Selection Committee Might Be Stupid

[donovan]

FSU also has to beat ESPN. Let's not forget that power opponent.

But I also think it's more political than they let on.

Succinctly, this may well be the issue....FSU has to beat ESPN

[Spence]

I think by winning, they have.

[donovan]

The committee is a joke.......an absolute joke...not because of their final selections...I like it...think it is correct...BUT

How can the committee say one week ago TCU is number three...play one game, clobber the team they played and drop to number 6. Just unequivocally ridiculous.

[Spence]

The committee is a joke.......an absolute joke...not because of their final selections...I like it...think it is correct...BUT

How can the committee say one week ago TCU is number three...play one game, clobber the team they played and drop to number 6. Just unequivocally ridiculous.

I agree. They were speculating that Baylor would lose and Ohio State would lose. I think you rank teams based on that week and the previous week. It is silly to believe you know the future. I think it is a joke too and the wrong way to determine playoff seeding. I think they got the right four teams in. I didn't decide that until last night. Ohio State wasn't in my top four until last night - with or without Barrett.

[WoVeU]

I am not sure that TCU and Baylor aren't the 2 best teams in the country. Yeah Baylor beat TCU, but it was at Baylor, and the Bears rallied late...they hung it all out because they had to and scored 3 TD's to beat TCU, and they may have relaxed just a hair. Baylor won by 3, which is the expected home field advantage by the masses. I however think home field in college where you have school and football and plenty of distractions is worth about 6 points. I happen to think that TCU is the best team in the country.

That being said, that is what I think. But what we have here is a problem of all things not being equal...the Big 12 doesn't have 12. Not having a championship game is the fault of the conference. If they had a championship game I am rather sure the Champ would have been in. I certainly think the Big 12 was at least the 2nd best conference this year. But the Committee was looking for a team...not a conference.

[donovan]

I am not sure that TCU and Baylor aren't the 2 best teams in the country. Yeah Baylor beat TCU, but it was at Baylor, and the Bears rallied late...they hung it all out because they had to and scored 3 TD's to beat TCU, and they may have relaxed just a hair. Baylor won by 3, which is the expected home field advantage by the masses. I however think home field in college where you have school and football and plenty of distractions is worth about 6 points. I happen to think that TCU is the best team in the country.

That being said, that is what I think. But what we have here is a problem of all things not being equal...the Big 12 doesn't have 12. Not having a championship game is the fault of the conference. If they had a championship game I am rather sure the Champ would have been in. I certainly think the Big 12 was at least the 2nd best conference this year. But the Committee was looking for a team...not a conference.

In your second paragraph you express a basic flaw of the committee system....didn't the Bolsheviks rule by committee?-- Why should conferences change what they want and is best for them, so their teams can set up a system where an estranged third party decides who is going to walk off with 40 million dollars....Just let conferences decide their champions, however they want, play in a bowl game and let the national champion be crowned at the water coolers of the nation....and as the the 40 million...invest in education?

[Spence]

Baylor and TCU aren't better than Alabama and Oregon. I don't think they beat Florida State. They are similar to Ohio State and that argument is valid. I think Ohio State's performance last night made the difference. I also think Cardale Jones is going to have to go to school hard on Alabama, because they are going to throw a lot at him. I would like the match up with Oregon better, but Ohio State wouldn't be favored in either game.

[Cane from the Bend]

In all of the conjecture, the oversight is Baylor is the outright B XII Champ.

The Big 12's bylaws state, in a circumstance where two teams finish with the same conference record, the head to head match up will be the deciding factor to crown the champion.

No Co-Champ here, Baylor is the rightful Big XII King.

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[Spence]

In all of the conjecture, the oversight is Baylor is the outright B XII Champ.

The Big 12's bylaws state, in a circumstance where two teams finish with the same conference record, the head to head match up will be the deciding factor to crown the champion.

No Co-Champ here, Baylor is the rightful Big XII King.

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Except that the B12 commissioner decided to change the rules at the end. That is who screwed Baylor. He should be fired.

[Eric]

I think you could go either way with 4-6. I give Baylor the nod, but it is hard to reject Ohio State after thrashing a decent Wisconsin team. I wonder if it was just a giant mismatch instead of Ohio State truly being 59 points better than a top 25 team like Wisconsin, but we'll see after the Alabama game. I still think Alabama is going to eat Ohio State's lunch, even though I think Alabama is a team with some warts that the right team could have exploited. I don't know if Ohio State can exploit that. They need the pass rush to step up if they have any chance because as well as Blake Sims has been playing, he can be prone to making mistakes. The defense can be exploited and you can't draw any conclusions on Cardale Jones after one game. With Barrett, I think the Buckeyes would have a much better chance.

I think TCU matches up the best with Bama, followed by Baylor, and then Ohio State. Not that that should be the deciding factor on who gets in, but it makes me kind of wish that somebody else was able to test Alabama. Of course, this is me just assuming stuff, so take it with a grain of salt. It's kind of like Missouri winning the SEC East; Missouri's offense has been pitiful in the second half of the season, so you knew they had no chance to take out Alabama. Georgia would have given them a much better fight. I want to see Alabama lose more than anything

[WoVeU]

donovan, it is having 12 games rather than 13 I felt hurt them in the evaluation...that is all.

I think Baylor is the Big 12 Champ.
I think TCU is the best team in the Big 12.
I think the Pac-12 was pretty bad this year.
I think Oregon, is therfore, over-rated.
I think Miss St. was and is over-rated.
I think Ole Miss is and was over-rated.
I think LSU is just above mediocre.
I think the SEC, is therefore, over-rated.
I think the Big 10 and the ACC look really good...in basketball.
I think Florida State has some issues.
But I think Florida State is number 1. Because they don't have a "one" and they played real OOC games.

[donovan]

I don't disagree with you evaluation...my obscure point is, a committee should not dictate how the conferences are structured of behave. The reward is not worth it for such a few. This whole idea is short range, myopic and short lived, thrashing years of traditions. The bell can not be unrung...so I live with it, but begrudgingly.

[Spence]

I think you could go either way with 4-6. I give Baylor the nod, but it is hard to reject Ohio State after thrashing a decent Wisconsin team. I wonder if it was just a giant mismatch instead of Ohio State truly being 59 points better than a top 25 team like Wisconsin, but we'll see after the Alabama game. I still think Alabama is going to eat Ohio State's lunch, even though I think Alabama is a team with some warts that the right team could have exploited. I don't know if Ohio State can exploit that. They need the pass rush to step up if they have any chance because as well as Blake Sims has been playing, he can be prone to making mistakes. The defense can be exploited and you can't draw any conclusions on Cardale Jones after one game. With Barrett, I think the Buckeyes would have a much better chance.

I think TCU matches up the best with Bama, followed by Baylor, and then Ohio State. Not that that should be the deciding factor on who gets in, but it makes me kind of wish that somebody else was able to test Alabama. Of course, this is me just assuming stuff, so take it with a grain of salt. It's kind of like Missouri winning the SEC East; Missouri's offense has been pitiful in the second half of the season, so you knew they had no chance to take out Alabama. Georgia would have given them a much better fight. I want to see Alabama lose more than anything

Ohio State-Wisconsin was a giant mismatch. No question that Ohio State isn't 59 points better that a top 25 team. I don't think TCU matches up best with Alabama. I think overall Ohio State has better athletes on the field than TCU or Baylor. I also don't think any one including Ohio State has a great chance of beating Alabama. Ohio State's defense has to really go to school. The Big12 in general doesn't play very good defense. The Big 10 doesn't either, but Ohio State individually has more NFL players on the roster than Baylor and TCU. I understand I am a Buckeye homer, but I'm trying to be as objective as I can. I also think I am a reasonably good judge of talent. I base my view on overall talent, the fact that both B12 schools had three weeks off instead of two like the others, and the fact that there was no clear cut champion in the B12 even though they promised one.

I also believe Florida State is lots better than most people think. The Noles are not going to get blown out in the Rose. That game will be closer than people think and the Noles have the horses to win that game. They are going to have to play without turnovers and their front seven on defense is going to have to bring the wood, but they can win this game without a miracle.

The Buckeye D has to go to school against Alabama. They have to disrupt the Tide's offense and respond correctly to Saban's adjustments. They have to contain Cooper. How Ohio State's defense plays will decide the game IMO. Ohio State will have some problems on offense against Against Alabama. Jones is still the 3rd string QB. He isn't very mobile and he is very awkward in the backfield when the play breaks down. Ohio State can prepare him for situations, but they can't give him the battle testing that Barrett and Miller have faced. The Buckeyes can win the game, but we need Sims to help us some. We aren't just going to walk in a go nose to nose with the Tide. They are better than Ohio State.

[strawman]

I just wonder if the 2 Big 12 teams in the mix were Texas and Oklahoma would they have been left out like Baylor and TCU? Ohio State will move the ratings needle much more than TCU and Baylor but it would be pretty much the same with either Texas or Oklahoma.

So how quickly does the Big 12 petition for an exemption to have a championship game with a 10 team conference or start looking for 2 more teams?

[Spence]

I just wonder if the 2 Big 12 teams in the mix were Texas and Oklahoma would they have been left out like Baylor and TCU? Ohio State will move the ratings needle much more than TCU and Baylor but it would be pretty much the same with either Texas or Oklahoma.

So how quickly does the Big 12 petition for an exemption to have a championship game with a 10 team conference or start looking for 2 more teams?

I think to answer your question that perception does play a part. The committee says they wouldn't be concerned with the ratings issue, but I find that hard to believe. That said, Ohio State has been the team people love to hate for 10-12 years and it seems every team in every conference thinks they can beat Ohio State. I remember the year we beat Oregon, Chip Kelly not understanding how the Buckeyes were not as slow as everyone believed. Florida and LSU beat Ohio State on the Dline. Specifically the defensive ends at our lunch. The LSU game was not as bad as Florida who got us in a mismatch and exploited it to a major league butt whipping.

If Texas or Oklahoma has the same resume they would go in over Ohio State because the perception is that when Oklahoma and Texas are good then the Big12 is good. They are right to an extent. The same way that if Ohio State and Michigan are good then the B10 is good. That may not be fair, but it is how people react.