Will the CFP committee finally realize ND does not belong?

selmaborntidefan said:

Where ND would finish in a conference is irrelevant unless you are saying “conference champions only.”
(Does nobody get this?????)

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I disagree. Thinking about how two teams would fare were they to exchange schedules is part of deciding which is the better team. If the goal is to get “the 4 best teams” then an honest comparison between teams is essential. Why was UCF left out even though they were undefeated? Because the committee’s perception is their schedule wasn’t as tough as many others’. Maybe ND’s schedule was also not as tough as many other schools. If ND played Auburn’s schedule would they be undefeated? How about if they played UGA’s? What about any non-Clemson ACC team’s schedule? I contend that in any of those scenarios they would never be in the conversation. That said, I have no beef with the committee if they are trying to get the 4 “most deserving” teams, but in that case they should be honest and admit they are not going for the 4 best.

cubzwin said:

Stanford, Michigan and Georgia on the road? If ND is undefeated next year they will definitely deserve to be top 4. They will not be undefeated.

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They'll likely be 2-1 in those games. But if they go 3-0 that's respectable, even commendable, but it doesn't mean they've been tested like a team in a power 5 conference IMO.

selmaborntidefan said:

Where ND would finish in a conference is irrelevant unless you are saying “conference champions only.”

(Does nobody get this?????)

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Bill, I am not saying conference champions only, but it is unfair that all conference champions have to play the 13th game. We were not SEC champions in 2017 and did not have to play in Atlanta which I think most would agree benefited us. If ND was in the ACC this year and had gone undefeated they would have had to play Clemson in the ACC championship game which would have eliminated them from the playoffs. Had they been in the Big XII they would have to have beaten Oklahoma probably twice. Could they have beaten tOSU in a B1G 10 championship game, possibly, but it would have required playing another game which they have never had to do before.

GrayTide said:

Bill, I am not saying conference champions only, but it is unfair that all conference champions have to play the 13th game. We were not SEC champions in 2017 and did not have to play in Atlanta which I think most would agree benefited us. If ND was in the ACC this year and had gone undefeated they would have had to play Clemson in the ACC championship game which would have eliminated them from the playoffs. Had they been in the Big XII they would have to have beaten Oklahoma probably twice. Could they have beaten tOSU in a B1G 10 championship game, possibly, but it would have required playing another game which they have never had to do before.

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Great synopsis. That's the conference grind they get a pass on!

wrong thread

BamaMoon said:

Who are the regulars on that schedule year in a year out?

I know USC, Boston College and Navy. This year they picked UM back up.

So on a regular basis that have to play 4 reoccuring games and how many of these guys are really a test year in and year out?

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USC, Stanford, Navy for sure. I am not sure about BC since BC is now in the ACC and ND is required to play 5 ACC games every year. Louisville, UVA, VA Tech, Duke and BC are their 5 ACC opponents. BC could be a permanent ACC opponent, like us playing UT every year from the SEC East.

GrayTide said:

Bill, I am not saying conference champions only, but it is unfair that all conference champions have to play the 13th game. We were not SEC champions in 2017 and did not have to play in Atlanta which I think most would agree benefited us. If ND was in the ACC this year and had gone undefeated they would have had to play Clemson in the ACC championship game which would have eliminated them from the playoffs. Had they been in the Big XII they would have to have beaten Oklahoma probably twice. Could they have beaten tOSU in a B1G 10 championship game, possibly, but it would have required playing another game which they have never had to do before.

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There's a simple way to get around this, too: SEC teams can stop scheduling FCS opponents. That reduces the game and that's it.

(I realize that's not going to happen and why we have that game - but it's not just a Notre Dame thing).

Kmqybama said:

I disagree. Thinking about how two teams would fare were they to exchange schedules is part of deciding which is the better team. If the goal is to get “the 4 best teams” then an honest comparison between teams is essential. Why was UCF left out even though they were undefeated? Because the committee’s perception is their schedule wasn’t as tough as many others’. Maybe ND’s schedule was also not as tough as many other schools.

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Despite Clemson having an EXTRA game, Notre Dame's schedule was tougher than Clemson's.

Anyone using this argument has to say Clemson doesn't belong more than Notre Dame - which I think we all agree is absurd.

Kmqybama said:

If ND played Auburn’s schedule would they be undefeated?

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Who knows? Seriously, people think they know, but who knows?

They'd probably lose to Alabama.

Kmqybama said:

How about if they played UGA’s?

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I think they'd lose to LSU by fewer than 20 points. Austin Peay no doubt would give them fits.

Kmqybama said:

What about any non-Clemson ACC team’s schedule?

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Furman would kill Notre Dame without question.

Kmqybama said:

I contend that in any of those scenarios they would never be in the conversation. That said, I have no beef with the committee if they are trying to get the 4 “most deserving” teams, but in that case they should be honest and admit they are not going for the 4 best.

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Teams are NOT based on "how that team might have done against another team's schedule." They are based on "what they actually did."


I DO, however, think the whole "four best teams" should add one word to be accurate: "choose the four best qualified teams."

There - that will fix it.

sanjosecrimson said:

No Heisman winning QB from OU has ever won a NC...

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Tua should have won. Reminded me of when Lamar Jackson won over Deshaun.

Those of you arguing that it’s unfair that conference teams have to play in an extra game (conference championship) when Notre Dame does not, be aware that no one is forcing the power five conferences to have championship games in the first place. That’s not Notre Dame‘s fault.

You should not fault Notre Dame for the choices made by the power five conferences as a money grab.




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If ND cares more about money than trying to be in a position to actually compete with NC, that's just one less opponent we've got to worry about each year.

But they shouldn't get a spot in the CFP when many other teams are more deserving.

Go to an 11 game regular season and use the 12th game as the conference championship game.

In my opinion...
I can't see allowing any team into a playoff spot when they are not in a Power 5 conference.

If they continue to allow teams who aren't in a conference into playoff spots, there will be a push to do away with Conference Championship Games.
Sounds a lot like 'Back To The BCS'. (Except the Committee picks the 4 top teams...)
Sounds like a championship game between #1 and #2. Another Blast From The Past.

SIMPLE SOLUTION...
Keep what we have, but have the selection committee select the
4 best teams.
We don't need to complicate the process by going to a 8 team format.

The conference championship game argument is pretty silly coming from an Alabama fan, when we have 2 national titles in the BCS and CFP eras without having played in the SECCG.

For years, my 2 favorite teams on a weekly basis are Alabama and whoever is playing Notre Dame, but the fact is that Notre Dame's schedule is not the issue. They could be in any of the Power 5 conferences not named SEC and have a much weaker schedule. Next season, they play Stanford, Michigan, USC, and Georgia besides the ACC teams of Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, and Louisville. The last 3 of the schedule (Navy, Bowling Green, and New Mexico) are not a lot worse than the 3 bottom feeders of any Power 5 conference.