NCAA Playoff Rant

First off, I want to apologize for this blog up front.  This is the first post in a while and I'm gonna be complaining so I'm sorry upfront. 

Lets talk NCAA football. 

For years college football fans, myself included, clamored for a more fair system to replace the Bowl Championship Series. For me, the nail in the coffin of the BCS was several years ago when undefeated Boise State was blocked from the championship game for a single loss team. This, in my opinion was a colossal failure and injustice. Because Boise State came from a "weaker" conference, they weren't considered as good as teams from the SEC, ACC, or other conferences who had lost one or even 3 games. They still ran the gambit, ended their season without a single loss and wasn't given their fair shot at the National Championship because of their "strength of schedule".

Fast forward to now. We are in the thick of the new NCAA football season and its new playoff system. The system that replaced the BCS. The system is to fix the injustice of the BCS. The playoff is to consist of the top 4 teams in the country in a playoff to determine the national champion. Sounds fair, right?

NOT!

Tonight rankings were release by the playoff committee whose job it is to rank the top 25 and name who would be in the top 4 spots if the playoff was to start now.  Mississippi State ranked out at #1. I have no issue with this. They have fought hard in the toughest conference in all college football, the SEC, beating some of the most notable teams in college football. 

My issue starts with #2 Oregon. The Oregon Ducks. The 9-1 Oregon Ducks. I'll say it again, the 9-1 Oregon Ducks.  Yes, I'm harping on that one in the loss column because sitting at #3 are the 9-0 Florida State Seminoles.

What? 

What happened to this playoff system???? Whats fair about a one loss team being ranked ahead of a team who has found a way to win EVERY game they have played???? When asked what lead to this decision, committee chairman Jeff Long said the committee decided to look beyond the records of the Oregon and FSU. He continued to justify his committees lack of intelligence by a saying and I quote "It was a very close call, but the committee placed significant value on Oregon's quality of wins against 3 top 25 teams, two of which were on the road." 

Wait a second? He just said they based their decision to rank a team who LOST a game higher than a team who found ways to win EVERY game because of strength of schedule?????? 

Lets be honest here. All the NCAA has done is repackage and rename the BCS as the College Football Playoffs. For the record, FSU has beaten 3 top 25 teams too (Notre Dame, Clemson, and Louisville). Plus Oregon's loss came from an UNRANKED Arizona in a game played IN Oregon! 

So how does strength of schedule boost a team who lost at home to an unranked team above a team who has had it struggles, but found ways to win each and every game they have played????

Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles are being screwed.  They are undefeated and shouldn't be ranked behind a team who has lost a game. 

There, I said my piece. 

The quotes by committee chairman Jeff Long were taken from an article on ESPN's website. You can read the whole article which talked about the release of this weeks top 4 teams here.

So until next time,

Live long and prosper,

May the Force be with you,

And God bless you richly!


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