MGoPoll: Who Should Be #4 in the College Football Playoff?

Submitted by Mr. Yost on

It'll be a topic of discussion in all college football coverage before Tuesday...who should be #4 this week?

Really it's got to be between OSU and Washington, but I added Clemson, Louisville and Michigan just to have more options.

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mistersuits

November 6th, 2016 at 9:31 AM ^

This is as easy of a top 4 as there will ever be, no idea why the CFP committee didn't get it right last week. If you have anyone other than the 4 undefeated power-4 conference leaders then the playoff is a sham.



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J.

November 6th, 2016 at 9:47 AM ^

If the playoff is nothing but the conference champions with the fewest losses, don't bother having a committee in the first place!

They made a powerful statement by putting A&M ahead of Washington in the first poll, and I expect they'll continue it by putting OSU in there this week.  UW's non-conference schedule -- the part they control -- was Rutgers, Idaho, and Portland State.  Rutgers was arguably their best non-conference opponent.  And they gave up 13 points to them!  They also beat Arizona -- 2-7, defenselss, 69-7 losers to WSU this weekend, Rich Rod-coached Arizona -- in overtime.

Washington is being overrated on the basis of destroying Stanford and Oregon; these two things are not impressive this year.  I would gladly take Michigan and OSU in the playoff before admitting the Huskies.  I do not want to see September college football devolve into everybody playing Washington's schedule in the hopes of having an easy path to the playoff.

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J.

November 6th, 2016 at 10:22 AM ^

A&M's schedule wasn't great -- UCLA, NMSU, Prairie View A&M -- but it was still better than UW, as Kevin points out.  Personally, I would have put OSU #4 last week too -- Bowling Green, Tulsa, and @Oklahoma is a much better slate, although still not good.

Michigan's upcoming home schedules:

2017: vs. Florida (JerryWorld), Cincinnati, Air Force
2018: @ Notre Dame, SMU, (open)
2019: Notre Dame, (open), (open)
2020: @ Washington, Ball State, Va. Tech
2021: @ Va Tech, Washington, (open)
2022/2023: Home & Home with UCLA
2024/2027: Home & Home with Texas
2026/2025: Home & Home with Oklahoma

There are lots of games still to be filled into that calendar, and as we saw from the Arkansas mess, even these games aren't actually guaranteed to stick as-is.  I would much rather see these open dates start to fill with teams like, say, Georgia, USC, Florida State, and Texas A&M than Temple, Rice, NMSU, and EMU, so I'd like to see a reward for that behavior.  Also, suppose next year, Michigan were to stumble against UF but then run the table.  I would not want to see a team who scheduled PSU (NTPSU), Idaho, and Rutgers get a playoff spot ahead of Michigan.

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drzoidburg

November 6th, 2016 at 12:29 PM ^

Well none of those P5 games except VaTech are as bad as Washington vs Rutgers. I doubt we'll do what you suggest since 90% of P5 teams play no better of a schedule and the new AD already said a reason Arkansas was cancelled is we're afraid to face two P5 teams the same year. If anything i expect us to cancel VaTech or Washington. It's pathetic in every way for such a top program, while our rival Ohio is facing *three* P5 teams in one year soon, but it's reality

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M-Dog

November 6th, 2016 at 1:44 PM ^

This^^^

It's perfect.  The P5 champs get in, two deserving at-larges get in, and a G5 "champ" gets in for political correctness / anti-trust reasons.

Still lots to argue about, still incentive to schedule strong teams so that you have an at-large case to make at the end of the year if you don't win your conference.

 

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Muttley

November 6th, 2016 at 10:29 AM ^

My take is that the committee used the opportunity for window dressing to show that the out-of-the-box ranking is possible, in an attempt to create more political flexibility when it matters.

The only rationale is that Washington is not yet a Power 5 champion, and until then, the committee feels free to rank teams based on who they think is best.  But as we saw in 2014 with Ohio State, you really don't know, and I considered TAMU (and Louisville) as teams that had their shot but blew it.  (Obviously, TAMU really blew it this weekend.)

My take is that in the end, the committee is going to spread the four spots over the non-Big 12 Power Five leagues, provided that none of the leagues has an upset in the conference championship games that would lead to an indisputably inferior entrant into the CFP, a one-hit wonder conference champion that is indisputably outside of the top 4.  Think USC or Florida last year had they somehow managed to pull an upset in the CCG and become their league's "champion".

With that framework in mind--a non-Big 12 conference champion that is arguably in the top 4 is in--here are my four swim lanes to the CFP playoff.  Teams in bold have are the prime candidates to become non-champion invitees should one or more of the other conferences produce a one-hit-wonder "conference champion" with an upset in their CCG.

 

 

Team Overall Conf Div Notable
B1G        
Mich 9-0 6-0 East @ OSU 11/26
OSU 8-1 5-1 East v Mich 11/26
Wiscy 7-2 4-2 West v Minn 11/26
         
SEC        
Bama 9-0 6-0 West v Aub 11/26
         
ACC        
Clem 9-0 6-0 Atlantic v nobody
Louis 8-1 6-1 Atlantic @ Hou 11/17
         
PAC12        
Wash 9-0 6-0 North v nobody
         
KiddiePool        
Okla 7-2 6-0   @WVU,v OkSt
WVU 7-1 4-1   @Okla 11/19
OkSt 7-2 5-1   @OK 12/3

 

 

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WolverineHistorian

November 6th, 2016 at 9:33 AM ^

Alabama will be given spots 1-4 so that there will be no need for the playoff and they can just be handed the national title right now. Sorry. I'm really burned out on Bama. And the 10,000 orgasms Gary Danielson had last night over them and Nick Saban didn't help either.

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The Fan in Fargo

November 6th, 2016 at 10:26 AM ^

So pathetic how these dumbasses try to sneak that second SEC team in there and then the dipshits instantly lose the following Saturday. Really getting burnt out on college football ranking anything and all of the bullshit. Expand the playoff. No one in the country wants to hear or see all of this SEC stroking anymore except ESPN, the SEC fans and teams. It's hurting college football.

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poseidon7902

November 6th, 2016 at 9:43 AM ^

Should be Washington. I think it's a close tie though with OSU but an undefeated team in a p5 conference with solid eye performances shouldn't get overlooked. I have a feeling though OSU will get the nod even though that will sort itself out in a couple weeks.



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BlueInWisconsin

November 6th, 2016 at 9:49 AM ^

It doesn't matter this week but when it comes down to the final four it should be conference champions only. Period. End of story. Everyone is clambering for a larger playoff; we'll make the conference championships game mean something and you've defacto extended the playoff another round. I don't think teams that couldn't win their conference should get a mulligan or a do over.



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turtleboy

November 6th, 2016 at 10:00 AM ^

I voted Clemson, because Washington has dominated everybody they faced, while Clemson has essentially lost 2 games, but managed to escape. I think it should be Bama, Michigan, Washington, Clemson.

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