Based on the "eye test," I'm guessing most folks probably would have said to themselves that LSU and Ohio State were the two best teams in the country. Some may have argued Clemson since the only actual argument against them was their schedule. What we avoided, however, is what was so often the ultimate frustration of following college football for so long - did the right team win the national championship?
Like it or not, LSU is the undisputed national champion for 2019. They took on and beat all comers, and they deserve absolute respect for the accomplishment.
1) We didn't get stuck with "team with best-known name gets voted title without playing a bowl game."
Looking at you, 1966 Notre Dame
2) We didn't get "well, only two teams can be in the BCS so: a) Clemson can't 'defend their title' or b) LSU or Ohio St got screwed because Clemson....."
3) We didn't get a plethora of bowl games were some average football team lucked into a win over an overrated one and pole vaulted to the title.
Looking at you, 1983 Miami and 1977 Notre Dame
Nobody got hosed this time. All three unbeatens got a fair chance. And ultimately, the eye test (for most of us) was vindicated. LSU was deservedly number one, and the two teams everyone thought were the top contenders (Ohio St and Clemson) played each other and got a deserving winner (outhouse officiating excluded). LSU played a one-loss blue blood conference champion just to even things up in the sense LSU wasn't sitting at home while teams 2 and 3 decided who got to lose to LSU.
Of course, the ONE objection (with minimal merit) is this one - "But Oklahoma wasn't the fourth best team in the country." And that's PROBABLY true given that Oklahoma 2019 version would lose games to Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Auburn (if the game was in Jordan-Hare). But in all honesty - who else could you have picked? You had a bunch of two-loss teams clustered.
Was Georgia indisputably number four? I mean, could UGA have beaten Alabama? We'll never know. Maybe UGA beats Alabama with Mac Jones, I don't know.
Was Oregon? Would ANYONE here pick Oregon to beat Georgia anywhere in America?
You couldn't possibly take Baylor over Oklahoma under ANY circumstances - not with two losses to them.
Was Wisconsin indisputably number four? Well, does anyone here think Wisky beats Georgia or Alabama? (Serious question).
Was Florida? How can you possibly take Florida ahead of Georgia? Same number of losses and a 7-point head to head win.
Could you take Penn State?
Is Utah the indisputable number four?
So LSU got what amounted to a scrimmage with a team that might not have been the "fourth best," but the problem was the LSU had already beaten THREE other two-loss candidates (Florida, Georgia, Alabama).
I have some serious reservations about what the committee CAN do. But I also can't say they do a bad job, either. What we had yet again was vindication of the PROCESS even if we want to tweak some of the fine points of the process. And I'm with B1G here - I don't want any "automatic qualifiers" unless that qualifier is "went undefeated in a decent conference."
Like it or not, LSU is the undisputed national champion for 2019. They took on and beat all comers, and they deserve absolute respect for the accomplishment.
1) We didn't get stuck with "team with best-known name gets voted title without playing a bowl game."
Looking at you, 1966 Notre Dame
2) We didn't get "well, only two teams can be in the BCS so: a) Clemson can't 'defend their title' or b) LSU or Ohio St got screwed because Clemson....."
3) We didn't get a plethora of bowl games were some average football team lucked into a win over an overrated one and pole vaulted to the title.
Looking at you, 1983 Miami and 1977 Notre Dame
Nobody got hosed this time. All three unbeatens got a fair chance. And ultimately, the eye test (for most of us) was vindicated. LSU was deservedly number one, and the two teams everyone thought were the top contenders (Ohio St and Clemson) played each other and got a deserving winner (outhouse officiating excluded). LSU played a one-loss blue blood conference champion just to even things up in the sense LSU wasn't sitting at home while teams 2 and 3 decided who got to lose to LSU.
Of course, the ONE objection (with minimal merit) is this one - "But Oklahoma wasn't the fourth best team in the country." And that's PROBABLY true given that Oklahoma 2019 version would lose games to Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Auburn (if the game was in Jordan-Hare). But in all honesty - who else could you have picked? You had a bunch of two-loss teams clustered.
Was Georgia indisputably number four? I mean, could UGA have beaten Alabama? We'll never know. Maybe UGA beats Alabama with Mac Jones, I don't know.
Was Oregon? Would ANYONE here pick Oregon to beat Georgia anywhere in America?
You couldn't possibly take Baylor over Oklahoma under ANY circumstances - not with two losses to them.
Was Wisconsin indisputably number four? Well, does anyone here think Wisky beats Georgia or Alabama? (Serious question).
Was Florida? How can you possibly take Florida ahead of Georgia? Same number of losses and a 7-point head to head win.
Could you take Penn State?
Is Utah the indisputable number four?
So LSU got what amounted to a scrimmage with a team that might not have been the "fourth best," but the problem was the LSU had already beaten THREE other two-loss candidates (Florida, Georgia, Alabama).
I have some serious reservations about what the committee CAN do. But I also can't say they do a bad job, either. What we had yet again was vindication of the PROCESS even if we want to tweak some of the fine points of the process. And I'm with B1G here - I don't want any "automatic qualifiers" unless that qualifier is "went undefeated in a decent conference."
