Michigan fans think this year was a good year?
Michigan's season was a disaster--you can still enjoy moments while accepting reality
Where is Michigan ranked?
There's no final AP rankings after the playoffs and bowls?
- Thread starter Thus Spoke Mainer
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Michigan's season was a disaster--you can still enjoy moments while accepting reality
Where is Michigan ranked?
I didn't say that, and you're missing the point. The point is that even when you know you're missing the playoffs (a complete failure, as you put it), there are still things to care about. Most fans would rather have a season like Alabama had (which is reflected in their final ranking) than going 2-10.
Bama beat Georgia--that's a great moment in time--that doesn't mean anything when you fail to make the playoff. The regular season ONLY exists to qualify for the post season. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy victories--playing spoiler is fun when you have no other options but Bama and Michigan both failed to meet their goals. Period. That's what will be remembered
If they go 2-10 next year, then that will be remembered a lot more. Years from now, Alabama fans wouldn't look back on 2024 and 2025 equally.
Right or wrong, Wikipedia plays a huge role in what is "remembered." Check the Wikipedia page on Bama's 2024 season. Notice that their final ranking is mentioned prominently.
Wiki lol
Bama fans will remember they didn't make the playoff. They'll be angry SMU got in over them. They won't remember where they were ranked. If you need to look it up it's not memorable
Not everyone has a photographic memory of all things football. I can't tell you off the top of my head how Penn State did in 2006 vs. 2007, for example. But if I took the time to look up a team's season and saw that the team finished 5th, that would tell me something about the season. If you don't find that meaningful, that's your personal choice. You don't get to tell the rest of the world what is or isn't meaningful.
If you have to look something up it's not relevant.
In 2 years (let alone 20 or 30) people will remember we made the semis and lost to ND--no one is going to remember that we finished 5th.
True fans can pretty much rattle of their team's record every year
How old are you 90? You can't remember past seasons. There's a ton of people here that not only can tell you our record but basically ramble off any loss
I think 2020 because of COVID is the only one I might get wrong.
Do you remember just the 80s?
Yeah, I started following PSU in the early 80s. You pull some random year and I'd be pretty hard pressed to tell you what exactly the record was unless it was an undefeated or 1-loss season. You're talking about a lot of years and a lot of seasons. You have a narrow definition of a true fan. And there's a lot of stuff I have to look up.
Hey Lando, get me those sales numbers from 2017. Sorry boss, that's not relevant since I have to look it up.
It's hard to take you seriously.
Most CFOs would have a very good idea without looking it up...have you worked with that level?
It's hard for me to take it seriously that you think "real fans" can't be asked...what happened in 2017 or 1994 or 1983 and give a summary.
We all spend too much time watching and discussing Penn State football to not remember success and failure
By your logic, why would anyone remember that we made the semis? You said the regular season isn't relevant except that it exists only to get to the playoffs. By the same logic, the only purpose of getting to the playoffs is to win a championship. So, you either won the championship or you didn't. Nothing else is relevant.
Because normal people remember when they're eliminated. Correct...the regular season is a tournament to make the playoff so, again, normal people remember what prevented that which is every loss.
Yes, but following your logic, why would they care whether that loss was in the semis, earlier in the playoffs or during the regular season? If you don't win it all, then it doesn't matter.
Because you should remember WHEN it ended and how it ended. The failure never fades--just like success never fades
There should be an fan that doesn't recall that we lost to Ohio State because of the horrible play calling on our last offense series, that we played a tight game against Oregon in a disappointing loss that turned out best, that we beat SMU at home then Boise State on a neutral site before losing to ND when we had the best path anyone will ever have to make final. That's the summary--people may remember other things (the fake punt against Minnesota, the OT win against USC, etc) but those are the memories that any real fan takes away.
If you can't remember the key parts of the season--why are you watching?
I'll accept that, not because I agree, but for the sake of argument, and because we've strayed from the original point, which is not what people remember, but what they care about. Is your belief that fans value a season in which we reach the semis more than a season in which we lose the first playoff game?
As someone who has played competitive sports, she understands that something good can come from a season, even if you don't win a championship. And that coming close is much better than a losing season.
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Of course it is...hence the ranking doesn't matter. We could lose our first game like Oregon and be ranked higher and it's irrelevant because what matters i what happened on the field. Not who's admin filled out their ballot.
So, your position is that even though the purpose of reaching the playoffs is to win a championship, losing late in the playoffs is better than losing early. But going 9-3 in the regular season and missing the playoffs is no better than going 2-10, because the purpose of the regular season is to reach the playoffs. Somehow, you don't see the inconsistency in that.
There's no inconsistency.
The regular season is only about making the playoff. Just like the Big Ten CCG was just for seeding. Then what happens in the playoffs is now 12 teams competing for a playoff. All real fans will likely remember those 11 outcomes.
Again the problem here is the most of you dislike college football and simply root for Penn State but many of you aren't knowledgeable. Many still think it the 70s and they're living in a world where they were taught to believe scrimmages called bowl games were meaningful even if it hadn't zero impact on the title. That's likely why you're obsessing over how people vote.
Stop pretending there's no inconsistency in what you've said in this thread. It's all on the record. On a side note, you may be knowledgeable about the X's and O's, but you don't understand the true spirit and meaning of competition.
There's no inconsistency even on what you quoted
Spirit and meaning of competition...this proves my point about living in the past and not accepting things for what they are. College football hasn't been an amateur sport in my lifetime and I'm about to turn 50
The fact that you think my point excludes professional sports only underscores your lack of understanding. Even in the NFL, most players would rather be part of a 9-8 non playoff team than a 3-14 team. (All other things being equal, of course. Obviously, money changes a lot of that.)
Mediocrity is hardly anyone goal...and in pro sports failing allows you to rebuild so dont become the Steelers over the past 7 years.
Nobody said mediocrity is the goal. You keep changing the subject and avoiding the issue...
As for tanking, how many players are in favor of it? Show me the NFL player who says that if his team doesn't make the playoffs, then he hopes to have the worst record and highest draft pick.
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You're the one changing the topic--the topic is "do ranking mean anything?"
You keep jumping all over the place because there's absolutely no logic in caring where someone considers you. The results on the field matter--sorry you dislike that reality.
