There is just zero reason to play games at this point. Norvell is right. 

posted by friendfromlowry

Michigan vs FSU would have been a poop sandwich of a game. 

I think if you had betting lines for FSU vs anyone in the top 8, FSU would be favored in none of them and most of them would be very lopsided lines.

posted by MontyBrunswick

I think if you had betting lines for FSU vs anyone in the top 8, FSU would be favored in none of them and most of them would be very lopsided lines.

Well they open with Georgia 

posted by Ironman92

Well they open with Georgia 

Fanduel has it Georgia -14.

posted by MontyBrunswick

Fanduel has it Georgia -14.

Awesome

posted by Ironman92

1. Michigan vs 8. Oregon

4. Alabama vs 5. FSU

3. Texas vs 6. Georgia 

2. Washington vs 7. Ohio St

This is so easy

How anyone watched Alabama this year and thinks they are a top-4 team is beyond me. But they are here because in reality nobody watched Alabama all season, just last Saturday. 

Kyle McCord entered his name into the transfer portal. Bye.

posted by BR1986FB

Kyle McCord entered his name into the transfer portal. Bye.

Kid has and will continue to get way more of the blame for the loss than he should. You score 24 against Michigan, you should be hoisting the trophy or at the least heading to overtime.

posted by MontyBrunswick

I get what you're saying, but I'll be that guy and point out that the NCAA doesn't do much with the bowl games. That's between conferences and corporate sponsors, so those are the only two that would ultimately get penalized over it.

The CFP committee was in a no-win scenario here no matter who they chose. There were plenty of "deserving" teams that could fit into the top 4... but it isn't their job to pick the 4 most deserving teams, it's their job to pick the four best teams.

They decided that FSU was not one of the four best teams. I can see the rationale behind that. They looked lackluster without their QB.

If they did ultimately include them, I could see the argument for that as well.

It's too bad the expanded playoff wasn't this year. I think anyone in the top 8 or so is capable of beating one another. It'd be fun to see the tournament play out.

I find it interesting to compare computer rankings to the final rankings at the end of the season. Massey does a thing where he averages out a bunch of computer rankings and ranks everyone which (in theory) should reduce bias.

While I don't disagree with any of your points, to me it just creates (or "creates" as much as something can be created that will very soon be a non-factor since with the expanded playoffs, these arguments will be made about which 2-loss third place team should have gotten in over another) a sort of precedent where what actually happens on the field means far less than some peoples' opinion on your ability to advance.

If you look at resumes, Alabama has the best win with Georgia Saturday, but other than that, they're pretty equal AND 'Bama also has the home loss to Texas and number of (due to seemingly playing to a level just above their opponent most of the year) unimpressive wins over lesser teams -- like needing a miracle to beat .500 Auburn the previous week.

To me, it's telling an unbeaten power conference team that everything they did was meaningless simply because one important player got injured late in the season even though there was this kind of recent situation where Ohio State won the championship with their third-string guy and even though the team won against two major conference opponents (one ranked) with their 2nd/3rd string guys.

I get that this was a weird year with 7 teams with a legit playoff argument (including Georgia - defending champion, #1 about all year, lost a close game in the conference championship - and Ohio State - basically exact same resume as last year but with the Michigan loss on the road and in a much closer game), but FSU did every single thing they could to get in. Texas and Alabama (and Georgia and Ohio State) all had blemishes where for one week, they didn't do everything they could. Maybe they would get smoked against Michigan (although they've been winning with D and Michigan's O hasn't been lights out in recent weeks), but I think that based on the entire season, they're the team that did the most to warrant having that opportunity.

I've seen two (flawed) arguments in favor of FSU today, and one of them is the 2014 OSU comparison. There's a critical difference.

OSU didn't skip a beat when Cardale came in. He started and the offense kept right on humming and they obliterated Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship.

Florida States first full game with their backup was an unimpressive win over a middling-to-bad Florida team, followed up by another unimpressive win over an okay Louisville team.

There's enough of a sample size there to say that FSUs offense was compromised. The offense is part of the team. So on those grounds, I can see them being left out for no longer being one of the four best.

Another argument I heard earlier was something along the lines of "if Mahomes got hurt towards the end of the season, his absence wouldn't impact the Chiefs playoff odds". Well yeah no shit. playoffs in the NFL are built differently and are structured around divisional records.

College football isn't. It's completely subjective.

If FSU had obliterated Louisville by 21+, I'd see them making it. But they didn't. That game went down to the final 3 minutes or so.

But yes, Heretic is right. None of this matters starting next year.

https://www.extrapointsmb.com/p/college-football-playoff-rankings-even-worse-thought

Interesting read on the subject. I don't like how he dismissed Cardale's "12 passes". He was 12/17 3TDs in that game and obviously had an impact.

This is outstanding

Kirby looks like more of a dweeb now than he did back in his playing days.

McCord transferring to Syracuse. It's a good get for them but an obvious downgrade for him.

Not sure the line of thinking there, but it almost certainly guarantees him a starting job (and probably 5-6 losses next year)

Well, if the rumors are true about Day telling him there would be competition for the job, possibly from the portal; and that he was going to Nebraska until they got back in talks with top QB recruit Raiola, I'd guess his thinking was "guarantees him a starting job" and that was pretty much the beginning and ending of said thinking.

4th and 7 from 30?….23 seconds left? Up 8

FG….no way, bad snap, block are worst case scenario, miss is giving them 15-30 more yards for the miracle.

I punt it high and let it bounce until ref blows it dead somewhere from the 5-20 yard line and 12 seconds left….the miss gave them ball on 30 with 18 seconds. Small stuff but 🤷🏻‍♂️

This game sucks 

Came someone explain to me how the 3rd string QB at THE Ohio St University can’t have mastered 25-30 different plays in the 11 months he’s been in the QB room and 200 3 hour practices? What does he do?

They are calling plays as if I rolled out of the stands at 49 years of age and had to be the QB.

Let the kid do his thing a bit and get it downfield some. Handing off for 3 yard losses isn’t great. Glad Stover was going ape shit on the line….wish he would’ve to the coaches 

First off, the Cotton Bowl was boring as fuck.

Secondly, I think that's the most indifferent I've been about an OSU game in the past decade. Didn't care if they won or lost.

Whoa. Brown is too fragile to be a mobile, running QB and Kienholz or whatever played too scared for this level. His main move was the backpedal-and-toss.

Why don’t they open the transfer portal after these games? Top talent is already skipping them with their sights on the draft. Now players are missing the games because they’ve already committed to another team next year. 

posted by friendfromlowry

Why don’t they open the transfer portal after these games? Top talent is already skipping them with their sights on the draft. Now players are missing the games because they’ve already committed to another team next year. 

I think that some of it is because of the academic calendar. Some schools start Spring semester shortly after New Year.

42-3 at the half? Woof.