship. My problem with it is mainly that I am a believer in sports. If it isn't decided on the field it is the emmy's or grammy's. I want to know if Utah was the best team that one year, or if TCU was the best team that one year, or if UCF was the best team last year. And by best, I don't even mean the actual best. I mean .. .they go to the playoffs and win them.

I don't believe for a second Villanova or NCSTATE were the best teams the years they won the NCAAB tournament. If Alabama loses this year, they won't be champion but in my eyes they will still have been the best team. Buster Douglas is a bad example because it was probably fixed (It's boxing) but once in awhile the underdog can rise up and win a game. We have a ML dog thread dedicated to it every week and it happens quite a bit. I have a hard time believing UCF couldn't compete with Bama or UGA last year. Were they as good? No.. at least I don't think so... hell I played Auburn against them laying DD .... of course I was wrong. hmmm

The way the non P5 are treated is like some of our minorities were treated a century ago. It's backwards and lacking in any morality. They deserve a full seat at the table.

I do this rant every year and with the Country I live in slipping into a cesspool, I get more animated about it every year. I know you are all tired of my rants each year on this.
 
And one question.

If you are taking the best four teams .. that includes Alabama no matter their record. Three losses .. doesn't matter .. they are the best team and we have to take the four best teams.

Where do you draw the line?
 
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