News Article: Why Baylor, Notre Dame and others must change scheduling in CFB playoff era

Nutter Dumber and the Little 12 can be left out, every year. Gives them something to kvetch about.

The only thing that ND needs to do is join a conference. Whoever puts together their schedule does as good a job as anyone in the country. But playing only 12 games each season really hurts them.

The committee needs to consider that the Big 12 has 2 significant advantages over the other P5 conferences - they don't play that 13th game (no conference championship), and they have extended their season an additional week so that their best teams play on conference championship weekend giving those team an extra bye week over the course of the season. Somehow this narrative isn't pointed out. Folks would rather talk about inane things like the number of conference games or a scattered FCS opponent than the big picture.

For every team, at the end of the season, look at each team's total body of work. It is harder to beat 6 ranked teams in a season than 3. It is harder to win 13 games than 12. It is harder to do that with 1 bye than 2. Things like who you lost to, or when you lost to them, should only come into play after these other three factors are considered because the fist three play a much larger role in the ability of a team to make it through an entire season with 1 or fewer losses.

But what the committee did last year, and what they will do this year, is boil the entire season down to the last 2 weekends for most teams. The only 2 teams who can get into the playoffs right now with no style points are Alabama and Clemson. Clemson because they are undefeated and beat ND, and Alabama because of the huge gap between your SoS and the rest of the pack. Win and you are in. Everyone else is going to have to win impressively the next 2 weeks or risk being jumped by someone with inferior credentials because they got hot or played well while the committee was completely focused for the first time all season on this job.

Last year this produced a championship for my Buckeyes. With every committee member sitting in a room together watching, we beat Wisconsin 59-0 with a 3rd string QB and jumped into the playoffs over 2 teams from the Big 12 who were receiving more accolades the entire season. We got hot at exactly the right time and rode that wave into the playoffs.

Who will make that jump this season? It makes this last stretch a lot more exciting for a whole lot more fans, but it also demonstrates the flaws remaining in a system that will leave out equally qualified teams again this year.

Notre Dame has played one good opponent thus far and lost. Stanford is a second one. The mere fact the Domers have to say that Temple and Navy are "good" is proof of the lack of challenging teams on it.

I think if the Big XII-II gets left out of the playoffs, the members will rise up and insist they expand by two teams so they can get the championship game back.

selmaborntidefan said:

Notre Dame has played one good opponent thus far and lost. Stanford is a second one. The mere fact the Domers have to say that Temple and Navy are "good" is proof of the lack of challenging teams on it.

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This reads like typical SEC fan bias. Temple & Boston College both have great defenses this year and USCw is also a good team (Navy is also a good team, but in an FCS kinda way). Georgia Tech and Virginia could also have turned out to be good teams when the games were scheduled.

If you consider rankings when the games were played, Stanford will be the 4th ranked team played by ND this season. You can't penalize any team because the teams that they scheduled fell on their faces.

B1GTide said:

This reads like typical SEC fan bias. Temple & Boston College both have great defenses this year and USCw is also a good team (Navy is also a good team, but in an FCS kinda way). Georgia Tech and Virginia could also have turned out to be good teams when the games were scheduled.

If you consider rankings when the games were played, Stanford will be the 4th ranked team played by ND this season. You can't penalize any team because the teams that they scheduled fell on their faces.

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Agreed.

People use that logic (rankings when teams played) when Bama plays and beats a team down when they are highly ranked. Got to use the same logic for everyone else. I still think ND makes it in depicted not playing a championship game. Going forward though they are going to have to change.


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B1GTide said:

This reads like typical SEC fan bias. Temple & Boston College both have great defenses this year and USCw is also a good team (Navy is also a good team, but in an FCS kinda way). Georgia Tech and Virginia could also have turned out to be good teams when the games were scheduled.

If you consider rankings when the games were played, Stanford will be the 4th ranked team played by ND this season. You can't penalize any team because the teams that they scheduled fell on their faces.

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A lot of jealousy toward ND. I always give them credit for doing what SEC will not do: Notre Dame does not play 1AA (FCS Teams). ND may not have the toughest schedule but they always play at least above the NCAA average schedule.

Now one problem is ND needs to put in a second bye and play someone on Championship Saturday (Like Baylor this year) instead of sitting idle.

Redwood Forrest said:

A lot of jealousy toward ND. I always give them credit for doing what SEC will not do: Notre Dame does not play 1AA (FCS Teams). ND may not have the toughest schedule but they always play at least above the NCAA average schedule.

Now one problem is ND needs to put in a second bye and play someone on Championship Saturday (Like Baylor this year) instead of sitting idle.

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I agree. I dislike ND more than any other team, but they tend to play a schedule that is only second to SEC schools strength wise.

I think when season ends they have four "quality" wins, and while they aren't exactly blowing people away with schedule strength I think overall it's better than anyone in the Big 12-2 in the discussion.

I think they need to fall in line and join a conference though, just as I think the Big 12-2 needs to expand and add a championship game. Until then I think the other power 5 conferences will always have a leg up.

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ND should be told to join a conference or be foreclosed from consideration.

I'm totally sick of them being accorded special status just because they have a billion dollar tv deal and all their stupid subway alumni.

davefrat said:

ND should be told to join a conference or be foreclosed from consideration.

I'm totally sick of them being accorded special status just because they have a billion dollar tv deal and all their stupid subway alumni.

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People tend to think the same way about us though. That we are getting special consideration because "We are Alabama"

bama2112 said:

I have noted on several ocassions that how can u choose a team that plays one less games that the other teams with 13 games,
well finally a writer brings it to the forefront. I leave out a 11-1 ND over a 12-1 Okie Lite etc.

Dont get me wrong I would love nothing better than Bama vs the Domers , but they have earn it....

See what your thoughts are. http://espn.go.com/ncf/story/_/id/1...others-change-scheduling-approach-playoff-era

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I think you mean 11-1 Okie Lite.

Not playing the final weekend always hurts.

Notre Dame should schedule a top Big 12 team for Championship weekend every year until the big 12 expands and has its own championship game again.

tide96 said:

Not playing the final weekend always hurts.

Notre Dame should schedule a top Big 12 team for Championship weekend every year until the big 12 expands and has its own championship game again.

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Not a bad idea.

Crimson1967 said:

I think if the Big XII-II gets left out of the playoffs, the members will rise up and insist they expand by two teams so they can get the championship game back.

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Maybe they can add Notre Dame and BYU.

selmaborntidefan said:

Notre Dame has played one good opponent thus far and lost. Stanford is a second one. The mere fact the Domers have to say that Temple and Navy are "good" is proof of the lack of challenging teams on it.

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Finally disagree with you over something. If nothing else their schedule probably was harder than expected with Temple being good and Navy having its best team in modern time. Boston College is terrible they have lost 7 in a row including a lost to Wake so no BC is not a good win. You are what your record says you are. I would not mind seeing them in the championship game we would demolish them. Dream scenario for Alabama Iowa and Notre Dame in any order.

B1GTide said:

This reads like typical SEC fan bias. Temple & Boston College both have great defenses this year and USCw is also a good team (Navy is also a good team, but in an FCS kinda way). Georgia Tech and Virginia could also have turned out to be good teams when the games were scheduled.

If you consider rankings when the games were played, Stanford will be the 4th ranked team played by ND this season. You can't penalize any team because the teams that they scheduled fell on their faces.

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sorry Big, having a good defense doesn't qualified you as a good team, BC is terrible probably the worst BC team in decades despite their ' great defense".

USC is a decent team , but you don't lose 4 games and be considered good. they barely beat a horrid Colorado team by 3!!
escaped a 6-5 Cal team by 6 , win against a 6-6 Arizona team by 8. and those are their wins.

they loss to a 5-6 Washington team. enough said.

sanjosecrimson said:

sorry Big, having a good defense doesn't qualified you as a good team, BC is terrible probably the worst BC team in decades despite their ' great defense".

USC is a decent team , but you don't lose 4 games and be considered good. they barely beat a horrid Colorado team by 3!!
escaped a 6-5 Cal team by 6 , win against a 6-6 Arizona team by 8. and those are their wins.

they loss to a 5-6 Washington team. enough said.

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I'll go along with BC because their offense is horrid. But if you really believe that they have only played 2 good teams this year, including Stanford, we will just have to agree to disagree.

Loam said:

People tend to think the same way about us though. That we are getting special consideration because "We are Alabama"

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Alabama is the best program in the best conference and has earned special consideration.