mgobaran

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^

In those crazy years where two different G5 teams are undefeated, the 2nd place in their own division team can sit their butts at home and think about how they blew it. If you don't even win your own division why they hell should you deserve a shot at a National Title?

Right now Alabama is making a joke out of the CFP and the College Football regular season. They played as soft as a schedule as anyone in the country, and didn't even have to play in their conference game (extra bye week!) and now have a legit shot to win a National Title. That is worse than not letting an undefeated team in as the 11/12 team in a playoff bracket. 

Joined: 09/12/2012

MGoPoints: 22811

Sione For Prez

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^

Those 3 or 4 loss teams winning a conference are very much an exception. And the Wisconsin team that did it was only because there were multiple teams ineligible for postseason play that year.

The Big East was the biggest culprit for the 2+ loss champs but they folded. And you could still put certain qualifiers on conference champs like being ranked in the top 15 at the end of the year or something.

Joined: 11/16/2015

MGoPoints: 10674

Alton

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:43 PM ^

The NCAA did not create this system.  The NCAA does not conduct a national championship for FBS football.  They have no plans to do so, and they are not considering making plans to do so.

We have 8 more years on the CFP contract after this season, so it's a 4-team playoff through 2025/26.  It's probably too early to tell if the current system will be renewed, but I am pretty confident in saying that any changes to the system won't really be to the benefit of the G5 teams. 

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 13312

Orlando2

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^

Beat a top 25 team before your bowl game. Oh yeah, and don’t schedule FIU, Austin Peay, Maine, and Maryland as your OOC opponents when you play in the American.

Joined: 01/01/2018

MGoPoints: 325

Mr Miggle

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:36 PM ^

Top teams were willing to schedule Houston and Boise. Why not UCF?

UCF could have easily made a far tougher schedule than they did. If a G5 team wants to challenge for a playoff spot, they have to overcome their weaker conference schedule. This is no revelation. Houston tried by playing Oklahoma and Louisville in 2016.

UCF made no effort to do so. They had a great season, but get no sympathy from me. Wisconsin got docked for playing a better non-conference slate than UCF's.

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 47696

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:52 PM ^

We did play UCF.  In 2016, yes, but it's not like there's any evidence that teams had been avoiding them.

This is exactly why I was rooting for Auburn.  Frankly, I think these guys look like just as big of fools as Alabama claiming like 26 national titles based on being "awarded" one by the hometown newspaper back in 19-dickety-three.  I don't buy this "we won all the games in front of us so we deserve it" argument because under that logic, power conference teams should just drop to the Sun Belt so they can play a bunch of shit teams, go undefeated, and pat themselves on the back for being national champions.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 41586

NittanyFan

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:11 PM ^

At that moment of time ..... UCF was coming off a 10-win season, and was in the middle of a 12-win season where (1) they won a BCS game over the Big XII Champions, and (2) finished ranked #10.

That was a pretty credible foe that Michigan decided to play.  Of course, UCF then went 0-12 in 2015 and the game was now seen as a dog.  But prior to 2015, that U-M/UCF game was looking like  one of college football's better OOC games in 2016.

UCF may not be able to get home games against every single school out there (e.g., Alabama or Michigan) - but they should be able to get road games against the blue-bloods and home-and-homes against the rest.  TV would see value in the games, they're in a huge recruiting state, and they're building a name brand.  UCF has a lot going for them.

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 43269

NittanyFan

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:47 PM ^

but UCF was scheduled to host GT and the game was cancelled because of the Hurricane that hit Florida in September.  That's how Austin Peay got on the schedule (replacement game).

If we're mentioning UCF's schedule, that should at least be mentioned out of fairness.

It wouldn't have put UCF in the playoff, but the GT game would have been a better data point then Austin Peay in terms of judging UCF. (GT was only 5-6 but did beat VT and lost by one at Miami).

Joined: 12/04/2012

MGoPoints: 43269

mgobaran

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:12 PM ^

They beat 3 top 25 opponents (South Florida, and Memphis x2), and had Georgia Tech scheduled OOC. It was cancelled and Austin Peay replaced the cancelled Maine game. Both weren't on the schedule to begin the year. 

Meanwhile Alabama plays only an 8 game conference schedule, played an FBS school themselves, only beat 2 top 25 opponents before bowl season, and got to skip their conference championship game. 

Joined: 09/12/2012

MGoPoints: 22811

Michigan4Life

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:34 PM ^

GT scheduled before it was canceled due to Hurricane and cant make up the date so they had to scramble to schedule another game which ended up being Austin Peay. Not their fault that they scheduled Peay when there isn't any open date.

Also, it takes two to tango for P5 schools to schedule UCF. If they're a great team, no top 25 P5 schools would want to schedule them due to fear of losing to them. I've been there working for a school that is a great G5 school but no one wanted to play them bc they refused to do it. They were willing to travel to their place for a game back to back and they said no.

Also, they beat USF and Memphis. Both are top 25 teams.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 25458

sdogg1m

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^

They should claim a national championship. They beat Auburn who beat Alabama; the team in the national championship game. Alabama's coach is currently complaining that he has to face a difficult team for the second week in a row.

I am happy for UCF and no program should be pigeon holed into accepting the NCAA's definition of a national champion especially if they are the only undefeated team in college football for that season.

Congrats to the University of Central Florida.

Joined: 09/13/2008

MGoPoints: 5790

Red is Blue

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:56 PM ^

Preseason FPI has UCF's strength of schedule as 84.  Alabama (the only team UCF would logically have replaced in the CFP) was 11.  Before bowl game, Alabama was 9 and UCF was 69.  After the Auburn game, UCF was still at 54.

To me going 11-1 against a much harder schedule is much more impressive than 12-0 against a schedule whose strength was well below median preseason and moved just above median after the bowl game.

Going undefeated against that weak a schedule doesn't sway me.  I thought it was clear (but maybe not) that I really wasn't arguing for LSU to Clemson to lay claim, just that it is inappropriate to use the transitive property as a major component of an argument.

Joined: 05/13/2010

MGoPoints: 23896

amaizenblue402

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:51 PM ^

They're a lot better than they are getting credit for. Sure, they play in a weak conference, but they showed everyone they can play with the big boys too with their win over Auburn.

They would have beat Michigan this year, that's for sure.

Joined: 09/18/2010

MGoPoints: 14596

wildbackdunesman

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:16 PM ^

Is crappy as our offense is...I think we could give UCF a close game and wouldn't get swept in a hypothetical best of 5 series.

 

We had 2 common opponents...

UCF beat Maryland by 28, we beat Maryland by 25.

UCF beat Cincinnati by 28, we beat Cincinnati by 22.

 

I'd bet that they wouldn't go undefeated with a BigTen East or SEC West schedule where they'd have less games with starters getting early rest and injury free on the sideline.  With that said, UCF deserves a lot of credit.

Joined: 07/16/2008

MGoPoints: 30282

True Blue Grit

January 3rd, 2018 at 1:55 PM ^

expanding the CFP would be a very good idea.  Being undefeated and beating Auburn justifies them being in an eight team field IMO.  With only 4 teams, I think there can be years where one of the teams left out could have won a title.  Picking 8 teams would almost eliminate the probability of missing a potential NC.

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32373

Red is Blue

January 3rd, 2018 at 3:16 PM ^

More broadly stated, I don't think a great record over a weak schedule should be rewarded.  Much is made about the Mercer game and yes I think it is BS that Alabama schedules such an opponent, but Alabama's SOS was still 9th before the bowl game.  A weak game, sure, but really not that weak an overall schedule.

My opinion is that too much emphasis is put on record.  If you played everyone in the top ten and went 7-3, you would almost certainly be ranked below someone that was 10-0 against a cupcake schedule.

Joined: 05/13/2010

MGoPoints: 23896

Frigid

January 4th, 2018 at 10:23 AM ^

No P5 team with zero losses would ever get left out, unless somehow all P5 champs were undefeated. There number one metric the committee users is least amount of losses, which is why teams that don't qualify for a CCG get in (OSU, Bama). I don't see how you can reconcile that method and still allow Bama in when they avoided a second loss simply by being too shitty to be in the SEC CCG.

Joined: 10/11/2017

MGoPoints: -113

ChuckieWoodson

January 3rd, 2018 at 2:00 PM ^

It'd be pretty cool if I could just pronounce myself things and it was so.

Starting today, I'm the king of Michigan and Kate Upton, Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale are my Co-Wives!

Joined: 01/13/2012

MGoPoints: 26197