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Walk together with me, everyone, down the road of College Football Playoff confusion.
No. 4 Penn State has one win against a team in the College Football Playoff rankings. No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Miami, No. 9 SMU and No. 10 Indiana have none. What those five teams have in common: one loss.
Meanwhile, I give you those with wins against the committee’s top 25: No. 7 Georgia (three), No. 13 Alabama (three), No. 2 Ohio State (two), No. 15 South Carolina (two) and No. 5 Notre Dame (one). What those five teams have in common: a combined seven losses to teams in the rankings.
Penn State running back Quinton Martin Jr (25) reaches for the end zone during his team’s game at Beaver Stadium.
Now I’m not a rocket scientist, but it appears those who play easier schedules have better records. This, of course, leaves two critical questions:
Why reward teams who have an easier path to success?
Why – and here’s the biggie – penalize teams for multiple losses to those teams in the top 25?
BREAKDOWN: Winners and losers from the College Football Playoff ranking
At some point, if the College Football Playoff continues along this path of using a selection committee (which isn’t a given for the new contract beginning in 2026), degree of difficulty must be factored into the equation.
It’s like diving in the Olympics. Anyone can nail a jackknife. How many can hit a reverse 4½ somersault in pike position?
“We were impressed with some of the things Indiana did,”playoff committee chairman and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said of the Hoosiers’ 23-point loss to Ohio State. “We still felt their body of work was strong enough to stay in the top 10.”
Indiana’s resume is wins over three 6-5 teams (Washington, Nebraska, Michigan), and a three-possession loss to Ohio State in its only other game against a team with a winning record.
That’s some body…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football-playoff-rankings-rewarding-033331405.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-11-27 03:33:00
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