But it goes back to the argument "are all losses equal?"
Actually, it goes back to "even if all losses are NOT equal, the wins count more."
I think if you really break it down then TCU would've been in 2014 and tosu in 2015. I've always questioned the committee's ability to assess those things. I mean you really can't say getting blown out on a neutral site by a bad Texas team is better than losing on the last play of the game against a top 5 team.
That's correct.
The argument then becomes:
Oklahoma 4-0 vs Top 30
Ohio St 1-1 vs Top 30 (Mich St was the first ranked opponent they played)
And while the game never felt that close, the fact is with 8 minutes left it was a one possession game, so it's kinda stretching it to say OU got blown out.
I think there was ANOTHER problem in 2015 with selecting Ohio State - the fact Iowa was undefeated. How can you possibly pick one-loss Ohio St over one-loss Iowa when the game came down to the last play, the margin of victory was the same, and unlike Ohio St, Iowa actually won their division?
Well, you can pick the Buckeyes IF you argue SOS......but then you kinda have to pick OU, whose SOS was MUCH better (including their final games of the year, OU/Clemson and Ohio St vs 10-2 Notre Dame, the Sagarin rankings were OU 21, Ohio St 46.......both would be lower if not for the last game but Ohio St wouldn't even be close to OU strength wise).
I'll grant you the TCU one in 2014 is harder to fathom. I was absolutely shocked when that happened, and it gives credence to our mutual suspicion.
I get the feeling that anytime ND and Oklahoma are in sniffing range they are going to get bumped up over a better team.
I sorta feel the same way so let's take a look....
No real evidence in 2014 for either team, they weren't that good.
2015 - Oklahoma began at 15 with NINE unbeaten teams above them. Four lost that first week and they moved up to 12, but behind LSU, whose loss was to us. They beat Baylor (10) and moved to seven. When they came from ahead to damn near lose to TCU - a team so unimpressive to the committee that after BEATING Kansas while ranked #15 (and possibly looking ahead to OU, the committee dropped them as the lowest rated one-loss to #18.
And then losing their senses, the committee turned right around the next week and when OU blew leads of 23-7 and 30-13 against a third-string QB and won a missed two-point PAT....the committee was so impressed by this poor showing that they turned right around and pole vaulted OU from 7 to 3, where they remained.
THIS is why you and I both think that. Ever heard of a team scraping out a home win against a team so lowly regarded by the committee and with a third-string QB......and it IMPRESSING the committee so much they put them in the mix? A week after TCU dropped three spots for struggling against Kansas?????
2015 - Notre Dame started at 5 with one loss, moved to four, fell to six when Mich St beat Ohio St despite winning, fell only to 8 with their second loss, and finished eighth.
2016 - Notre Dame stunk. OU began with two losses in the first poll at 16. They scrape by 3-9 Iowa State by ten.....and jump to 11....but part of that was because Florida got blown out by Arky, Alabama beat LSU, and Nebraska lost. They then went 9-8-9-7 (Wisky dropped with the Penn St loss).
So there is SOME evidence to validate the idea the pollsters look the other way with OU, but they got stuck in one of those MLB wildcard clusters when the teams 5-8 were all playing each other and boosting the winner without hurting the loser too much.
That jump in 2015, though, is ridiculous. TCU went from being terrible one week (worst one-loss team) to being good enough while crippled that it was a better win for OU than Alabama beating LSU that same month.