December 3rd, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 2:22 PM ^
I don't like Alabama, but OSU pulled effectively the same thing last year and got in. Literally the whole argument rests on OU being a pretty good team both years.
OSU's schedule last year was slightly better than this year's Alabama schedule, but it's not like it's night-and-day better. And while I want nothing but bad things to happen to Alabama, if we went by recent track reecord I trust the Tide way more to not crap the bed in a game than whomever the Big 10 sends, which hasn't scored a freaking point in years.
December 3rd, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
Although ill say this - if Auburn was number 2 last week (2 loss wins over alabama goergia) OSU resume looks strangely familiar (2 loss with wins over wisky and penn state)
Those resumes are very very close. Lsu and Iowa arent that far apart. Clemson and oklahoma also comparable.
If OSU is dog meat then Auburn should never been #2.
December 3rd, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^
I see the good in this - F*** OSU and all - but it seems like there is a real downside too. Conf championships and playing meaningful games should matter. Otherwise, we are just left with stupid "eye tests" and all that BS, and SEC homerism gone rampant.
By the way, I wouldn't wanna be Clemson now, Bama gonna be hungry in that game.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:05 PM ^
Alabama scheduled FSU, the #2 in the country at the time, for the first game of the season. I know we all forget that because FSU fell apart, but that was supposed to be a preview of a playoff game.
And OSU also scheduled UNLV, a team far worse than anyone Alabama played OOC.
I don't like either team, but both of them schedule a tough OOC team at the time. At least Alabama beat theirs.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
because they are clearly better than Ohio State, BUT I feel confident in saying Mercer is worse than UNLV.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:33 PM ^
It's worth mentioning that the rest of Alabama's non-conference schedule was not populated by mere cupcakes. Obviously, they scheduled a very talented FSU team who was playing with their starting QB. But they also played Fresno St. and Colorado St., who weren't simply "Georgia Southern types." Fresno went to their conference championship game and was ranked #25 last week. CSU finished 7-5 and was probably at least as good as Illinois and Rutgers, both of whom were on OSU's schedule.
December 3rd, 2017 at 2:32 PM ^
Probably, though I think people ding them a bit too much for that weird SoCo scheduling thing the SEC does. Alabama played 3 bowl teams in their OOC schedule and beat them all; OSU played 2 and lost to 1 of them. That matters, to me, more than the Mercer game.
OSU did themselves in by losing by double-digits to both OU and Iowa. You don't get two mulligans, especially if you barely beat Wisconsin and Michigan to end the year. Had OSU run them over and won by 20+, then I could see the committee giving them credit.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
And OSU played Illinois, which was effectively a bye.
People want to see OSU in because they feel there is some cosmic way that it will benefit Michigan in the future, but I don't see it. I don't want a team that got blown out by Iowa by 30+ points to get a playoff spot. Because OSU getting run off the field again by Clemson doesn't do the B1G any help on the national scene, and so when Michigan next needs the benefit of the doubt it's just as likely that voters look at the last 2 years of CFP participation (3 if OSU had made it this year) by the conference and hold that against them.
December 3rd, 2017 at 3:13 PM ^
Is Mercer probably the worst opponent that either OSU or Bama played? Yes.
Who are the next three worst opponents? UNLV, Rutgers, and Illinois.
Arguably, by the time they played OSU, Maryland might be the next worst, but let's just say that they are equivalent to Tennessee, Vandy, and Arkansas.
Maybe I'm wrong about this, and all of these opponents are various degrees of lousy, but does anyone like the chances of Rutgers or Illinois (or injured Maryland) on a neutral field against even the worst SEC teams?
Obviously, OSU has better wins at the top, but I find the argument that "Bama played only an eight-game conference schedule and a cupcake non-con." to be an unhelpful abstraction.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:35 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 2:46 PM ^
That's fine. As I noted above, Alabama still played better teams OOC than OSU did in totality. And they beat all those teams; OSU lost to 7-5 Iowa by 31 and to #3 OU by 15. So great, OSU's loss was to a better team than Alabama's win. But I 100% beleive FSU would have been an 8/9-ish team with Francoise.
It's all academic at this point, but I've seen no compelling argument for OSU beyond "they lost to OU".
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:32 PM ^
instead of Oklahoma in 2016, they don't get into the playoffs last year, though.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:40 PM ^
The committee isn't simply "sending a message" about what formula to use in the future, because every year is different. Whatever you might say about the committee, they take a lot of unnecessary flak because everyone wants some universal algorithm that they can follow and apply universally from year to year. The goal is to be one of the four most deserving teams, relative to the schedules of all the other teams playing that year--and this, of course, is variable. You can't play "Monday morning quarterback" and say, "if we had done 'x' this year, it would have resulted in making the playoffs; therefore if we do 'x' in the future, it will yield the same result AND THE COMMITTEE MUST PROMISE THIS RESULT."
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:48 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^
Does Holiday want NW? THey have no fan base.
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^
Holiday Bowl has been coveting Michigan.
December 3rd, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:04 PM ^
OSU, and to hell with Alabama. An undefeated B1G champ woulda been number 4 no question
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:06 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:23 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:18 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:08 PM ^
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
Well, I'm grateful Oklahoma took care of business yesterday. An OU loss to TCU likely would have opened the door to OSU and Alabama.
I hate the playoff system ... this whole committee thing reeks of agendas and money ... but that said, I think in this case it was the right thing. I think Alabama v. Clemson is going to be an epic game (as will OU vs. Georgia), and who the hell emerges out of the back of that I can't say. Still, good football awaits!
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:38 PM ^
Bottom line is we beat OSU with better QB play and so does Wisconson
December 3rd, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^