Rich- you may be right. I can never remember a season where a team went 12-0 and was so scrutinized. Again, I think a lot of it is because of how dominant they were last year. They lost 12 or 13 players to the NFL, that's unheard of. They just simply aren't as good as last years team. Also, Winston really seems to be struggling compared to last year. Again, that may have a lot to due with the key players lost on offense.

I can see Wisconsin beating OSU. J.T. Barrett getting hurt is a tough blow for the Buckeyes.

Oregon got blown out by Arizona last year, and lost to them again this year. Could be interesting. I think Oregon wins going away, but I am no expert.

Alabama in with a win, even if it is unimpressive. I don't think Missouri has what it takes to beat them. Alabama in a blowout.

TCU should be in the top 4 now with the MSU loss. They should have been anyways in my opinion, considering their only loss was to the #5 or #6 team (depending on the poll) by 3 on the road. Baylor should not be ahead of TCU based on head to head. Their loss was much worse.

Florida State, as much as I hate this years team, should be in if they win. I don't think you can keep out the defending National Champion when they are undefeated. I don't think the previous season should have any bearing on the current season (see how I contradicted myself there), but they are undefeated, and I can't think of a team that is clearly better that is on the outside looking in. Maybe OSU before Barrett got hurt. I don't know if the pollsters take injuries into account?

Here's to a good weekend of College Football. Good luck to those of you that have teams in the running. Myself, I will be cheering for a New Year's Day bowl for the Gophers. (How is Nebraska ranked ahead of them?)

The new rankings illustrate what I put forth a few weeks ago--that FSU could have won out and still missed the playoffs.

As of now, this will not happen. GT, up next for FSU, now looks like a strong enough team for an FSU win to impress. And more importantly, the Miss St loss to Ole Miss took Miss St out of contention.

However, I definitely believe--fair or not--that if Miss St had won they would be ahead of FSU, meaning FSU would now be fifth.

While not a Seminole fan, I am glad my doomsday scenario didn't hold. Had FSU been left out, I think the eventual champ's #1 rank would feel tainted in that the defending champ was still undefeated. So as it is, I think we will have a very legit champ when the year's all over.

Glad to see my school close out the conference 13-0. Unfortunately I fully expect some weird shit from the committee.

FSU will make it in. The question now is whether OSU unseats the Big 12 rep.

Agree that FSU is in. They just are. Ohio State, Baylor, TCU.....will be very, very interesting.

The one thing I will add that I like about this process is that I much prefer to argue about who is #4 and # 5, than to argue who is #2 and #3.

You know what? This could be incredibly interesting....While I'm an FSU fan, I am sick of all the bullshit off field, and yet another stupid close game tonite by FSU because their dumbass coach doesn't know how to press down on the throttle...They have won 29 games in a row, that is the only thing in their favor with the board. They are simply not one of the best 4 teams right now...This could be one of the biggest uproars in sports if they don't make it....And it would go on for a while...

I'm posting after all the games but before the 'decisions' are made.

IMHO:

OSU gets in over TCU or Baylor
FSU is the most underwhelming undefeated team ever, but gets in
Bama and Oregon are two best teams

Best results will have Bama first playing FSU, then Oregon

Nice job Raymond.

My understanding is that they have finally come up with a solution that works for everyone: They choose a final 4 and the winner plays the winner of the Southeastern Conference. That method would acknowledge the clear superiority of the SEC, AND insure that a member of the crappy Big 12 makes the playoffs.

The current method fails on at least two counts - the SEC (Alabama) is matched-up against the Big 10 (OSU), which will do nothing but completely deflate the egos of all the Big 10 sympathizers who have been whining all year about how the SEC does not deserve the respect it receives as the best conference in college football. It also highlights the fact that the 'final 4' selection was all about television match-ups and advertising revenue.

I assume this comment was for me. Thanks.

Rob, it was all tongue-in-cheek, but I do think you were feeling way too hurt over the nation's perception that the SEC is much stronger than the Big 10. With a 4-team playoff, it was very unlikely that a Big 10 team would be left out, unless it was deserved. I think OSU is one of the top 4 teams, but I also think Alabama will pound them. I have no skin in the game, so I don't care who wins - I'll probably pull for OSU, just because they are the underdogs.

Also, I think the Big 12 is extremely weak this year - I might not have wasted my time even watching Alabama play TCU or Baylor.

One more thing - for the purpose of this thread discussion, I think it's great that both OSU and FSU made it to the final 4. I would like to see a selection rule where there cannot be two teams from the same conference unless they are ranked 1 and 2. That would put the SEC complaints to rest.

They're not getting much love tonight (so far).
Dug themselves a mighty deep hole.

My gosh,............another fumble!

Good job Dumbo Fisher, huge new contract going into the game. You are a joke pal....Also, anyone that thinks Jameis Winston is going to be a great pro, please be prepared to the opposite....

Take a look at the last 15 QBs before Famous Jameis to win the Heisman and tell me how many good NFL QBs you find. I'll save you the time, 1 - Vinny Testaverde.

Did Fisher cause all those turnovers, or was I watching the wrong game?

Better take some more time - Carson Palmer. Arizona's season would have been much different with a healthy Palmer.

Edited to add: it's too early in their careers, but I think you can add Newton and RGIII in their too in a few years.

David,

You are right, Palmer has had an ok career. I think it remains to be seen what kind of a shelf life the Newton/RGIII style of play has in the NFL. My opinion - not very long. 2 for 15, or 13 for that matter is pretty long odds.

IMHO - A big problem with College Quarterbacks is leaving school early. Rather than track the Heisman winning QBs pro performance, track those who left early vs. those who stayed and got the experience they needed.

I am pretty sure that they should have left TCU in the top 4. How long until they go to 8 teams?

Weird FSU stat
... outscored opponents by a total of 4 points in their final 8 games and still went 7-1!

The REAL Competition
 

The bowl games are great but the REAL competition will be next year between Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, and Cardale Jones!

I've never seen the quarterback position three-deep in superstar quality before!

Jones is even bigger than Cam Newton...agile and 6-5, 250 - amazing!


Hey Jameis - Baseball doesn't like thugs either.

Were the outcomes of the CFP playoffs predetermined? Maybe. After all, Seminoles is an anagram of "Lose 'n Semi," and while it is usually FSU who is mockingly called the Criminoles, this Crimson Tide anagram shows it was Bama guilty on their last drive of the only transgression that matters in NCAA football: "Crime is no TD!"

I thought the games were very compelling notwithstanding Oregon running off and leaving FSU in the dust. I think it gives creedence to what a lot of pundits have been saying about them most of the year. I am glad they were in though so it played out on the field.

What was the deal with a lot of the team walking off the field without shaking hands with Oregon? Were they afraid they would fumble the handshake?

I don't think most of us were surprised too much by the FSU/Oregon result - playing from behind in the second half to beat average teams is not a good formula for beating a top 4 team. FSU apparently perform well when desperate.

But Ohio State? I'm stunned that Alabama could waste a 21-6 lead like that. The interception from OSU's 20 yd-line was unforgivable, given how well the run had been working for them.

I will certainly eat crow after that game. All-in-all, I haven't been impressed with the Southeastern Conference's bowl performance, other than Texas A&M, who I didn't think would win.

As far as 8 games goes - that isn't happening until you declare these college students to be professionals and pay them (when education officially becomes second to minor league NFL football). The goal was to ensure that the best team had a shot at the end - a 4-team playoff is enough to do that. Anything beyond that becomes just that much more about money.

At the time of the 21-6 lead, Ohio State had outgained Alabama 348-to-140 - only the two turnovers kept it from being a rout from the start.

As a Georgian, I'm just happy Georgia and Georgia Tech won and did so convincingly.

I think TCU should be rated #3 right now....Mississippi isn't that bad and that was complete domination.

What I see after the bowl games so far is that maybe the SEC West isn't as strong of a conference after all. The only team from the West that won their Bowl game is Texas A&M (a former BIG 12 team).
The conference that seems to get bashed (BIG 10) showed a lot of grit knocking off two of the SEC West teams. The BIG 10 also knocked off the BIG 12 co-champion. Maybe there isn't as big of difference in talent as some are thinking.
That being said I think TCU belonged in the play-off. They certainly played their Bowl game like they belonged. What a statement they made against yet another SEC West team.
Good luck to Oregon and Ohio State.

You could be right about lack of disparity. The SEC certainly didn't show up for bowl season.

Regarding TCU's belonging - this wasn't about getting the best 4, rather it was about getting a legitimate champion. Any team can appear to be the best at the end of the season - just look at all the wild cards in both MLB and the NFL that have gone on to win championships. Perhaps TCU actually is the best team. Perhaps Baylor is...I mean 'was'...and now Michigan State is? If OSU beats Oregon, everyone will say they got it right, except, of course TCU.

If you go to 'best 8', you'll have several teams screaming that they were at least the 8th best team - instead of 2 (Baylor and TCU), you will have 3-4. Look at the NCAA tourney - every time they expanded the field, they simply expanded the number of complaints about getting left out.

Speaking of the Big 10, did Iowa send the third string to Jacksonville? The Volunteers aren't exactly world beaters.

You'll never eliminate the complaining, but the further down the line you go, the less the complaints matter. Teams complaining about being #3 or #5 being left out has a chance of being significant to the championship process. Teams complaining about being left out at #65 & #66, have very little chance of being significant to the process.

No one has ever said the complaining will stop. Its about making the process as good and complete as it can be (within constraints).

As pointed out previously.
It's only going to get bigger, the money will dictate that.
At the end of the day - that's what it is really all about.

The process isn't complete enough at 4. We have complaints, so we realize this. The process won't be complete enough with 8. We'll have complaints, so we'll realize this. It won't be complete enough with 16. We'll have complaints, so we'll realize this. It won't be complete enough with 32. We'll have complaints, so we'll realize this. It won't be complete enough with 64. We'll have complaints, so we'll realize this.

After yesterday can you honestly say we were better with only 2? You might. You will be in the minority. But your argument applies just the same to 2.

I have no idea what you are talking about but if you are responding to my post, ypu have created a straw man. I am good with 4, and as I have stated multiple times, if you want to go beyond 4 you need to pay the players and not require that they go to school.

Rich, I was on my phone when I responded to your last post, not noticing that it was you again. I realize at this point that you're just looking for a fight, as you haven't honestly addressed either of my posts. I'll leave you to fight with the straw men you have created, hoping that you haven't killed what was otherwise an interesting thread. You can attempt to bait me again, but I won't be reading it.

Note that Arkansas is also SEC West and beat Texas 31-7.

My apologies for upsetting you Scott. Apparently, Im not communicating my points well. Regardless, this discussion holds no value to me in any meaningful way. Please carry on knowing I have nothing here to add.

Scott,
With the current system, you a correct that some team will say, what about us?

I do think the process is closer to what it needs to be. As I have stated before, only conference champions should be involved in the championship tournament. This year they did just that, but didn't involve enough conferences.
TCU would not have been in the tournament with this process as Baylor would have been champs due to the tie breaker. But with the process used this year (human emotions) I don't see how a team can be ranked #3, destroy the team they played and then drop three spots.
If the play-off goes to just conference champions there shouldn't be any complaints. Win your conference or stay home. JMO

I agree with this.

Need to get down to 4 conferences. If the Big 12 had been able to get back to 12/14 by poaching the ACC (FSU, Clemson, Va. Tech, Miami) you would have the ideal situation with 4 major conferences all sending their champion to the playoff.

Woo Pig!!

+1

Arkansas overcame some close loses early on and improved this season.