CFP

The problem with your take here is that the Bearcats ARE being punished for playing in the AAC. It's why they are behind multiple one loss P5 teams. And here's the thing.....if there were more one loss P5 teams......Cincy probably WOULD be left out. But the PAC-12 and the ACC are both really weak and played themselves out. And the Big Ten and the Big 12 are both going to have one team MAX with only one loss.

Notre Dame would possibly have a claim if they weren't beat at home convincingly by the Bearcats.....but they were. Bearcats are the better team.....and the best team they played all year. If ND was in a conference....they'd have a shot to add to their resume by playing a championship game against another ranked team. They aren't and they don't. Tough break.
They were the better team ... for one game. That's all they, and supporters of their claim like you, have. And is the entire point for why they aren't deserving of a top 4 bid.

If it was top 12, then not even a question, they're in. Not top 4.
 

This would be way more interesting than most years.
Agree that it's more interesting because it isn't the same old Alabama vs Clemson. New teams are interesting.

But when you only have a top 4, those slots shouldn't be sacrificed to undeserving teams just for that sake alone.
 


This would be way more interesting than most years.
Yeah, even if they end up being blowout…they end up being blowouts most years anyways.

we already know the loser of the Michigan Ohio state game isn’t the best even if they are top 2
We already know the loser of Georgia Alabama isn’t the best even if they are top 2

We DONT know for certain cinci isn’t the best. They probably aren’t but I would rather test a team to be sure than replay a game that already happened
 

More on Bama's strength of schedule - or lack thereof:

"Saturday showed us that Alabama's path to the College Football Playoff isn't as straightforward as most observers assumed. The Crimson Tide narrowly escaped No. 21 Arkansas, thanks to another Heisman-worthy performance from Bryce Young. The Tide's résumé includes a loss to Texas A&M (unranked at the time) and squeakers against Florida, LSU and Arkansas (combined 8-13 vs. other Power 5 opponents this season) with Auburn and Georgia still on the docket. The thought of the first playoff without Clemson or Alabama looks entirely realistic now"
 


More on Bama's strength of schedule - or lack thereof:

"Saturday showed us that Alabama's path to the College Football Playoff isn't as straightforward as most observers assumed. The Crimson Tide narrowly escaped No. 21 Arkansas, thanks to another Heisman-worthy performance from Bryce Young. The Tide's résumé includes a loss to Texas A&M (unranked at the time) and squeakers against Florida, LSU and Arkansas (combined 8-13 vs. other Power 5 opponents this season) with Auburn and Georgia still on the docket. The thought of the first playoff without Clemson or Alabama looks entirely realistic now"
If Alabama finishes 11-2 they will be at best 3-2 against top 25 teams and i speculate 2-2

best win is against ole miss ms state winner

They barely beat a crap Florida team, they ran for 9 yards on an LSU team that will finish 5-7


what I’m telling you is,
Alabama May as well be in the big ten west
 

Short of there being some really crazy crap, the CFP committee has a very established trend of just sliding teams up in the order of the previous week, when teams above them lose. And usually not moving teams down if they don't lose.

Nov 23 CFP rankings are:
1 - Georgia
2 - Ohio State
3 - Alabama
4 - Cincy
5 - Michigan
6 - Notre Dame
7 - Okla State


The best hope I think is if Bama beats Georgia and Okla St beats OU and then say Baylor in the CCG. Me personally in that case, I would vote either ND or Okla St over Cincy, but not sure the committee will do what needs to be done.
 

After yesterday I'm really confused. Need 8 team playoff at least. My list (I think).
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. OK State
5. Alabama
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Mississippi
 




Do the Gophers break back into the top 25 this week? That would be nice to see.
 

After yesterday I'm really confused. Need 8 team playoff at least. My list (I think).
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. OK State
5. Alabama
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Mississippi
For seeding purposes, I would reverse 2 & 3. Instead of a repeat of OSU@Mich, OSU would travel to Nippert Stadium to face Luke Fickell's Bearcats.
 


After yesterday I'm really confused. Need 8 team playoff at least. My list (I think).
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. OK State
5. Alabama
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Mississippi
make Michigan play Ohio state again?
Honestly if you go 8 teams with 6 auto bids, the regular season games get more important.
If you go 8 teams with no auto bids the best games of the season don’t matter anymore
 




make Michigan play Ohio state again?
Honestly if you go 8 teams with 6 auto bids, the regular season games get more important.
If you go 8 teams with no auto bids the best games of the season don’t matter anymore
I wasn't really intending the list as an 8 team playoff, just how I would currently rank the top 8 teams and that we need an 8 team playoff as so many teams have similar resumes. That said, no, I wouldn't have Michigan play OSU again if it was real.
 

For seeding purposes, I would reverse 2 & 3. Instead of a repeat of OSU@Mich, OSU would travel to Nippert Stadium to face Luke Fickell's Bearcats.
I'd switch 7 and 8 so you don't lead with an SEC matchup (UGa vs Miss).
 

BTW, Bama was EXTREMELY lucky to win yesterday. If Auburn back doesn't go out of bounds on a run with less than 2 minutes to go, Bama most likely loses.
 

The best hope I think is if Bama beats Georgia and Okla St beats OU and then say Baylor in the CCG. Me personally in that case, I would vote either ND or Okla St over Cincy, but not sure the committee will do what needs to be done.
What needs to be done, is Cinci in the playoffs, assuming they win their conference title game next week. That's what needs to be done.
 

What needs to be done, is Cinci in the playoffs, assuming they win their conference title game next week. That's what needs to be done.
That will happen. Maybe 1/100 odds they win the CFP.

Teams that have mostly racked-up close wins over programs that are far less resourced than the Top 40 resourced programs have an abysmal record in the CFP.

So… why should the rest of college football we keep accommodating them?
 

That will happen. Maybe 1/100 odds they win the CFP.

Teams that have mostly racked-up close wins over programs that are far less resourced than the Top 40 resourced programs have an abysmal record in the CFP.

So… why should the rest of college football we keep accommodating them?

While I agree with your sentiment....it would be a bad look for the selection committee to keep out an undefeated Cincinnati team in favor of a two loss P5 team. Quite frankly.....there is always a team or two in the CFP that has little to no shot. So there's no reason to try and shoehorn one in and basically flip the bird to the G5 conferences. If Cincy can't make it in when there are not enough one loss P5 teams to cover the four spots.....AND they happen to hand a top ten Notre Dame team their single loss of the year (in South Bend no less).....it's basically saying that the CFP is exclusively for Power Five teams and the G5 teams have no national title to compete for.

It would be a bad look and would cause a lot of problems. Honestly....I'd like to see what Cincy would throw at a team like Michigan. Let's not forget.....Cincy's ONE loss in the past two seasons was in the 2021 Peach Bowl to this year's overwhelming favorite to win the NC....Georgia. And Georgia needed to convert a 53 yard field goal in that game with a few ticks remaining on the clock in order to not lose that game 21-19.

Give them a shot. Alabama and OSU will be right back in the playoffs in the coming years. Since Cincy is joining the Big 12.....they'll have opportunities in the future too. But including them this year will temper the calls from G5 conference heads. If Cincy gets destroyed.....everyone saying that they don't belong will be validated.
 

That will happen. Maybe 1/100 odds they win the CFP.

Teams that have mostly racked-up close wins over programs that are far less resourced than the Top 40 resourced programs have an abysmal record in the CFP.

So… why should the rest of college football we keep accommodating them?
Then there needs to be an official split between the P5 and G5 programs (which has been talked about by fans for some time). Or some kind of re-org where the top FCS teams like NDSU combine with the G5 to form a larger second tier.

My issue is this, and always has been. If you're going to say that the G5 teams are FBS level, then they deserve an equal shot at the championship if their record is good enough. Otherwise, what are they playing for? Nothing.

That's why I'm in favor of either a 12 team playoff with all ten FBS champions and 2 at large, or a 16 team playoff with all ten champions and six at large. It won't happen, but it should.

At the FCS level even the Pioneer League champion gets an auto-bid, and at the D3 level, even the UMAC gets one.
 

It will be a 12 team playoff. No chance in hell it will be 10 auto-bids. I can see six.

Comparisons to FCS, DII, and DIII are entirely irrelevant, because the NCAA runs those tournaments, like they run any other tournament.

Major college football post-season has never been run by the NCAA, and never will be. Too much money, but also they never did. Was always bowl games. Now a playoff format (which is good), but bowl games will be incorporated as well and remain important.


In a 12 team playoff with six autobids, Cincy (assuming they beat Houston -- hopefully they lose!!!) would be in. Easy. No problems in the slightest.

4 team playoff with no autobids??? Hard No. They don't deserve it, for all the weak G5 teams they got to play during the regular season.

My foot is down.
 

I agree it will be 12 with six auto-bids. All P5 and the highest G5.
I think it SHOULD be all ten. Because as I said, unless there is a hard split, the G5 teams are essentially playing for nothing.

And who says the NCAA has to run the tournament? I didn't say that.

And I hope Cincy wins, because it will annoy a lot of people.
 


The highest rated G5 champion will have an auto-bid to the playoff. What are you talking about??
I mean currently. It's almost impossible (almost) for a G5 to crack the top four, though it may well happen this year.

But I still think that all FBS conference champions should get an auto bid. If that means UTSA gets waxed in the first round, so be it.
 


Yup. Exactly. Every SEC loss is quality. Bama struggles against 6-6 Auburn? Oh, Auburn is so talented...and they played their tails off... With a backup QB... Coming off a loss to South Carolina...

I'm fine with Bama being ranked in the top 4, but the rear end kissing that goes on to justify it is sickening and comical.
 

Yup. Exactly. Every SEC loss is quality. Bama struggles against 6-6 Auburn? Oh, Auburn is so talented...and they played their tails off... With a backup QB... Coming off a loss to South Carolina...

I'm fine with Bama being ranked in the top 4, but the rear end kissing that goes on to justify it is sickening and comical.
Auburn is really good they took Bama to the wire. Same with lsu
 

I agree it will be 12 with six auto-bids. All P5 and the highest G5.
I think it SHOULD be all ten. Because as I said, unless there is a hard split, the G5 teams are essentially playing for nothing.

And who says the NCAA has to run the tournament? I didn't say that.

And I hope Cincy wins, because it will annoy a lot of people.
I would love to see 12 with autobid for any conference champion in an objective (non committee) top 20

need to be an auto bid to get a home game unless too few conference champs

rule top 4 teams don’t have to play a conference opponent until semi finals

Could be up to 10 auto bids. This year it would probably be:
Sec champ
Big ten champ
AAC champ
Big 12 champ
Pac 12 champ
ACC champ
Mountain west champ if San Diego state

Assuming championship games go “chalk” and teams don’t move too much:
Played Dec 10-11
1) Georgia
8-9) Notre dame @ Ohio state

4) Oklahoma state
5-12) Michigan state (instead of Baylor so ok state doesn’t have to rematch) @ Oregon



2) Michigan
7-10) Alabama (10 instead of 8-9 so Georgia doesn’t have to rematch) @ San Diego state

3) cincinatti
6-11) ole miss @ Pitt


Played dec 17-18
2nd round games IMO would be
Ohio state @ Georgia
Oregon @ ok state

Alabama @ Michigan
Ole miss @ cinci

Semi finals and finals played on same dates as now
 
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Problem with expansion is how it will work.

ESPN / SEC will want it to be purely CFP rankings so they can cram as many SEC teams in the playoffs.

The other conferences are very wary of a system ESPN / the SEC runs and stands to benefit from picking their own winners….
 




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