Issues/Questions Related to CFP Rankings

[deltatider]

I am really confused as to how the CFP committee goes about ranking certain teams over other teams. I almost think they sort of back themselves into corners with how they rank some teams early on and are almost scared to adjust the rankings for those teams, therefore pretty much creating different standards for different teams. There is pretty much no consistency.

Look at Washington and Oregon...from the time Oregon lost that first game to Washington the committee pretty much told the public that the PAC 12 is so good and so much better than the SEC that a 1 loss Oregon is still better than a 1 loss Bama or a 1 loss Texas.....Because neither team had a good out of conference win to hang their hat on. Washington beat a Michigan State team that had an interim coach while Oregon barely beat Texas Tech. So by keeping Oregon ahead of Texas and Bama, the committee is putting a lot of stock in wins over a 3 loss Arizona (#15) team that got beat by Mississippi State, and a 4 loss Oregon State (20) team. By comparison, Bama beat the #11, #13, and #21 teams; while losing to the #7 team based on today's rankings. Oh, and UGA beat Oregon by more than 40 last year..so the Ducks must have really, really closed that gap....Mhmmmm.....

Maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist, but it just feels to me like the committee made their initial rankings with some strategy in mind to get an outcome that they wanted. An Ohio State team that has beaten the #7 and #10 teams should not be ranked higher than a team with wins over the #11, #13, and #21 teams on their resume. While this next part is completely subjective.....I completely believe that had Ohio State played that same Texas team as Bama at the same time of the season; then they too would have taken an L to the Horns. Remember, OSU started out pretty slow....similar to Bama.

I really want Bama to win this weekend and put all kinds of pressure on that committee.....

 

[Ledsteplin]

Yeah, I want to see the committee get a huge headache, and say, "We have got to put Bama in! They're definitely one of the best 4 teams! Texas will just have to deal with it". Yes, that wouid work.

 

[bamaga]

I don’t think I have ever seen a season where the number 8 team stayed number 8 for the entire ranking cycle.

 

[mdb-tpet]

We're in the (sigh) politics zone for CFP rankings right now. Maybe we should hire a team of lobbyists!

 

[deltatider]

I don’t think I have ever seen a season where the number 8 team stayed number 8 for the entire ranking cycle.

Exactly…..it’s almost like it’s by some type of design. In my opinion the growth of this team has not at all been reflected in the rankings. If we beat UGA I will die on the hill that we should get in the playoffs….regardless of who else wins or loses this weekend. But for my scenario to play out that committee will most certainly have to contradict itself on their previous rankings and really contradict their reasonings for some of those rankings. Unfortunately another case of sports emulating politics…

 

[BamaFlum]

What gets me is that Alabama could beat the 2 time champs who are currently undefeated in a hostile environment and still get left out depending who wins and loses. A one loss SEC champ who defeats the king should not be left out, ever!

 

[BamaMoon]

While I agree with a lot of your points, I'm not sure I follow you on the quote below. You seem to be contradicting yourself.

An Ohio State team that has beaten the #7 and #10 teams should not be ranked higher than a team with wins over the #11, #13, and #21 teams on their resume.

 

[B1GTide]

What gets me is that Alabama could beat the 2 time champs who are currently undefeated in a hostile environment and still get left out depending who wins and loses. A one loss SEC champ who defeats the king should not be left out, ever!

They have said that they do not care how teams or conferences have done in the past.

 

[crimsonaudio]

They have said that they do not care how teams or conferences have done in the past.

And they shouldn't.

 

[BamaMoon]

I'm not sure if a win against Georgia is enough even if FSU loses.

I think it'll take FSU and Texas losing.

If just FSU loses, the way they've been ranking the team, I'm not sure we'd leap from 8 to 4 past the current 6th ranked TOSU. Maybe we will, but I'm just not sure.

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

It seems clear to me that one of our best traditional arguments -- running the gauntlet of an SEC schedule -- has been undermined this year by the ho-hum performance of the conference. Normally, we would reach this point in the season having played and beaten a host of Top 10 schools. Not this time. What's our best win on the road: Kentucky? A&M? Auburn? Ole Miss is a sham, and so is Tennessee. LSU has half a roster. This year, even with a win over Georgia, we can't convincingly make the case that we are the best team in THE BEST conference when there only 3 1/2 to 4 decent teams.

 

[CB4]

They have said that they do not care how teams or conferences have done in the past.

Unfortunately they have said a lot of things in the past 4-5 weeks that are complete contradictions. As examples, 1) Corrigan in a zoom call with media after last nights release said “the goal was selecting “the best four teams” and not “the most deserving team””. This was a direct contradiction to making statements in previous releases when asked about ranking placements, Corrigan falling back to “the committee felt they were more deserving of the higher ranking. Others might be better, but we FELT THEY DESERVED the higher ranking”. So which is it? If indeed the goal is ranking the BEST why not put them AHEAD if you think they are possibly better? That makes no sense. 2) Corrigan last night goes off talking about SoS and margin of victory among common opponents as being “important” but then pretty much dodges the question about Oregon being ranked ahead of Texas among the one loss teams when a) Texas by far has the better SoS AND b) Texas demolished common opponent Texas Tech by 50 points, while Oregon only beat them by a single score. Corrigan falls back to then “losing by only 3 to Washington and strong victory over Oregon State (btw a team with a head coach with one foot out the door). Once again, talking out of both sides of his mouth.

As you said yesterday @B1GTide , now they are just lying to us and making it up as they go.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I'm with crimsonaudio on this one. This goes all the way back to the spring and summer offseason regarding preparing for this season and not being aware of what needed to be done with the offense and Milroe. Saban has to own the position we are currently in with the CFP committee. So, if we beat UGA and get left out, Saban needs to go look in the mirror, because we know the issues we saw in the games leading up to the change of the offense were very present in all the scrimmages.

 

[BamaMoon]

I'm with crimsonaudio on this one. This goes all the way back to the spring and summer offseason regarding preparing for this season and not being aware of what needed to be done with the offense and Milroe. Saban has to own the position we are currently in with the CFP committee. So, if we beat UGA and get left out, Saban needs to go look in the mirror, because we know the issues we saw in the games leading up to the change of the offense were very present in all the scrimmages.

Yep!

We can complain about the committee but the bottom line is not only did we lose but we sucked in about half of the wins.

If we take off our Crimson colored glasses and look at this team I'm not sure how we feel we should be ranked much higher right now.

We beat Georgia and the narrative changes a little, but probably not unless Texas and/or FSU lose.

 

[CB4]

It seems clear to me that one of our best traditional arguments -- running the gauntlet of an SEC schedule -- has been undermined this year by the ho-hum performance of the conference. Normally, we would reach this point in the season having played and beaten a host of Top 10 schools. Not this time. What's our best win on the road: Kentucky? A&M? Auburn? Ole Miss is a sham, and so is Tennessee. LSU has half a roster. This year, even with a win over Georgia, we can't convincingly make the case that we are the best team in THE BEST conference when there only 3 1/2 to 4 decent teams.

But can’t you make that similar argument with the other conferences as well? I would not disagree that it is a down year in the conference overall in terms of the overall standard. Much of that due i believe to lack of experienced QB play outside of Daniels, Dart, and possibly Jefferson.

ACC: FSU and Miami and Duke?
PAC 12: Washington, Oregon and Oregon State?
Big 10: Michigan, tOSU and PSU?
Big 12: Really only Texas and Oklahoma?
SEC: Georgia, Alabama, Missouri?

IMO the eye test tells me UGA is clearly the best team in the country at present. And it should give “weight” to the SEC in some regard. And while I would agree that top to bottom the conference is not up to standards, clearly none of the other Power 5 conferences can pound their chests about clear conference supremacy.

 

[Cruloc]

Yep!

We can complain about the committee but the bottom line is not only did we lose but we sucked in about half of the wins.

If we take off our Crimson colored glasses and look at this team I'm not sure how we feel we should be ranked much higher right now.

We beat Georgia and the narrative changes a little, but probably not unless Texas and/or FSU lose.

If we were having a 12 team playoff, we're probably in even losing the SECCG.

But, yeah, ultimately we've brought this on ourselves. There's no reason we shouldn't have had a QB ready for Texas. The OL was bad.

Most of that has worked out over the course of the season.....but that Texas game is the millstone holding us down. If we lose by 3, maybe it's a different story.

 

[CrimsonEyeshade]

But can’t you make that similar argument with the other conferences as well? I would not disagree that it is a down year in the conference overall in terms of the overall standard. Much of that due i believe to lack of experienced QB play outside of Daniels, Dart, and possibly Jefferson.

ACC: FSU and Miami and Duke?
PAC 12: Washington, Oregon and Oregon State?
Big 10: Michigan, tOSU and PSU?
Big 12: Really only Texas and Oklahoma?
SEC: Georgia, Alabama, Missouri?

IMO the eye test tells me UGA is clearly the best team in the country at present. And it should give “weight” to the SEC in some regard. And while I would agree that top to bottom the conference is not up to standards, clearly none of the other Power 5 conferences can pound their chests about clear conference supremacy.

My point exactly. For the first time, perhaps in decades, the SEC is indistinguishable from the other conferences. What's the signature, out-of-conference win? There really isn't one.

 

[CB4]

My complaints about the committee has little to do with Alabama. Beat Texas and play more consistently throughout the season and you’re “there”.
My issue is really the constant moving target in terms of reasoning and reading the PAC 12 press clippings about Nix and Penix. IMO there is no logical reason to have Oregon ahead of Texas among one loss teams. Period. None.
Alabama is where they are because they didn’t take care of business. And god knows I can’t stand UT. But there is no comparison when you look at Texas and Oregon.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

This is such a weird year. I think there is a real shot that the team that would win the NCG will be left out of the playoffs and the wrong player will win the Heisman.

 

[CB4]

After Friday night, either Washington or Oregon will be in. The committee hangs it hat on putting Oregon at #5 on its “close last second loss to Washington”. Okay…go back at look at Washington’s schedule and, other than being undefeated, point to something on that schedule that jumps out and says “yep they are the third best team in the country”? Are they a good team? Yep. But nothing on the resume makes me say “yep they are one best teams”.

And the committee’s fall back position for Oregon at #5 is “they are almost as good as Washington”.