Could a team finish third in conference and win the Natty?
- Thread starter Nitt1300
- Start date
Of course. Heck, a team could theoretically finish 4th or 5th in conference and win it.
This is what is going to make the playoffs fun to watch!! Not left up to voters, put the ball down and settle it on the field!! (Of course it is somewhat influenced by the voters on who gets into the playoffs but ....)
I'm old, but somehow that diminishes it for me. And yeah, I know the wildcards in pro sports do the same thing.
Penn State will finish either 2nd or 3rd in the conference and they have a chance to be champions.
You don’t know that. You don’t know how diminished a Penn State championship would feel to you. Villanova basketball finished 3rd in the Big East the year they beat Georgetown in the final. Nobody devalues that championship. The fact that Georgetown was the best team that year doesn’t show up in the history books.
Remember, conferences have so many teams now that many simply don't play head-to-head. Two teams could simply not play a third that, by the vagaries of scheduling, ends up undefeated. Who's to say if those second and third place teams couldn't beat that champion if they slugged it out on the gridiron?
I know they could have a better record than the CCG loser, but in my mind, they will still end up being 3rd. So, yeah, I think it's great that a 3rd place team could win it all!
Would those people be happier with Penn State not having a chance to be champions, or having a chance but blowing it? Which of those would provide the greatest level of Debbie Downer validation?
That's because Pitt had three 10 game winning seasons in the mid 1970s, which was much more impressive.
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