College football 2016 Week 14/championship week running thread

The committee website has a line in its criteria that allows for choosing a team that is "unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country" even if it is not a conference champion.

Ohio State checks that box, especially when you consider their only loss came on the road on a fluky special teams play. Just as Alabama would have been in a 4-team playoff in 2013 after the Kick Six (and Alabama was No. 3 in the final BCS rankings), Buckeyes are in this year regardless of what else happens.

There are a lot of ex-coaches on that committee, and coaches evaluate game film. Ohio State will pass the eye test with guys like Barry Alvarez, Ty Willingham, Bobby Johnson and Jeff Bower.

 

I agree, but so too do conference titles and head-to-head results. At least according to the committee that actually makes these decisions.

All I'm saying is, if Bama, Clemson, Washington and Penn State all win impressively on Saturday, it is going to force that committee to make a difficult decision and possibly go against much of its own stated criteria. If it still put Ohio State in, I wouldn't say it is wrong. I just think it would be interesting to see how it reacts to that scenario.

If I were selecting, Bama and Ohio State would already be in, regardless of what happens Saturday.

 

I don't even know what you are arguing, so I'm just going to agree.

 

TyWebb, I think you're wishing too hard for the illogical result.

People take that criteria as law, but it isn't. It only says they consider all of it. It doesn't say what order or what's automatic or anything. They can still do what they want and justify it.

And there is no way a four-team playoff this year is going to leave out Ohio State.

If Washington doesn't like it, they can schedule somebody better than Rutgers OOC next year.

 

I can't find that line on the website, but I'll take your word for it.

If that is the case, then yes Ohio State should already be in. As should Bama. I rescind my previous scenario.

 

IF Ohio State is in, then the Big10 Champion must also be in.
Alabama
Ohio State
Clemson
Penn State

Assuming no one loses in their conf champ game

 

After discussing this on the Week 13 college FB thread, something amazing about Washington's OOC schedule occurred to me.

The Idaho Vandals (7-4) — who will be dropping down to FCS after 2017 — are the Huskies best non-conference win. Seriously!

 

I know logically it makes sense, but there is no rule or provision stating that. And I think the point LTL and Steak have tried to hammer into my stubborn SEC brain is that the committee is tasked with selecting the four best teams, and the conference title game is just one of many considerations for that.

I think this will be an interesting precedent to set, however, a team that didn't even win its division reaching the playoff. It will speak to just what the committee takes into consideration and how things are weighted.

 

I'm telling you guys, and I'm repeating myself, but there is at least a 10 percent chance of upsets in the Pac-12 and ACC championship games as well as Bedlam, which leaves the final spot between Colorado, Oklahoma State ... and Michigan.

Michigan hammered Colorado by 17 points. And right now Michigan is ranked fifth and Okie State 11th -- that would be a big one-day leap for the Gundys to overtake the Harbaughs. Would the committee bypass Michigan solely to avoid three teams from the same conference? Probably. But I'd love to see the deliberations.

 

Bite that tongue!

 

I did a screenshot because it's a pdf:

 

If Colorado beats Washington, it will get the 4th spot.
They won't put two teams from the same conference in the playoff.