Somewhat early 2024 Draft thread

[Sriracha]

Imagine UEFA making champions league a 4 team playoff selected by random dudes in a hotel room and picking 4 clubs they “feel” are the best and leaving out an undefeated team from Serie A or Ligue 1 to throw in a rando EPL team that “passes the eye test”

There would be actual riots

EXACTLY!
The rules don't matter. In the end, the question is always, "what can we do to get an SEC team in whose record does not match up with a school who had better results?" At this point, we might as well be watching WWE.

You're over the top, man.

You think if Florida St flipped their schedule with Georgia they'd have the same result? We'll see what happens when they play, but let's not pretend it's an even playing field, the schedule.

With Jordan Travis out, there are clearly implications, given the format, as it stands, but I don't think Bama or Georgia are worse teams that FSU.

Both have had pretty mediocre schedules

http://powerrankingsguru.com/college-fo ... hedule.php

Georgia at 44 and FSU at 55

The SEC was relatively weak this year with most of the top strength of schedule teams coming from the Pac 12

You do have a valid argument for Alabama, however

[Anteaters]

You're over the top, man.

You think if Florida St flipped their schedule with Georgia they'd have the same result? We'll see what happens when they play, but let's not pretend it's an even playing field, the schedule.

With Jordan Travis out, there are clearly implications, given the format, as it stands, but I don't think Bama or Georgia are worse teams that FSU.

I think you're being willfully oblivious here.

When Gonzaga makes the final 4, no one asks if they should be disallowed because they didn't "flip their schedule" with a team in a "better" conference. The NCAA has a charter, it has rules, and the rules say the record and the standings and all this other stuff is supposed to count. And too many years, we get all the way to the final week and the standings morph to allow an SEC team to get in despite their record not being good enough.

It's not over the top to call it for what it is. Believe me, I'm no Florida State fan. But this is simply against the essence of Good Sportsmanship. It's cheating. And seeing that it's apparently sanctioned by the powers that be, I have to make decisions that work for me. When I want to watch scripted entertainment, I watch a movie or read a book. When I want to watch sports, I now know to stay away from the NCAA football playoffs.

[FantasyFreak]

You're over the top, man.

You think if Florida St flipped their schedule with Georgia they'd have the same result? We'll see what happens when they play, but let's not pretend it's an even playing field, the schedule.

With Jordan Travis out, there are clearly implications, given the format, as it stands, but I don't think Bama or Georgia are worse teams that FSU.

I think you're being willfully oblivious here.

When Gonzaga makes the final 4, no one asks if they should be disallowed because they didn't "flip their schedule" with a team in a "better" conference. The NCAA has a charter, it has rules, and the rules say the record and the standings and all this other stuff is supposed to count. And too many years, we get all the way to the final week and the standings morph to allow an SEC team to get in despite their record not being good enough.

It's not over the top to call it for what it is. Believe me, I'm no Florida State fan. But this is simply against the essence of Good Sportsmanship. It's cheating. And seeing that it's apparently sanctioned by the powers that be, I have to make decisions that work for me. When I want to watch scripted entertainment, I watch a movie or read a book. When I want to watch sports, I now know to stay away from the NCAA football playoffs.

It happens almost every year. An unbeaten team doesn't make the top 4. College football is a mess, always has been. I don't think Florida St is a better team than Bama or Georgia. I don't agree it's "cheating". This happens every year, and there's always going to be opinions on who should have made it, but when only 4 can get in, there's never going to be a solution that makes everybody happy. I would have loved it if Michigan played FSU, not Bama, as a Michigan fan, believe me. I think Bama is the better team.

You seem to think it's a stated fact that FSU is a better team. They have a better record, yes, but it's not the way it works, and again, the schedule certainly can influence your record. You believe no SEC team is a top 4 team, and that's fine, but many do, including me.

To suggest that one being top 4, is "cheating", I don't understand how you can claim that. I think it would have been wrong if Bama or Georgia didn't get in, myself. So here we have a difference of opinion, but you're suggesting that my opinion is somehow, not just wrong, but morally corrupt?

[KingsKing]

First time in history an unbeaten power 5 school was left out of the top 4.

[FantasyFreak]

It's a tough one. Texas beat Bama, but Bama, IMO is better than FSU, despite losing one game. FSU is a really good team. They will likely push for 8 teams, soon enough.

[Bronco Billy]

OK, explain how OSU doesn’t get in over Texas. OSU beat ND and Penn St and only lost on the road to #1 Mich by a score. UT beat ‘Bama and lost at home by a score to OU.

[FantasyFreak]

OK, explain how OSU doesn’t get in over Texas. OSU beat ND and Penn St and only lost on the road to #1 Mich by a score. UT beat ‘Bama and lost at home by a score to OU.

I'll tell you how. Cheating, that's how.

Seriously, though. With only 4 getting in, there is always going to be arguments over it, and the process.

[Bronco Billy]

OK, explain how OSU doesn’t get in over Texas. OSU beat ND and Penn St and only lost on the road to #1 Mich by a score. UT beat ‘Bama and lost at home by a score to OU.

I'll tell you how. Cheating, that's how.

Seriously, though. With only 4 getting in, there is always going to be arguments over it, and the process.

Agreed, but UGA and OSU both look more qualified than UT

[Anteaters]

You seem to think it's a stated fact that FSU is a better team.

This isn't about who anyone *thinks* is a *better* team. This is about playing regular season and conference championship games to pick the four teams that performed the best during those games. Power 5 teams are given a distinct advantage over non Power 5 teams. However, within the Power 5, go undefeated and you should get in as long as there aren't more than 4 undefeated teams in the Power 5.

It's pointless to get into the debate of whether or not Alabama would beat FSU or vice versa. It doesn't work that way. You play, and your record is supposed to dictate if you advance. Not injuries. Not perceived improvement from the time of your loss(es) and close wins against scrubs. The record.

If you believe the CFP should be some arbitrarily chosen quartet of teams that a dozen people chose, I won't try to argue with you about that. That's an opinion that is so far away from mine that we could never find common ground on the subject.

But I disagree it (a dozen people using eye-test over Power 5 records) is the best way to determine which four teams get in. It's a perfect set-up for corruption to take over. Oops, too late to worry about that.

[Shcritters]

It's a tough one. Texas beat Bama, but Bama, IMO is better than FSU, despite losing one game. FSU is a really good team. They will likely push for 8 teams, soon enough.

12 teams starting next year

[Shcritters]

OK, explain how OSU doesn’t get in over Texas. OSU beat ND and Penn St and only lost on the road to #1 Mich by a score. UT beat ‘Bama and lost at home by a score to OU.

The question was if Bama - the SEC Champ - was getting in. If yes, then UT had to get in because they beat them on the road in Tuscaloosa. And that ‘home’ game was in name only - it was a neutral site location for the red river rivalry against OU (always is).

Bama and UT both Conf Champs… OSU not. Same
Thing happened a while ago when Michigan was #1 and OSU #2 basically all season. Mich lost (I believe) to OSU in the season finale and was left out of the playoff.

[nathanq42]

I understand why there isnt a long college playoff, but this has to be one of the worst systems created for playoff entry and seeding... Its all just so arbitrary. I feel like a point system should be created, x points for P5 home win, x points for P5 away win, x points for conference champion and so on, it would see a lot of top school aim at the lower P5 teams, but it cant be worse than this right?

[YouMightDieTryin]

It's a tough one. Texas beat Bama, but Bama, IMO is better than FSU, despite losing one game. FSU is a really good team. They will likely push for 8 teams, soon enough.

12 teams starting next year

And there will still be outcry for the 13th team that doesn't make the cut.

It happens every year for March Madness and they go 68 deep now. There can always be a case for any team to make it.

[Bronco Billy]

It's a tough one. Texas beat Bama, but Bama, IMO is better than FSU, despite losing one game. FSU is a really good team. They will likely push for 8 teams, soon enough.

12 teams starting next year

I don’t get that either. If you’re going to 12, what’s the logic of not going to 16? It’s okay for 8 teams to prepare for and play an extra game but not 16? There already is clearly a problem with picking the top 4, and then you’re going to offer them a significant advantage over the rest of the field in rest/scouting/preparation?

[murphysxm]

The biggest problem the NCAA has here is there are two strategies on picking the top 4. Subjectively pick the "best" four teams in the country and use the regular season records as a factor OR Use the regular season as the barometer on who the top 4 teams are. What they did this year is blend the two strategies. We don't have the "best" 4 teams in the final 4 and we definitely didn't reward the best 4 regular season performances. It is about money and they aren't particularly trying to hide it.