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Solar

Playoff Scenario What If's

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Playoff selection is shaping up to be a mess where only the fans of 4 teams are actually happy with the outcome.

 

Frankly, even if we'd somehow managed to sneak out a win yesterday despite our horrid start I don't think it would've been enough to get in, which would have just made us the ultimate spoiler of PAC12 participation in the playoffs. Of course we will never know.

 

The only outcome that would make me truly happy is to see the SEC left out. I'd get a laugh out of that.

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Greg Sankey is already having conniptions. 
 

 

WWW.ESPN.COM

As No. 1 Georgia prepares to play No. 8 Alabama in Saturday's SEC championship game, SEC...

 

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On 12/2/2023 at 10:03 PM, Solar said:

Playoff selection is shaping up to be a mess where only the fans of 4 teams are actually happy with the outcome.

 

Frankly, even if we'd somehow managed to sneak out a win yesterday despite our horrid start I don't think it would've been enough to get in, which would have just made us the ultimate spoiler of PAC12 participation in the playoffs. Of course we will never know.

 

The only outcome that would make me truly happy is to see the SEC left out. I'd get a laugh out of that.

I was thinking the same thing. A one loss Pac-12 would not have been selected. That was a worry I had earlier in the week. 

 

I'm honestly glad I'm not on that committee. There are going to be some irate fans.

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On 12/2/2023 at 10:07 PM, jrw said:

Greg Sankey is already having conniptions. 
 

 

WWW.ESPN.COM

As No. 1 Georgia prepares to play No. 8 Alabama in Saturday's SEC championship game, SEC...

 

He wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't say those things.

 

You've got one spot left for 1 loss Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas.

 

This is the most likely scenario there was for the SEC to get left out based on Committee preferences so far FSU is undefeated and was impressive on the defensive side enough to earn a spot, Texas has been boxing out Bama all season and their destruction of their competition and a conference title doesn't give Bama an excuse to jump them with their barely-a-win in their conference game against Georgia.

 

It's really going to come down to how much the committee values a Conference Champion. Given their clear bias towards deserving vs. best, I think conference championships are a trump card. OSU and Georgia are out. Bama can't jump Texas and FSU ain't dropping, being undefeated.

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On 12/2/2023 at 10:23 PM, Solar said:

FSU ain't dropping, being undefeated.

I'm not 100% sure the committee will see it this way. I would not put be shocked to see Texas at three and Alabama as the fourth seed. 

 

FSU may get screwed.

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Last week I said if Oregon won and chaos happened, the PAC would be locked out and nobody agreed. Now it seems like there is agreement. I hope so much for the SEC to be locked out, then they will see what it is like having a great team locked out. If head to head means anything as they have said in the past, Texas is in, unless they drop UGA to 4th. However, Texas beat Bama, which beat UGA, so by proxy Texas beat UGA.

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It should be 

1. Michigan

2. Washington 

3. FSU

4. Texas

 

That is the most realistic scenario and it’s what I see happening. This would give Washington and excellent shot at playing for the national championship. 

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This is crazy to say… but losing on Friday is better in my opinion than winning and being left out of the CFP by the committee. We will never know what they would have done but that would have ripped our hearts out. 

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On 12/3/2023 at 7:18 AM, QuackyQuack said:

This is crazy to say… but losing on Friday is better in my opinion than winning and being left out of the CFP by the committee. We will never know what they would have done but that would have ripped our hearts out. 

IMO... losing is not better than winning... ever... under any circumstances. And losing to the Husky? Sorry, but that is never ok.

 

I will agree with you on the point you made saying "This is crazy..."

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On 12/3/2023 at 7:25 AM, Log Haulin said:

IMO... losing is not better than winning... ever... under any circumstances. And losing to the Husky? Sorry, but that is never ok.

 

I will agree with you on the point you made saying "This is crazy..."

Very fair point! At least with what happened it was our own fault based on how we played and not left to the hands of some randoms sitting in Dallas deciding who goes. 
 

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On 12/3/2023 at 1:07 AM, jrw said:

Greg Sankey is already having conniptions. 
 

 

WWW.ESPN.COM

As No. 1 Georgia prepares to play No. 8 Alabama in Saturday's SEC championship game, SEC...

 

Despite me thinking that the committee will leave Bama out of the playoff, I think they’re the best team in the nation right now. If they sneak into the playoff they’ll win the national championship. The way their defense was locking down UGA’s offense yesterday was amazing. They have the best CB’s in the nation and their front seven is  up there with the best.

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On 12/3/2023 at 5:48 AM, QuackAttack said:

Last week I said if Oregon won and chaos happened, the PAC would be locked out and nobody agreed.

QuackAttack, kudos to you for being the first to voice the concern, but several others on OBDF had a similar perspective, though perhaps not quite so forcefully.

 

Several threads contemplated what the CFP committee might do under this exact scenario. Myself, Duckman2, the Esteemed FishDuck himself (who generated a separate thread about the Ducks potentially getting screwed) and many others were concerned that a one loss Oregon Pac-12 champ could get iced if Alabama beat Georgia and everyone else (Michigan, Texas and FSU) won out. Not exactly 'chaos' but what ultimately happened outside of the Pac-12 CG. 

 

If I recall, ESPN had a predict-o-meter that let one test every feasible outcome. It projected something like a >80% chance the Ducks would be in regardless of the results in the other games. High, but not 100%.

 

Alas, this is all what ifs and coulda-shoulda. We'll never know since domino #1 didn't fall. We'll see later today if SEC bias rules the land. There are three undefeateds, two of which deserve to be in the CFP. FSU's inclusion is debatable as both Bama and Georgia are better teams, but heck, so are Texas, tOSU and Oregon. How the 3 and 4 spot settle out is anyone's guess.

 

Thankfully this is the last 4 team CFP. One can list all the reasons why a 12 team playoff is about media deals, dollars and how it won't alter who wins it all past the top four seeds. But this season has illustrated that there is no dominant team and that the any of the top seven or eight could have potentially won out.

 

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On 12/3/2023 at 8:22 AM, EastBayDuckDad said:

But this season has illustrated that there is no dominant team and that the any of the top seven or eight could have potentially won out.

IMO, this will become the norm. With TP and NIL you can add 4 to 6 more teams to the top of the CFB food chain. Great timing for a 12 team post season. College football should be congratulated on having the foresight to see it in advance.

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IMHO the eight best teams IF they are playing their best roster (Not necessarily ranked top to bottom):

 

Michigan

Fusky

FSU 

Alabama 

Georgia 

tOSU

Texas

Oregon 

 

I could see Oregon paired up against Texas, tOSU, Georgia or Bama but also Penn St or even Louisville, Notre Dame or Iowa. The outcome likely won't be reflective of how good a team Oregon was this year due to opt outs. It may be more like a 2024 pre-season game with only bragging rights on the line. I will watch with interest but not put a large amount of emotional currency on the outcome. 

 

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Can you imagine how much the phone lines to anybody on the committee are  getting blown up by SEC boosters right now???

 

*Best Boss Hog voice*

 

"Now see hee-yar, this is the SEC.  Y'all can't even begin to even think about leaving us out.  I think ya know what decision you have ta make...and I am either right, or you are wrong."

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Kalen DeBoer is 9-0 vs the top 25. In 2023, UW won 4 games against teams that will finish in the CT.'s final ranking, two coming against Oregon.

 

UW won 8 games vs. bowl-eligible teams. Oregon twice, Arizona, Boise St. (MW Champ,) Cal, OR St., USC, and Utah. 1 win at a neutral site and 3 on the road. 

 

Michigan defeated Ohio State, and 2 O challenged teams in PSU and Iowa. 1 at home. 1 on the road. 1 at a neutral site.

 

Michigan is #1 in the final regular season AP Poll and UW is #2. Why? Based on resumes to date, this makes no sense.

 

After SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey's groveling, shameful, Sesame Street whine about the SEC being left out based on history, which Greg, has nothing to do with this season, I am so happy to see the Invitational Expand into a Playoff. BTW, Greg, the SEC went 7-9 OOC vs. the P5. The significant wins, I guess? MO. over K State and Kentucky over Louisville. Bama lost to B12 champ Texas in Tuscaloosa. LSU lost to ACC champ FSU in Orlando.

 

UW's reward for finishing 2nd in the country will likely be a game in New Orleans vs. Alabama. The last time UW played Bama in the PO the game site was Atlanta, GA. 

 

Based on my and I imagine the Eye Test of many others as well as looking at the resumes, I believe that the Final Final 4 should be 1. UW, 2. MI, 3. TX., 4. Alabama. FSU the way it is playing without its QB would be a PO sacrificial lamb. In this scenario, UW plays Bama but in Pasadena in the Rose Bowl.

 

Someone will have a legit beef. If Bama gets in and not Texas, Texas and Michigan should agree to cancel the H+H series starting next season in Ann Arbor and play UTEP and Bowling Green instead. And Texas fans will beef about playing a 9th conference game vs Oklahoma and losing by 3 points when Bama and UGA have played twice in the last 15 regular seasons. (Of course, with a 2-game schedule, Texas and Oklahoma would play one another.)

 

But come next year, I imagine 10-2 Penn State, Missouri, and Oklahoma will all be fighting for and explaining why they should get the #11. seed.

 

Ducks vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl?

 

BTW: Lot's of great candidates for COY, But I'm giving it to the GOAT, Saint Nick Saban. This is likely Saban's best coaching job at Bama in the last decade. 

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Major props to the committee for putting the 4 best teams in. 
 

Michigan

Washington

Texas

Alabama

 

I can’t imagine the anger taking place in Tallahassee right now. 

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