College football

adkindo · Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:08 am Post subject:

If I had to select 4 teams today that I feel "could" win against any other team if they are playing at their best, they would be (not in any order):

Alabama
Ohio State
Oklahoma
USC

I am not saying these are the 4 most deserving teams, etc....just the 4 best, when they are at their best.

venturalakersfan · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:51 am Post subject:

Getting into the two best seasons of college football, the bowl games and coaching firings. Charlie Strong out in Texas, Tom Herman in. Ed Orgeron hired at LSU. As for Strong, giving a head coach less than 4 years makes little sense. He didn't even have the chance for his first recruiting class to become seniors.
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Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

I was pulling for Herman to go to LSU and for Texas to hire Les Miles. That would have been priceless.

As for Charlie Strong, he did a lot to turn the program around, but you just can't lose to Kansas when you're already under fire. The mob psychology of the Texas boosters kicked in.

Aussiesuede · Franchise Player Joined: 27 Jul 2005 Posts: 10964

So do the pollsters drop a 2 loss Michigan team above or below a 1 loss Washington team? Knowing that everyone was watching, Michigan gave away a lead and lost, whereas Washington curb stomped it's ranked arch rival with an NFL bound QB, in a series where historically ranking mattered little at all.
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Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

Who cares about the pollsters? Michigan is out of the playoff, barring some remarkable string of upsets. It gets tricky if PSU beats MSU, so that OSU is not in the Big 10 title game. In that scenario, either PSU or Wisconsin would have a claim to a playoff spot as Big 10 champion. If MSU beats PSU, UW has a clear path. I think UW would make it over the PSU-Wisconsin winner, but it isn't a sure thing.

lakersken80 · Retired Number Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38775

Hard to believe that USC could end up going to the Rose Bowl with the start of the season they had. Now they just need a favorable outcome in the Utah vs Colorado game and they could end up playing Washington in the Pac-12 title game with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.

lakersken80 · Retired Number Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38775

Colorado wins, will meet Washington in the Pac-12 championship game.

Tark the Shark · Star Player Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 3510

Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

lakersken80 · Retired Number Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38775

Phil Knight will also pay top dollar for a new head coach at Oregon since he wants to see them win a championship in his lifetime. After the disaster that was this season, I'm sure he has offers on the table.

lakersken80 · Retired Number Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38775

lakergal16 · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:43 pm Post subject:

adkindo · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:31 pm Post subject:

I am not a fan of Jim Harbaugh, and actually preferred Ohio State to win....but Harbaugh is right that they were on the receiving end of several bad calls. Miami Hurricane fans know the pain Michigan fans feel tonight.

I know this is not the system we are currently in, but I truly believe that if you are unable to win your conference championship, you should not be in the playoff. Disband the committee, go to 6 team playoff, (Power 5 Champs and highest ranked Group of 6), 2 highest ranked teams get a bye....and then each team will have true control of their own destiny.

adkindo · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:44 pm Post subject:

ChickenStu · Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 2:15 am Post subject:

Michigan got absolutely jobbed today, there is no way around that. And I despise Jim Harbaugh. But that was straight-up larcenous what happened out there today in that game.

I am not sure that Washington was helped with Colorado's win. My logic here is that a win over a surging USC would've looked better to the committee. Granted, perhaps they would have lost again. But I just don't think a win over Colorado holds as much weight. Speaking of that...

I think that it's really unfair if Washington loses out on a spot, if they win the Pac 12, to a 2-loss Penn State team. I know that Penn St. beat Ohio State and that a win over the current #2 ranked team is more impressive than any win Washington has (right now their biggest win is against Utah, and if they beat Colorado, that would replace it), but it's 1 loss vs. 2 losses. That just has to count for something. If people are saying a loss doesn't matter, then put USC in. They are playing better than anyone not named Alabama, and if they were a 2-loss team and were playing for a Pac 12 title, I bet they would get in if they beat Washington. But they have that 3rd loss and so they wouldn't have been considered, even if Colorado had lost yesterday. So a loss should matter, and I think it would be very unfair for a 2-loss Big 10 champ to get in over a 1-loss Washington.

Oh, and Ohio State is going to get a spot from the committee, even as a non-conference champ. If you have any doubts about the powers-that-be wanting them in, go ahead and re-watch the Michigan game. I'm telling you, it was that bad and that eyebrow-raising.

I also think that Clemson would get in over Washington, just given their recent pedigree of high-level play and the fact that I think their non-conference schedule was much stronger than that of UW. Their Louisville win is looking worse by the second, and Florida State was down a bit this year, but I still think that they would get the nod over Washington.

Basically what I'm saying is that I think Washington is rooting for either a Clemson loss, or a Wisconsin win over Penn State. If Wisconsin ends up as the Big 10 champ, I think their case isn't quite as strong as Penn State's, although Wisconsin could still get in IMO. But Wisconsin's best win of the season is...I don't even know. They beat LSU in Week 1, and LSU lost 4 games. They beat Nebraska, a team that has imploded late. They beat an at-the-time #8 Michigan St. early in the year, and the Spartans went on to lose 9 times. Nine times. (Ed Rooney voice.) They did only lose their 2 games both by a TD to Ohio State and Michigan, which is solid enough. Still though, their most impressive win by far on the season will be against Penn St. if they can win that. I just don't think their resume is as strong as a 2-loss champ as Washington's would be, but I could totally see the committee giving the Pac 12 the shaft.

Oklahoma probably needs losses by Washington and Clemson to punch their ticket. Although a 2-loss Pac 12 champ in Colorado has a case against 2-loss Oklahoma (without a conference title game), I doubt that the committee would really pick Colorado over the cache of OU. They might even need a Penn St. loss, because I can't see the committee choosing Oklahoma, with 2 losses, over 2-loss Penn St, not when Penn. St. beat Ohio St., and the Buckeyes walloped OU. I could see them choosing Oklahoma over 2-loss Wisconsin, however.

With Florida's loss to FSU, they wouldn't get into the playoff even if they beat Alabama, because they now have 3 losses. Alabama would still get in if they lost, though they might perhaps lose their #1 seed. So from this perspective, I have 'Bama and Ohio St. as locks, and it's basically Clemson/Washington/Penn St./Wisconsin/Oklahoma/Colorado battling for the final 2 spots.

USC could very well get a top bowl game now. I mean, I saw projections that had Tennessee playing Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, prior to the Vols' loss to Vanderbilt today. And Tennessee was ranked #17. USC is going to be right around 10th, somewhere in there. I see no reason why a big bowl game wouldn't want to take USC.

Aeneas Hunter · Retired Number Joined: 12 Jul 2005 Posts: 31763

Actually, I don't think OSU is a lock for the playoff. Assuming everyone wins out, Alabama and Clemson are in. That leaves you with OSU, the PSU-Wisconsin winner, UW, and the OU-Okla. St. winner. At this point, there aren't enough games left for anyone else to get into the picture. The scenario for the OU-Okla. St. winner is so remote that we can just ignore it.

In the scenario in which everyone wins out, I think UW is in, and the debate in the committee is between OSU and the PSU-Wisconsin winner. That is not a pleasant debate. The alternative is to take two Big-10 teams -- one a non-champion and the other with two losses -- over a one-loss conference champion from the Pac-12.

I think the committee will be rooting for Virginia Tech to beat Clemson. Even if Colorado beats UW, the committee would have a headache taking two Big-10 teams over a Pac-12 champion with two losses.

Raijin · Star Player Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 6576

There's just no way you can deny Ohio State. Wins over #3 Michigan soon to be #5 Michigan, #7 Wisconsin, #8 Oklahoma and one loss to #6 Penn State. They're in without a shadow of a doubt and yes I would put money on it.

I think the final selection will be rather boring.

Alabama
Ohio State
Clemson
Washington

None of these teams look good enough to beat Alabama, so it looks like the Dark Lord will reign supreme
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lakersken80 · Retired Number Joined: 12 Aug 2009 Posts: 38775

Tark the Shark · Star Player Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 3510

Stay classy Notre Dame.

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adkindo · Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:20 am Post subject:

venturalakersfan · Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 12:18 pm Post subject:

venturalakersfan · Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 12:32 pm Post subject: