2017 Playoffs

[jknezek]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

...because they were rightfully not deemed to be among the top 4 teams in the country.  The committee got it right.

The Dodgers go 3 and 4 against the Astros and come in second!

Auburn goes 2-2 against the field and is sitting at home!

And the reason they aren't in is the big loss to LSU, which was 100% a failure of the offensive coaching minds. Like the head coach. Who just got something like $49 million over the next 7 years to stay. DI football is institutional insanity.

[bluestreak66]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

but back to D3.

Great games coming up this Saturday!

I think you mean 7 conference champions

Does anyone really think G5 schools stand a prayer of getting into the CFP? They don't. If it wouldn't hurt them so much financially they'd be better off declaring themselves a different division. You could have had an 8 team playoff and UCF wouldn't have gotten in. 12 or 16 teams and they are probably the only G5 school even in the running. It's just not a system that is going to reward a G5 school.

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

[jknezek]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

but back to D3.

Great games coming up this Saturday!

I think you mean 7 conference champions

Does anyone really think G5 schools stand a prayer of getting into the CFP? They don't. If it wouldn't hurt them so much financially they'd be better off declaring themselves a different division. You could have had an 8 team playoff and UCF wouldn't have gotten in. 12 or 16 teams and they are probably the only G5 school even in the running. It's just not a system that is going to reward a G5 school.

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

I think this idea will come, and I think shutting out the Big 10 this year for 2 SEC schools will more or less guarantee it happens. But, the highest rank G5 will never be an AQ. They will have to be inside the top 8 to get a bid.

[Mr. Ypsi]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

but back to D3.

Great games coming up this Saturday!

I think you mean 7 conference champions

Does anyone really think G5 schools stand a prayer of getting into the CFP? They don't. If it wouldn't hurt them so much financially they'd be better off declaring themselves a different division. You could have had an 8 team playoff and UCF wouldn't have gotten in. 12 or 16 teams and they are probably the only G5 school even in the running. It's just not a system that is going to reward a G5 school.

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

I think this idea will come, and I think shutting out the Big 10 this year for 2 SEC schools will more or less guarantee it happens. But, the highest rank G5 will never be an AQ. They will have to be inside the top 8 to get a bid.

Perhaps they could be convinced to treat G5 like Pool B?!

[Ralph Turner]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

...because they were rightfully not deemed to be among the top 4 teams in the country.  The committee got it right.

The Dodgers go 3 and 4 against the Astros and come in second!

Auburn goes 2-2 against the field and is sitting at home!

The Astros only had a chance to win it because they didn't have to face the Twins, since the Twins lost 1 game against the Yankees and never had a chance to compete in the ALCS!

Just like Auburn also lost 1 game against LSU, a team not in the field, in addition to those other 2 losses.

I know!      Auburn was winning the LSU game when I boarded the plane, coming home from a meeting.  I was shocked when I saw the final score when the plane landed.

I feel about the Southeast (Clemson, Georgia, Auburn and Tuscaloosa) and D1 as I do about the West Region and the ASC (which is in the longitudes of the West Region).

Look at the map of D3, e.g.,  UW-O and other WIAC-powers-du-jour, Tommies/Johnnies/Cobbers (the Cobbers would probably win 18-20 of the 27 conferences), Linfield ,UMHB/HSU and even Wartburg and the CCIW.  There are perennially the toughest teams in the brackets apart, from Mount Union and an occasional group that string together a few good seasons.

I am excited that we get to see Brockport in the Semifinals and welcome them to Texas.

[Ralph Turner]

Great podcast.

http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/2017/12/04/atn-podcast-187-last-gasps-kicks-picks/

[JCUStreaks70]

And in other news, 2 conference champions will not be invited to their biggest dance of the season...

but back to D3.

Great games coming up this Saturday!

I think you mean 7 conference champions

Does anyone really think G5 schools stand a prayer of getting into the CFP? They don't. If it wouldn't hurt them so much financially they'd be better off declaring themselves a different division. You could have had an 8 team playoff and UCF wouldn't have gotten in. 12 or 16 teams and they are probably the only G5 school even in the running. It's just not a system that is going to reward a G5 school.

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

I think this idea will come, and I think shutting out the Big 10 this year for 2 SEC schools will more or less guarantee it happens. But, the highest rank G5 will never be an AQ. They will have to be inside the top 8 to get a bid.

I see what you're saying and I understand it, however, FBS football is the only level of any sport on the planet where not everyone has a real route to the championship. If an AAC team, ahem, goes undefeated, I believe they've earned the right to play for it all. There are 10 FBS conferences, and only 5 have a chance.

We all know certain conferences will never get there, but at least they have an actual feasible chance when the season begins...

Anyway those are my two cents, for what their worth.

[wally_wabash]

I for one am shocked that a four team playoff designed for five conferences is awkward.  Who could have possibly seen that coming. 

[jknezek]

I for one am shocked that a four team playoff designed for five conferences is awkward.  Who could have possibly seen that coming.

Better than what had been before. Hoping for one more iteration to 8 teams with the first round on campus after a 1 week bye from the conference championships. Will it interfere with finals? No more than the other bowl games that start that early do.

[Teamski]

I for one am shocked that a four team playoff designed for five conferences is awkward.  Who could have possibly seen that coming.

Better than what had been before. Hoping for one more iteration to 8 teams with the first round on campus after a 1 week bye from the conference championships. Will it interfere with finals? No more than the other bowl games that start that early do.

I know this is getting way OT, but I posted this below on Youtube.  I applied some DIII logic which obviously doesn't apply to the FBS.  One of the ESPN pundits even had the temerity to say a playoff is like giving everyone a trophy!  Bowls obviously don't, right?

"So, am I missing something here?  OK, Listen me out if you could for a second.  Alabama beats out Ohio State for the last playoff spot by NOT playing in the SEC Championship game.  So, they did not play a game that had they lost, would have knocked them out of the playoffs.  SO, Alabama effectively had a first round bye in the playoffs by losing to Auburn.  How does that make sense?  You could have a case where  Sabin could intentionally throw the Auburn game knowing that they would not have to play in the championship that would preserve a one loss season AND your players are better off from one less game played than anybody else in the playoffs.

Just like DIII, DII and the FCS, the FBS needs a true playoff.  This bowl system is just crap (and I am a Wisconsin fan by the way)"

-Ski

[wally_wabash]

I for one am shocked that a four team playoff designed for five conferences is awkward.  Who could have possibly seen that coming.

Better than what had been before. Hoping for one more iteration to 8 teams with the first round on campus after a 1 week bye from the conference championships. Will it interfere with finals? No more than the other bowl games that start that early do.

I know this is getting way OT, but I posted this below on Youtube.  I applied some DIII logic which obviously doesn't apply to the FBS.  One of the ESPN pundits even had the temerity to say a playoff is like giving everyone a trophy!  Bowls obviously don't, right?

"So, am I missing something here?  OK, Listen me out if you could for a second.  Alabama beats out Ohio State for the last playoff spot by NOT playing in the SEC Championship game.  So, they did not play a game that had they lost, would have knocked them out of the playoffs.  SO, Alabama effectively had a first round bye in the playoffs by losing to Auburn.  How does that make sense?  You could have a case where  Sabin could intentionally throw the Auburn game knowing that they would not have to play in the championship that would preserve a one loss season AND your players are better off from one less game played than anybody else in the playoffs.

Just like DIII, DII and the FCS, the FBS needs a true playoff.  This bowl system is just crap (and I am a Wisconsin fan by the way)"

-Ski

I don't think Nick Saban is throwing games to Auburn and forfeiting a shot at an SEC championship to get into the playoff (there was no guarantee that would happen), but these kinds of win-by-losing scenarios aren't so far off course that they don't dirty up the FBS playoff waters. 

As a non-partisan, I don't really care who the fourth team was, but I can appreciate the animous by conference champions that got left out or never really considered.  Clemson vs. tOSU or Alabama is fun.  Oklahoma vs. Georgia is fun.  I enjoy these playoff games and can't wait until they build another round or two on to the tournament. 

[wm4]

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

But what does that solve?  Clemson vs. UCF?  USC vs. Oklahoma?  That isn't going to answer any question.  After the first round, you'd be left with the 4 teams you have right now.  There is no team outside of the top 4 that would have a reasonable chance of winning three straight games.  The committee got it right.

[jamtod]

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

But what does that solve?  Clemson vs. UCF?  USC vs. Oklahoma?  That isn't going to answer any question.  After the first round, you'd be left with the 4 teams you have right now.  There is no team outside of the top 4 that would have a reasonable chance of winning three straight games.  The committee got it right.

I've heard this same argument from folks about 2 teams vs 4. And we've had more 4 seeds (1) win the CoFoPlOff than 1 seeds (never).

[jknezek]

Idea for DI playoff. 8 teams. All 5 P5 champs auto-bid, as well as the highest ranks G5, and 2 at large bids.

But what does that solve?  Clemson vs. UCF?  USC vs. Oklahoma?  That isn't going to answer any question.  After the first round, you'd be left with the 4 teams you have right now.  There is no team outside of the top 4 that would have a reasonable chance of winning three straight games.  The committee got it right.

Really? Because Auburn lost by 8 to Clemson week 2, beat Georgia, lost to Georgia, and beat Alabama. I think they absolutely had a reasonable chance of going on a run to win 3 in a row considering they went 2-2 against 3 of those teams. I do think the committee got it right, and was consistent in how the criteria was applied last year and this year, but there is certainly a team left out that showed the chops to be in that grouping. It's just not a team that stood a chance of being in that last spot. If you had an 8 team playoff, you think any of the top 4 would have relished facing Auburn since they had already beat 2 of them?

[wm4]

I for one am shocked that a four team playoff designed for five conferences is awkward.  Who could have possibly seen that coming.

Better than what had been before. Hoping for one more iteration to 8 teams with the first round on campus after a 1 week bye from the conference championships. Will it interfere with finals? No more than the other bowl games that start that early do.

I know this is getting way OT, but I posted this below on Youtube.  I applied some DIII logic which obviously doesn't apply to the FBS.  One of the ESPN pundits even had the temerity to say a playoff is like giving everyone a trophy!  Bowls obviously don't, right?

"So, am I missing something here?  OK, Listen me out if you could for a second.  Alabama beats out Ohio State for the last playoff spot by NOT playing in the SEC Championship game.  So, they did not play a game that had they lost, would have knocked them out of the playoffs.  SO, Alabama effectively had a first round bye in the playoffs by losing to Auburn.  How does that make sense?  You could have a case where  Sabin could intentionally throw the Auburn game knowing that they would not have to play in the championship that would preserve a one loss season AND your players are better off from one less game played than anybody else in the playoffs.

Just like DIII, DII and the FCS, the FBS needs a true playoff.  This bowl system is just crap (and I am a Wisconsin fan by the way)"

-Ski

I don't think Nick Saban is throwing games to Auburn and forfeiting a shot at an SEC championship to get into the playoff (there was no guarantee that would happen), but these kinds of win-by-losing scenarios aren't so far off course that they don't dirty up the FBS playoff waters. 

As a non-partisan, I don't really care who the fourth team was, but I can appreciate the animous by conference champions that got left out or never really considered.  Clemson vs. tOSU or Alabama is fun.  Oklahoma vs. Georgia is fun.  I enjoy these playoff games and can't wait until they build another round or two on to the tournament.

Today has come to remind me of the day after selection Sunday for March Madness.  They'd set the field of 64 and then for the next 24 hours ESPN was just a bunch of people screaming at each other about how 65-68 got screwed.  But then the tournament starts, the best teams emerge, a winner is crowned and then reflecting back all that bitching and moaning seems silly.

I feel that same way about today and the CFP.  Is it perfect?  No, but it's pretty damn good.  Ohio State, Auburn and Wisconsin all had their chances this past weekend.  Ohio State took advantage of theirs, but in the end they lost out to Alabama in the eyes of the committee.  Turns out giving up 55 points and losing by 30 to a team that went 6-6, is not a good thing.

The problem with the CFP is that it was designed by 5 conferences, but for only 4 spots.  Those gears turning in opposite directions are never going to mesh well.