Who to root for — and against — if you want the Gophers to sneak into the College Football Playoff!

[BleedGopher]

per Randy:

If the Gophers defeat No. 12 Wisconsin and Ohio State, that would give Minnesota three marquee wins, counting No. 10 Penn State.

Let’s look at the latest CFP rankings and see what results would help the Gophers most.

• 1. Ohio State (11-0): A win over Michigan would boost the Buckeyes’ profile and make a Gophers win in the Big Ten title game even bigger.

• 2. LSU (11-0): The Tigers would help by beating Georgia in the SEC title game, giving the Bulldogs a second loss.

• 3. Clemson (11-0): Best-case scenario, but unlikely, is for the Tigers to lose at South Carolina and in the ACC title game. With their relatively weak schedule, the defending national champs might miss the playoffs with one loss and likely would with two.

• 4. Georgia (10-1): See the LSU entry. Minnesota fans would be rooting against the Dawgs.

• 5. Alabama (10-1): A ‘Bama loss in the Iron Bowl at Auburn could clear a path into the top four for the Gophers.

Who to root for — and against — if you want the Gophers to sneak into the College Football Playoff

Losses by Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Utah and Oklahoma would all help Minnesota's cause.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[OddStack]

Utah and Oklahoma need to lose and get out of the picture as well.

 

[Dano564]

If the Gophers win both, they are likely the #3 seed provided Clemson and LSU win out.
The question then is whether OSU, Oklahoma, or Utah get's the 4th spot.
There is no way if we beat WI and OSU that we are not ahead of Oklahoma, Alabama, and any other one loss team by a wide margin.

To help our case and make it a bigger slam dunk however, having Auburn beat Bama is probably the biggest help.
Oklahoma losing to someone other than Baylor, and Baylor losing again could both help. Essentially if we win out, these other teams losing would best help get OSU in as a 2nd Big Ten Team.

It could be LSU vs OSU in a #1 vs #4 matchup and Minnesota vs Clemson in a #2 vs #3 in that case.

 

[DEGopher]

Utah and Oklahoma need to lose and get out of the picture as well.

Don’t forget about Baylor. As long as they only have 1 loss, their claim to the CFP is as legitimate as ours.

 

[Dano564]

Baylor needs a good win at some point. Their jump this week was just to give Oklahoma a bit more hope.

CFP committee can't post:

1. OSU
2. LSU
3. Clemson
4. Georgia
5. Minnesota
6. Alabama
7. Utah
8. Oklahoma
9. Penn St
10. Baylor

It would be too obvious that Alabama is already out since they can't win a big game anymore and the same for OK, UT, and Baylor

Minnesota has the inside track to a #3 seed, but getting there will be difficult.

 

[Winnipegopher]

I firmly believe if Gophers win the next 2 they can't keep them out. I honestly can't see how how a 1 won loss Gopher that just beat the #1 team on a neutral site can be left out of the playoffs. Hard part, of course, is winning next 2.

 

[Ski U Mah 55]

I firmly believe if Gophers win the next 2 they can't keep them out. I honestly can't see how how a 1 won loss Gopher that just beat the #1 team on a neutral site can be left out of the playoffs. Hard part, of course, is winning next 2.

I agree. If the Gophers can somehow win both Wisconsin and the B1G Champ game, they can't leave out a 1 loss B1G champ with 3 Top 25 wins.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

There would be no sneaking into the playoff if we win the next 2. We would be solidly in. Likely the 3 seed.

 

[Bruno22]

Don’t forget about Baylor. As long as they only have 1 loss, their claim to the CFP is as legitimate as ours.

Baylor's claim is as legitimate?
Please explain w objective data. I do not understand.

 

[Winnipegopher]

There would be no sneaking into the playoff if we win the next 2. We would be solidly in. Likely the 3 seed.

Agreed. And if we lose this week or next week, Gophers will not be in the playoff. Everyone should be fine with those odds.

 

[Section2]

Clemson is waaay out of the playoffs with one loss. Maybe out of the top 15 with 2.

 

[Flash30]

I’ve already stated this numerous times and there are people over in a different thread who said we aren’t contenders anymore . Our resume would be, assuming Ohio state doesn’t lose, a win over 4, 12, and 1. We’d have one top 20 loss to Iowa. Plus the committee seems to think there are good losses. There’s no way in hell we’d be kept out of the top 4. We’d most likely even deserve to be a 3. And of course being in the top 4 doesn’t mean we are a contender according to a few.

 

[Jeshurun]

I’ve already stated this numerous times and there are people over in a different thread who said we aren’t contenders anymore . Our resume would be, assuming Ohio state doesn’t lose, a win over 4, 12, and 1. We’d have one top 20 loss to Iowa. Plus the committee seems to think there are good losses. There’s no way in hell we’d be kept out of the top 4. We’d most likely even deserve to be a 3. And of course being in the top 4 doesn’t mean we are a contender according to a few.

We’d be the worst #3 team in the country

 

[hello-world]

I’ve already stated this numerous times and there are people over in a different thread who said we aren’t contenders anymore . Our resume would be, assuming Ohio state doesn’t lose, a win over 4, 12, and 1. We’d have one top 20 loss to Iowa. Plus the committee seems to think there are good losses. There’s no way in hell we’d be kept out of the top 4. We’d most likely even deserve to be a 3. And of course being in the top 4 doesn’t mean we are a contender according to a few.

I tend to agree w/ this. I think the Gophers are still contenders, but I guess if something funny happened, then I could see 12-1 Minnesota getting left out in favor of a combo of LSU, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, Utah, Oklahoma, and Baylor.

 

[60's Guy]

A 12-1 Gophers team is in the Final Four.
Big Ten Champs, beat 3 top rated opponents and the 1 loss is on the road to a top 20 team.
We have been given too much respect to this point to all of a sudden be ignored.

 

[die hard gopher]

Gophers don't need to root for anybody.

If we win our next two we are in, if not then we are out. Nothing else needs to happen.

 

[fmlizard]

Root hard against Michigan / for OSU. Not only would beating 12-0 Ohio State be Minnesota’s best CFP chance, but there’s a nasty potential scenario where Michigan goes Rose with a win over OSU, a Minnesota win over wisconsin, and then a Gopher loss in Indy.

If OSU and Minnesota win Saturday Pasadena is the floor!

 

[hello-world]

A 12-1 Gophers team is in the Final Four.
Big Ten Champs, beat 3 top rated opponents and the 1 loss is on the road to a top 20 team.
We have been given too much respect to this point to all of a sudden be ignored.

There are a lot of scenarios in which Minnesota could get left out at 12-1.

If Georgia beats LSU in the SEC championship, then 2 teams from the SEC will be in the playoff.

Clemson will probably win out which will leave one spot for the other three P5 conferences.

Utah looks really, really good on tape (undoubtedly better than Minnesota) right now so I would struggle to say no to them.

Oklahoma would have 4 top 20 wins and a QB that has already won a championship.

Then there are injuries. For example, if Minnesota beats tOSU, but loses Winfield in the process, then they probably won't go.

Then you have to look at the potential weirdness of sending Minnesota over tOSU, who will have played a much more difficult schedule, and has only lost to a top 10 team, when Minnesota lost to a top 20 team, even if UMN beat tOSU head-to-head. Why should UMN get a slipup against a easy schedule when tOSU doesn't get one against a difficult schedule?

And you can't forget about Nick Saban, who basically told the CFP to let him in last time Alabama didn't make the championship game... and they listened to him, so they're not out of it yet.

The current system is stupid af and completely illegitimate, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if Minnesota was somehow left out.

Gophers just need to focus on the axe game and let everything else play out.

 

[DEGopher]

Baylor's claim is as legitimate?
Please explain w objective data. I do not understand.

To remain a 1 loss team means they will have to beat OU in the big 12 title game. At that point they would have beaten a top 6 team and the only team that they lost to.

 

[Bruno22]

To remain a 1 loss team means they will have to beat OU in the big 12 title game. At that point they would have beaten a top 6 team and the only team that they lost to.

One top 25 win? That is your data?
Gophers will have 3? (One is a top 5 and more impressive than OK?)
Still do not understand the love for Baylor and the Big 12 you are throwing around.

 

[Dano564]

The biggest issue for MN is Georgia winning the SEC title and OSU losing to Michigan this week.

 

[OddStack]

Michigan beating tOSU wouldn't help our case if we win out either.

 

[fmlizard]

We need Ohio State, Auburn, Colorado (or Oregon) Oklahoma State, and LSU (in a week) to win.

 

[DEGopher]

One top 25 win? That is your data?
Gophers will have 3? (One is a top 5 and more impressive than OK?)
Still do not understand the love for Baylor and the Big 12 you are throwing around.

I guess you need to be spoon feed.
BU would also have 3 top 25 (OU, ISU, OSU) And they would be conference champions as well.

 

[Bruno22]

I guess you need to be spoon feed.
BU would also have 3 top 25 (OU, ISU, OSU) And they would be conference champions as well.

Are they still all going to be in the top 25?

MN would be conference champions.

Unequivocally true that even if they still in the top 25, MN would still have the better wins.

Please use better objective data
Thanks

 

[DEGopher]

Are they still all going to be in the top 25?

MN would be conference champions.

Unequivocally true that even if they still in the top 25, MN would still have the better wins.

Please use better objective data
Thanks

BU would also be conference champion.

There is no more data needed. If you don’t think a 1 loss BU will be considered in line with Minnesota, then you don’t think OU is either, because regardless of who wins the Big 12, the resume is the same.

 

[Bruno22]

BU would also be conference champion.

There is no more data needed. If you don’t think a 1 loss BU will be considered in line with Minnesota, then you don’t think OU is either, because regardless of who wins the Big 12, the resume is the same.

Fair

I suppose the crux of the matter is how you are valuing Ok St versus Wisc. Penn St and Ohio St will be in the top 10 at the end of the season regardless. MN will have two solid top 10 wins in the above scenario. I suppose the Big 12 champ will also have two top 10 wins (maybe). (Baylor is not in the top 10 in the AP 25 for a data point).

If Ok St loses to OK (to make the wins as valuable you are saying), they will have four losses and not be in the top 25.
Wisconsin will stay in the top 25 regardless of the outcome of this game.

But to each their own on how you look at things and interpret the current situation/facts.
I am sure other people agree with you. So all good.

 

[DEGopher]

Fair

I suppose the crux of the matter is how you are valuing Ok St versus Wisc. Penn St and Ohio St will be in the top 10 at the end of the season regardless. MN will have two solid top 10 wins in the above scenario. I suppose the Big 12 champ will also have two top 10 wins (maybe). (Baylor is not in the top 10 in the AP 25 for a data point).

If Ok St loses to OK (to make the wins as valuable you are saying), they will have four losses and not be in the top 25.
Wisconsin will stay in the top 25 regardless of the outcome of this game.

But to each their own on how you look at things and interpret the current situation/facts.
I am sure other people agree with you. So all good.

I think, as you have stated the SOS would give Minnesota the edge, but you never know since a committee gets to pick and there are still some other moving parts etc..

 

[gopher8190]

I am sure other people agree with you. So all good.

Unlikely. Beyond the obvious resume differences, the eye test is damning for Baylor.

 

[Bruno22]

Unlikely. Beyond the obvious resume differences, the eye test is damning for Baylor.

?
Exactly. Being diplomatic. I’m sure there is a small minority who share the contrary view.

Didn’t even get into the non con evidence.

I know SF Austin and UTSA and Rice are powerhouses in the committees eyes according to some... All just objective data.