Football 2021 CFP National Championship Game Thread

[LandoComando]

There is an argument for this and that is that they lost their playoff game a couple weeks prior, but under the current system, yes you are correct.
Until the NCAA requires conferences to do away with divisions and makes conference championship games the 1st stage of the playoffs they will never get it right. The best team doesn't always win the championship, mainly because conferences don't want it that way. The B1G is one of the main culprits in all of this putting their 4 best franchises in one division. It's downright silly and they are too arrogant to correct their own mistake, which only hurts them and isn't in their own best interest. The big 10 could be in the same position as the SEC now and again but they never let their two best teams play in the conference championship because they have them in the same division. It's ridiculous. Wait till the SEC adds OU & UT. You think things are messed up now, wait till that crap comes to fruition. Say bye bye to any questionable at large berth in a 4 team playoff.

All that said, I have a hard time calling a team a champion that lost to the other team two games ago. Conferences break the playoffs, not vice versa. Until someone makes the conferences act in an orderly and like way, you will get what we got.

There was "playoff game" prior. And why in the world would strong conferences ever agree to it being "playin game". Honestly, the playoff probably should be 4 teams from the SEC and Big Ten most years. This is why we need at least 16 teams. All conference winners and wild cards. See FCS.

We all realize not all conferences are equal, right? That the SEC (hate them all you want) has proven they're far superior. Why are ignoring reality?

Honestly, the FBS needs to disband the the top 24-48 programs needs to create a new league which is run similar to the NFL. I'm shocked Cuban or someone else that's loaded hasn't tried to make that happen and cash in on it.

 

[lowhandicapper]

When you say no team should be national champ who got boat raced by 20, do you mean like Alabama beating Georgia by 18 three weeks prior? That kind of boat race? Or another kind?
Georgia couldn't even win their own conference but can win the national championship? That Georgia?

Georgia loses to Alabama 7 out of 10 times, solely based on the vast inferiority of their quarterback, who I love. I chalked this national title up to likeness of the PSU 86 title. Sometimes the better team doesn't win. Miami would have beat Penn State 8 out of 10 times but they didn't on January 2, 1987.

 

[Op2]

Because it mattered for Bama. It was irrelevant for Georgia as they were already in. If Georgia beats Bama the SEC likely gets one team. One game against one team doesn't make you not worth of a playoff spot. In that doesn't exist in ANY sport.

I think the issue is you're considering the championship game to be a playoff game or post-season game. It's not. It's the same as any other other game.

IOW, the SEC title game meant much more to one team (Bama) than it did the other (Georgia). That is a problem with conference title games IMO. It's a wasted week on the schedule in terms of narrowing the field. 12 regular season games, typically 1 bye week and 1 week for conference title games. That's 14 weeks before any narrowing of a playoff field can even begin.

 

[ryoder1]

When you say no team should be national champ who got boat raced by 20, do you mean like Alabama beating Georgia by 18 three weeks prior? That kind of boat race? Or another kind?
Georgia couldn't even win their own conference but can win the national championship? That Georgia?

Georgia loses to Alabama 7 out of 10 times, solely based on the vast inferiority of their quarterback, who I love. I chalked this national title up to likeness of the PSU 86 title. Sometimes the better team doesn't win. Miami would have beat Penn State 8 out of 10 times but they didn't on January 2, 1987.

Then you have no NC because your looking for perfection and through a very narrow lens. Everyone has holes in their resume unless someone goes undefeated and no one did except Cincy. The point about PSU in '82 is the same as Bama this year. Both PSU and Bama should have been eliminated because they had losses. Georgia as well so I guess Cincinnati is the champ. Happy? You are advocating Bama should be the only one in the playoff because they won a particular game at the end of the season. So that is the game you have to win? Others are not important. The problem you've got is they all play into how good a team is so other games mean nothing. So a 4 loss team in a horrible conference wins their championship. They get to go to a playoff and a one loss team from a vastly superior conference who is clearly better is eliminated? No, you have to extend this thinking to everyone's resume. If Alabama cannot beat a 3 loss or 4 loss Texas A&M then they certainly are not worthy of a playoff. Have to have tough standards all over like the way you are punishing UGA. Otherwise the very thing you are arguing against, the fact that we allow UGA to go to a playoff yet no conf champ is what you are doing. You are being arbitrary in selecting one particular game to decide a playoff berth and not fully evaluating a resume.
Again your method picks one game and ignores others. Bama could have had 2 or even 3 losses in a bad SEC West then makes the champ game from some tiebreaker, plays out their butt in one game and what do you know they are magically one of the 4 best teams because they won the magic game. Makes no sense but you can have your POV and we can agree to disagree. And yes, O$U deserved to go in ahead of PSU in '16. It is not just about winning certain games

 

[heckmans]

You are operating under the false assumption that a game determines ‘which team is better’ . Doesn’t work that way. It only decides which team is better that day......and even more accurately, which team scored more points. The best team doesn’t always win the game. And if Ala and Ge played each other ten times it would likely turn out 6-4 overall.

We need an eight game playoff. The P5 winners plus three selected. And no matter what format is selected there will still be debate as who is better because .....no one game determines which team is better.

If winning doesn't determine the best team in theory, then is UGA the Natl Champs?
At the end of the day, the look test is BS...everyone on this board slammed Herbie and company for advocating for OSU to go to the CFP in 2016 when PSU beat OSU head to head and won the B1G championship. At some point winning a football game has to matter. This is not figure skating.
Look, I'm done debating this. We will not see eye to eye. At the end of the day, it comes down to the academic definition of what you are trying to achieve.
You guys seem to want to find the "best 4" teams, with the method being figure skating judges performing mental gymnastics to get some mix of the same 6 teams into a playoff 7 out of 10 years. Fine. I believe that winning something should matter at a higher level and diminish biased coaches/media/figure skating judges. I'm mroe interested in determining the best team, based on winning games, than I am trying to guess at the 4 best politically palatable teams.

 

[heckmans]

Because it mattered for Bama. It was irrelevant for Georgia as they were already in. If Georgia beats Bama the SEC likely gets one team. One game against one team doesn't make you not worth of a playoff spot. In that doesn't exist in ANY sport.

I think the issue is you're considering the championship game to be a playoff game or post-season game. It's not. It's the same as any other other game.

Again, this is the same as saying a WC team can't win a SB or someone that doesn't win their conference tournament for basketball shouldn't be included in March Madness. A conference championship is simply a resume builder. That's it. Otherwise Penn State should join the MAC. Take an easy path as winning a conference is all that matters.

This isn't about you being a "simple man"--this is about your personal bias likely tied to Ohio State being CORRECTLY selected over Penn State.

I have no bias. I just believe winning football games is a better way to determine a champion than a figure skating methodology. Full Stop. Doesn't matter who the team is. 2016 B1G is just the most egregious example generally known to this group.

 

[ryoder1]

I have no bias. I just believe winning football games is a better way to determine a champion than a figure skating methodology. Full Stop. Doesn't matter who the team is. 2016 B1G is just the most egregious example generally known to this group.

But Bama did not beat A&M? ScUM lost to MSU. Apparently winning the magic games matters.

 

[heckmans]

But Bama did not beat A&M? ScUM lost to MSU. Apparently winning the magic games matters.

Only the triple super secret magic games, and only the figure skating judges get to know which ones they are. Set the rules, play the games, and let the chips fall where they may. Sports with objective criteria for winning games shouldn't have subjective criteria for selecting playoff teams. Seems pretty simple.

 

[LandoComando]

I have no bias.

2016 B1G is just the most egregious example generally known to this group.

And here we have what is lack of self awareness. Penn State lost to Michigan and Pitt so why aren't winning those games important?

You're all over the place--for some reason you believe winning the AFC or NFC with a playoff is comparable to winning a conference title in FBS without a playoff.

Again, the ONLY discussion that even existed in 2016 was Penn State or Oregon. Ohio State was clearly ahead of both. As much as I hate the Buckeyes I can acknowledge that. You can't. Take the Penn State tinted shades off.

 

[LandoComando]

But Bama did not beat A&M? ScUM lost to MSU. Apparently winning the magic games matters.

Exactly--why he is picking and choosing which games matter?

 

[ryoder1]

Exactly--why he is picking and choosing which games matter?

Dude, I am totally on the same page with you on this one.
Clearly he believes everything rides on the conf championship games and that is essentially a play in game to the playoff. You cannot apply any football knowledge or heck basic common sense to it beyond that. It is the magic game you need to win. Let's say this year a 3 loss Bama or whatever random SEC west team went to the champ game against an undefeated UGA (the same UGA we witnessed all reg season). Then a few days before that game Covid decimated half of UGA's team and they had to play their third string. So they lose the game. Under the principle he has laid out it would be "fair and just" to allow Bama to move on to the playoff and eliminate UGA from all consideration because Bama or whatever team it was that beat UGA won the magic conf champ game. What rationale person thinks that way? The champ games are just part of the reg season and pre playoff. Those are set rules that he argues don't exist and therfore it is arbitrary figure skating judging? What?

Then the whole NFL argument he has that they have it right yet they allow wildcards into the playoff is a complete contradiction of any semblance of a point being made. The NFL would need to only allow division champs in which is not a good system but at least better than the absurd college system he is advocating.

 

[lowhandicapper]

Then you have no NC because your looking for perfection and through a very narrow lens. Everyone has holes in their resume unless someone goes undefeated and no one did except Cincy. The point about PSU in '82 is the same as Bama this year. Both PSU and Bama should have been eliminated because they had losses. Georgia as well so I guess Cincinnati is the champ. Happy? You are advocating Bama should be the only one in the playoff because they won a particular game at the end of the season. So that is the game you have to win? Others are not important. The problem you've got is they all play into how good a team is so other games mean nothing. So a 4 loss team in a horrible conference wins their championship. They get to go to a playoff and a one loss team from a vastly superior conference who is clearly better is eliminated? No, you have to extend this thinking to everyone's resume. If Alabama cannot beat a 3 loss or 4 loss Texas A&M then they certainly are not worthy of a playoff. Have to have tough standards all over like the way you are punishing UGA. Otherwise the very thing you are arguing against, the fact that we allow UGA to go to a playoff yet no conf champ is what you are doing. You are being arbitrary in selecting one particular game to decide a playoff berth and not fully evaluating a resume.
Again your method picks one game and ignores others. Bama could have had 2 or even 3 losses in a bad SEC West then makes the champ game from some tiebreaker, plays out their butt in one game and what do you know they are magically one of the 4 best teams because they won the magic game. Makes no sense but you can have your POV and we can agree to disagree. And yes, O$U deserved to go in ahead of PSU in '16. It is not just about winning certain games

Oh please. It's seriously high comedy people trying to make Georgia's natty so pure when they basically got dominated 2 games ago. 18 point loss 2 games ago. But that loss at #4 Alabama by 1982 Penn State though. Ok dude bring some perspective into your life.

 

[ryoder1]

Oh please. It's seriously high comedy people trying to make Georgia's natty so pure when they basically got dominated 2 games ago. 18 point loss 2 games ago. But that loss at #4 Alabama by 1982 Penn State though. Ok dude bring some perspective into your life.

UGA won the natty = best team in country. Deal with it.

 

[LandoComando]

Oh please. It's seriously high comedy people trying to make Georgia's natty so pure when they basically got dominated 2 games ago. 18 point loss 2 games ago. But that loss at #4 Alabama by 1982 Penn State though. Ok dude bring some perspective into your life.

The reason that reference makes sense is it points to someone picking and choosing what games matter. Like Penn State in 82 Georgia was deserving despite the loss.

 

[lowhandicapper]

UGA won the natty = best team in country. Deal with it.

Kinda like 94 Nebraska

 

[ryoder1]

Kinda like 94 Nebraska

Gotta live with it because that is what happened.