Why"National Championship" is a crap shoot.

[donovan]

Dead horses need to be beat to see if they won't come alive. Can we predict if Oregon or BYU is going to be any good seven years from now? If we could we would be richer than Mr. Billybud...well maybe not that rich, but wealthy. BYU just scheduled Oregon, maybe vice versa for 2022.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... id=Email-1

[Spence]

It has always been a crap shoot. You don't know who is going to be good ten years from now. You can't even go by history, just look at the traditional powers that have been down the last 10-15 years. Now with the playoff it is even more of a crap shoot because you have to make it through your preseason which hopefully you scheduled well enough to impress the "committee". Then you have to make it through you conference and more than likely your conference championship game. If you don't have a conference championship then you better have a clear cut winner, but your conference still has to be viewed as competitive to the " committee". Then, after you have done all of that, you have to pass the "look" test of the "committee" to make it into the playoffs. After even doing all that and making it to the playoff your team has to be healthy enough to catch fire and play the two best games of their season to make it. If that isn't a crap shoot I don't know what is.

CFB has turned into a slave of TV ratings like the rest of the NCAA sports, or all sports now.

[collegefbfan-8898]

Spence, that just about covered it all. I was thinking about a couple of other things related to the college football playoff. I remember a few years ago, and I might very well have some of the results wrong here. Remember when Missouri played Kansas in 2007. Okay, Missouri beat Kansas. Then, Missouri lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. Okay, at least Missouri made it to the Big 12 champs game. So, Kansas gets the nod to go to one of the BCS bowls. I know it wasn't the national title game, but I am left to wonder, could this sort of thing happen with the playoff.

So, if Alabama beats LSU for example, and Bama (with a good record) goes to the SEC champs game and loses to the SEC East team, could LSU (with a good record) go to the playoff without even going to the SEC champs game?

[donovan]

What I find to be anomaly is conferences at strictly win/loss. Then for this TV spectacle it is all SOS and sprinkled with some w/l, conference preference and ratings. One team getting hosed this year is Mr. Billybuds.

[Spence]

What I find to be anomaly is conferences at strictly win/loss. Then for this TV spectacle it is all SOS and sprinkled with some w/l, conference preference and ratings. One team getting hosed this year is Mr. Billybuds.

It is too early to find out what team(s) will be hosed. The first poll isn't out. Ohio State started at 16 in the poll that counted last year and ended up ok. No doubt someone deserving will get left out every year. The more teams they add, the more teams will get left out.

The part I like is the "look" test. Ohio State 2002 couldn't have passed the look test. The "look" test doesn't account for defensive excellence unless offensive superiority follows it. The thing is we are no closer to a true champ then we were in 1869 that was split between Rutgers and Princeton.

[Vileborg]

The point is that if you want to make the playoffs be one of the two best teams in the country. Otherwise you may not get in because of the committee. Nothing has really changed except now the teams who were the third wheel have a chance to prove they were the best of the trio. If you're the 5th guy and get left out then you weren't close enough.

[Spence]

The fact that the decision of who makes it is decided by a group of people in one room is different. I don't like that, even if it did work out for the Buckeyes last year.

[Spence]

The fact that the decision of who makes it is decided by a group of people in one room is different. I don't like that, even if it did work out for the Buckeyes last year.

[donovan]

The fact that the decision of who makes it is decided by a group of people in one room is different. I don't like that, even if it did work out for the Buckeyes last year.

There are so many levels, in my opinion, of what is wrong and the one you point out is paramount. There is no transparency. At least when the polls were the decider, right or wrong, you know who voted for whom. Now...well that was then and this is now.

[Vileborg]

I understand that it is a small committee but the people on the committee are all reputable in football and academia. I would love to see one of us on the committee but the people who make it up are pretty close to above reproach in terms of their background and standing in their communities.

[Spence]

I understand that it is a small committee but the people on the committee are all reputable in football and academia. I would love to see one of us on the committee but the people who make it up are pretty close to above reproach in terms of their background and standing in their communities.

I wouldn't like that process if I were asked to be on the committee. It isn't a good way to do it.

[collegefbfan-8898]

I have to agree with Vileborg. I have been thinking about some things in relation to games, schedule, teams, etc. I know someone might look at two teams that another team faced... Common opponent if you will. I am thinking okay sounds simple enough, but is it? Just say Florida State and Virginia Tech both play Clemson. Was it at the start of the season for one team and way later for another team. Florida State plays Clemson in early September and VT plays Clemson in late October. There has to be some thinking to distinguish among those two factors. Were players injured for Clemson, Virginia Tech, or Florida State? Was no team, one team, two teams, or all three coming off bye weeks? I know home field advantage is a factor but just saying. I am reminded of the year that Appalachian State beat Michigan, and Michigan beat Florida in the bowl game. I know bowl games are hyped up. Even last season, VT beats Ohio State in the Shoe, and we know what happens the rest of the season. The Big 12 has had many appearances in the BCS title game, but the brand name Big 12 teams weren't the ones that had a chance of going to the CF playoff last season. It looked as if the Buckeyes had no shot of going until they played one crazy Big Ten champs game.

This committee has a lot to consider. Would I like to be on it? Sure. Would I save the day? Highly doubtful. I mean, what if a team ranked 4th with a pretty good record (but not great) wins their conference champs game and has a chance at the top 4, BUT loses their QB late in the 4th with an unplayed, untested back up QB? Would that team drop out of playoff contention? That's a lot to think about, and it is only one factor.

[Spence]

I would like it much better if a certain criteria were presented before the games start and the teams that most closely meet that criteria would make it.

[Derek]

The fact that the decision of who makes it is decided by a group of people in one room is different. I don't like that, even if it did work out for the Buckeyes last year.

There are so many levels, in my opinion, of what is wrong and the one you point out is paramount. There is no transparency. At least when the polls were the decider, right or wrong, you know who voted for whom. Now...well that was then and this is now.

This is why I say if we are going to do a playoff (which I don't like), then we need to do a real playoff where the conference champions ONLY play each other.

The smoke filled rooms and deals make this a sham IMO. Not that Ohio State didn't deserve it last year.

But leaving the Big-12 out all together was wrong.

[Spence]

The fact that the decision of who makes it is decided by a group of people in one room is different. I don't like that, even if it did work out for the Buckeyes last year.

There are so many levels, in my opinion, of what is wrong and the one you point out is paramount. There is no transparency. At least when the polls were the decider, right or wrong, you know who voted for whom. Now...well that was then and this is now.

This is why I say if we are going to do a playoff (which I don't like), then we need to do a real playoff where the conference champions ONLY play each other.

The smoke filled rooms and deals make this a sham IMO. Not that Ohio State didn't deserve it last year.

But leaving the Big-12 out all together was wrong.

I agree, if they are going to do a playoff do it right with the conference champs playing against each other and take all subjectivity out of it. Getting ready for kickoff in Columbus. We are see what happens today.