True. Football would argue about which 2-loss team was left out; in basketball we get to argue about which P5 team with a .500 league average should play an almost-always meaningless play-in game.
(I love hoops, but as Cut said years ago — every weekend is a playoff game in football. Embrace the difference, I say)
LSU and Ohio State are locks to make the Playoff regardless of whether or not they lose in their conference championship game. And Clemson is almost a lock. The only spot that is most likely available is the fourth spot, and if Georgia beats LSU they get it. And even if Georgia loses they have a good shot at getting the fourth spot if they play LSU close throughout and the game goes down to the wire.
I don’t see a two-loss UGA getting in when one of those losses was to South Carolina. Heck, Alabama at that point should get in before the Dawgs although I think a non-SEC team trumps the Tide politically if not on the merits.
Exactly. Plus Utah is -6.5 against Oregon, so they could well be two 12-1 teams along with three potential 13-0 teams in LSU, tOSU (-16) and Clemson (-28.5) before we worry about 11-2 teams. (Obviously If UGA +4 beats LSU, there are three or four one-loss teams, plus a likely two undefeated teams who at worse would fall into the one-loss category).
Last edited by OldPhiKap; 12-05-2019 at 09:50 PM.
Baylor hasn’t proven all that much. And frankly, they’re kind of a dud. They don’t have much tradition or name recognition. They don’t have any star players. They don’t have a big name coach. Their fans don’t travel. Their school isn’t exactly exciting or captivating. Why would ANYONE — college football fans, the media, the committee that chooses which teams make the Playoff — want Baylor?
I think they have basically zero shot of getting in, regardless of whether or not they beat Oklahoma. The committee will choose a two-loss Georgia over a one-loss Baylor if Georgia plays an exciting, close game with unbeaten powerhouse LSU. I promise you.
When the Southwest Conference disbanded, the state schools -- Texas, A&M and Texas Tech joined Oklahoma and the Big Eight. One private school joined them -- Baylor -- not SMU, TCU or Rice. Shows the Baptist are stronger there than the Methodists, the Christian sect, or the agnostics. Baylor has a sizable and loyal fan base.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
You make an interesting point, Sage, but I have to tell you I spent much of my childhood in Texas and I do not remember encountering or even hearing about more than a handful of people who were Baylor fans. There were TONS of Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma fans, quite a few A&M fans, a decent number of SMU fans (especially during the Eric Dickerson/Craig James years), some Tech fans, and even TCU fans here and there. But Baylor? Not really.
By the way, have you ever been to Waco? If not, please don’t go. If you have been, I’m sorry.
for football, 6 w/ 2 byes is ideal for me most years. it's unlikely you're deciding between 2 p5 conference winners with gaudy records, there's space for a "wild card" like utah, and schools like clemson or LSU (assuming they win) get some benefit for being top 2. then we get to argue about the byes as well, so still plenty to argue about!
April 1
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013