October 31st, 2018 at 10:51 PM ^
Have you watched them play? I'm guessing not. I have, most of their games (at least good chunks if not the entire game) actually. They're legit. When they beat Kansas and Baylor coming up you're looking at a 5-2 Big12 team going into Austin to take the drivers seat in the conference. How crazy is that!? Iowa fucking State. For as poor a job as the committee did with the ACC bullshit I commend them for including a team with some good wins and some really close losses sitting at 4-3 and has only gotten better, hitting their stride over the past month. TCU looks like a poor loss now but a last second FG lost them that, a close down to the wire loss to Iowa, and a game they held the most high-powered offense in the country in check and were in, towards the end against OU. Matt Campbell is making and has already made a name for himself as one of if not the hottest coach on the come-up.
October 31st, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^
Kansas and Baylor lol
October 31st, 2018 at 11:06 PM ^
He's saying they will beat those two and their record will look better. Not that that's who they beat. They've played most of the better teams in the Big 12 and been solid, beating Tx Tech, West Virginia, Okie State and having a close loss to TCU and a loss against the Sooners.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:44 PM ^
Iowa State would win the Big Ten West going away.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:34 AM ^
idk, their record is 0-1 vs the Big Ten West. They'd have to run the table otherwise to win going away.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:34 AM ^
The same Iowa St that has played 1 Big Ten West team already this year and lost?
October 31st, 2018 at 10:49 PM ^
Preach on Klatt! He's right.
October 31st, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^
Every ranked team Clemson has played is now outside the 25 or one sits at 25 I think. Meanwhile they're devaluing every M win and so even if we win out, a one loss Bama or Clemson or Georgia(for example) gets credit for a tougher schedule.
Run it up on every remaining opponent and hope you don't get screwed.
October 31st, 2018 at 10:53 PM ^
He’s right, as per usual, but I just can’t get enraged over the first CFP ranking. It will sort itself out.
October 31st, 2018 at 10:57 PM ^
We'll see, Saban usually lays one egg every year and with how they've talked up this Bama team as "definitely the greatest ever" it's likely this w/e he lays that egg.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:05 PM ^
I was curious about your comment so I went to check Alabama's record throughout history.
You're kind of right, but MORE importantly, right before Bear Bryant, Alabama's coach was named Jennings Whitworth.
That is all.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:26 PM ^
Bama will cover. They won't have too much difficulty with LSU.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:53 AM ^
I think you vastly underestimate Cajun Brady Hoke.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:16 PM ^
October 31st, 2018 at 11:18 PM ^
Yeah. Why even play when eyeball is all is needed.
November 1st, 2018 at 1:15 AM ^
Indeed - why not go back to the old way: play a season, play the bowl games, then spend the next eight months arguing about it while several teams claim the mythical national championship?!
[I actually wouldn't have too much problem with that - whatever system is used is going to have a degree of arbitrariness and bias]
November 1st, 2018 at 7:18 AM ^
I actually liked that system better. The current one is still arbitrary and devalues conference championships. But I'm old.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:26 PM ^
That won't happen. Bama or Clemson (or ND) lose and they're out unless some truly wild shit happens. Their schedules are too weak. So long as the SEC champ has 1 loss or fewer, and there's 3 other non-SEC teams that have one loss or fewer, that will be the only SEC team in the playoff.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:57 AM ^
I would just as soon not have to see whether the committee will pick 11-1 Alabama over 12-1 Michigan.
November 1st, 2018 at 2:42 AM ^
I would bet my life that despite having one loss, Bama Clemson would still be in the hunt if there are at least 2-3 games left after that loss. Regardless of whom they play, a bama win for example is treated like a superbowl victory in the polls
October 31st, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
Interesting how mid tier big 10 teams such as Indiana (uva), Minnesota (Fresno st), and Maryland (Texas) have better non conference wins than other conferences.
November 1st, 2018 at 1:27 AM ^
My friend, IU is 1-5 in the B1G with its only win over Rutgers and Minnesota is 1-4 with its only win over IU...at home...by one score. Those are bottom tier unless you think everyone above the Rutgers tier is mid tier.
It is interesting that those bottom tier teams have some quality non-conf wins, especially when some of the actual mid tier teams like Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin have such terrible losses as Akron, EMU, Duke and BYU.
Weird year in the B1G...and that's just on the field.
November 1st, 2018 at 2:46 AM ^
Trueblue........which speaks more to the strength of the BIG and UM's sos which was entirely Klatts argument. Yes, IU sucks as against other Big teams but perhaps use that as fuel for UM respect not disrespect.
November 1st, 2018 at 1:52 AM ^
This^^
October 31st, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
are you fucking serious?
October 31st, 2018 at 10:56 PM ^
Are you?!
November 1st, 2018 at 2:47 AM ^
I know u are but what am I
October 31st, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
Who cares
First ranking MEANINGLESS
October 31st, 2018 at 11:15 PM ^
The point is that the logic behind the ranking is flawed, and that will not change. And that should scare the shit out of us b/c if there are two 1-loss SEC teams come playoff selection time (LSU beats Bama then runs the table or Bama beats LSU then loses to Georgia--who runs the table), we will be left out and playing in the Rose Bowl, even if we win out.
November 1st, 2018 at 2:52 AM ^
No the logic behind the ranking is not flawed. The flaw is not utilizing a straight measure of computer rankings as against each team equally. Where there is a statistically significant deviation in the application of the computer scores that shows a clear bias it needs to be explained and I believe that's all Klatt is saying.
November 1st, 2018 at 3:49 AM ^
I don't know if you are aware of this, but the last 3 sentences of your post completely contradict the first one.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:40 PM ^
Not according to Klatt
October 31st, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^
Except it’s not, because it shows the committee seriously undervalues our wins. Makes it tough if it comes down to M vs another team with close record.
October 31st, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
Wow, nicely said!
October 31st, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
That was really interesting, and a lot of data to back up the opinions. Thanks for posting.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^
A lot of turkey gravy data!
November 1st, 2018 at 12:00 AM ^
You want to shoot your gravy right in the turkey hole.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:07 PM ^
Klatt's concern is on point. I was puzzled by a bunch of those lower ranked teams but the concern he raises did not register with me until he pointed it out. OMG...interesting. The argument that this bias does not make a difference in the end may hold some validity except "in the end" the difference between the 4, 5, 6 and 7th placed teams is often very narrow-and, here, building that bias into the thinking/process is not appropriate.
November 1st, 2018 at 2:57 AM ^
Those saying "it doesn't matter" and or "it will work itself out" should stay away from ranking systems. This is like a sprint where certain runners are pushed back in the blocks. It indeed does matter. With each step taken it mattered where your starting position was and with each subsequent step/game.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:11 PM ^
Damn. He is spot on. Didn't I see a stat the other day about how many committee members favor SEC and ACC? Very sad
November 1st, 2018 at 1:10 AM ^
While committee members are expected to recuse themselves when "their" team is discusses, they are present when other members of their conference are discussed, and this can result in bias toward (not usually against) their conferences. I think the SEC and ACC are highly (over)represented on the current committee with several, while I think the B1G only has one (from tOSU).
November 1st, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^
Yes the ACC has 5 people on the 13 member committee with affiliations and the SEC with 4 (but the committee only looks at your most recent affiliation, so for example Rob Mullens (Kentucky for 9 years, Miami for 4 years) is currently in a paid position at Oregon.
He only needs to leave the room when they discuss Oregon and is free to comment on Kentucky or Miami or any other SEC/ACC team.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:15 PM ^
He is quite right, and probably one of the most articulate football broadcasters I have heard all year.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:19 PM ^
Makes sense, but what I really want now is Joel Klatt's recipe for turkey gravy.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:30 PM ^
Saw this earlier today - totally dug the editorial and agree with a large chunk of it.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:50 PM ^
Liking this dood more and more when I hear him. Just says what he thinks without giving a F who he might be pissing off.
October 31st, 2018 at 11:55 PM ^
Hands down my favorite college football pundit. Always has a tremendous take, knows stats and is just a gifted speaker.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:22 AM ^
it's too bad NW lost to Duke, (/might) would* have been a difference maker
November 1st, 2018 at 12:33 AM ^
8 teams, P5 conference champions (however decided) get one spot.
Three additional spots:
Highest ranking G5 champion. (say, CFU)
Highest ranking G5 or independent. (so far this year, ND)
Highest ranking P5 non-champion. (say LSU, or Mich/OSU)
Quarter finals: Top 4 ranking P5 champions host at home before Christmas
Semi-finals on/after New Year
Final mid-January.
Reduces the authority of the comittee, but still gives them and the media something to debate about. Draws wider attention to more teams in more conference races (P5 and G5) over a much longer period of the season, as opposed to now, where it is a process of elimination, rendering 90+% of teams irrelevant by late October already.
November 1st, 2018 at 12:39 AM ^
You just gave nearly every 9+ win Notre Dame an auto-bid into the playoff.