Media questions to CFB Playoff Committee - strange

[blion72]

The playoff committee's role was to rank the top 25 teams. The playoff structure in brackets was created by the playoff organizers (Commissioners and Presidents). All the committee could do is rank by # the top 25. Once that was done, the teams are forced into the structure defined by the organization that oversees playoffs.

Reece Davis just kept asking Ward Manuel (Committee Chair) why some teams had an "easier" road in the playoff. He seemed very focused on Penn State having an "easier" road than say Oregon and wanted to know how that was fair. Reece seemed more than comfortable that SMU was ranked above Bama and edged them out. IF Bama were selected ahead of SMU, would Reece have been asking the same question? Reece seemed to be suggesting that the playoff committee was setting the matchups. Listening to SEC station is seemed their analysts thought the same thing.

 

[NittPicker]

If all the higher seeded teams hold serve on Dec. 20/21, Oregon will be playing the lowest seed remaining. Why are people whining about that??

 

[LB99]

If all the higher seeded teams hold serve on Dec. 20/21, Oregon will be playing the lowest seed remaining. Why are people whining about that??

People don’t seem to get seeding and brackets. For anyone that ever wrestled, this is like a second language to us. I think the issue people have is with the conference champs getting the automatic byes and the top 4 spots. Without that guarantee, Boise and ASU would be playing in the first round.

 

[Erial_Lion]

If all the higher seeded teams hold serve on Dec. 20/21, Oregon will be playing the lowest seed remaining. Why are people whining about that??

They’d get the 6th ranked team. Whereas we’d get the 9th ranked team, and Texas the 12th ranked team. You don’t see an issue with the 5 and 6 seeds getting more favorable matchups than the top seed?

 

[Erial_Lion]

The format is bad enough that they will likely change it for next year.

 

[Calabrin]

They’d get the 6th ranked team. Whereas we’d get the 9th ranked team, and Texas the 12th ranked team. You don’t see an issue with the 5 and 6 seeds getting more favorable matchups than the top seed?

But I think that's the difficulty:

What do these rankings really mean? Are we to believe that a lower ranked team in the AP poll in empirically inferior to a higher ranked team?

Anyone's rankings are HIGHLY fungible. I think just looking at the number next to a team name is a laughable practice.

Let me put it this way: I'm thrilled to be playing SMU and not Alabama.

 

[PSUAVLNC]

Go to 16 teams and eliminate the byes.

 

[PSUQbKeeper]

random draw for matchups, that would be fun

 

[LB99]

Go to 16 teams and eliminate the byes.

I think this is coming sooner than we think.

 

[NittPicker]

They’d get the 6th ranked team. Whereas we’d get the 9th ranked team, and Texas the 12th ranked team. You don’t see an issue with the 5 and 6 seeds getting more favorable matchups than the top seed?

No, I don't see an issue. It's weird that when the format was announced almost everyone praised it. It's more fair for everyone, they said. They applauded the fact the CCGs would mean something since the four highest ranked winners would receive byes. The problem this year is that the "right teams" didn't receive a bye. And with people being people, now some are complaining that the #1 seed might have to play a competitive game. The horror!! Apparently they think the #1 seed should just be penciled into the final.

It's competition. If someone is afraid of competition maybe they shouldn't be playing or watching. TBH, I do think the #1 seed should play the lowest remaining seed therefore I don't agree with the inflexible bracket. If Clemson beats Texas, for example, they should play Oregon next. The only solution to stop the complaining would be to rank the teams #1 thru #16 with them being seeded as such. No byes. But then CCGs would become mostly meaningless unless a bubble team (Clemson, e.g.) needs to win to get in. The networks and universities need to decide if the CCGs are worth it.

 

[BobPSU92]

random draw for matchups, that would be fun

“And next is Penn State.” *shuffle* *shuffle* “Penn State plays…SMU…at home. Wait a minute. That’s incorrect.” *shuffle* *shuffle* “Penn State plays…Georgia…at Georgia. There. That’s better.”

 

[psuro]

The entire line of questioning was basically code for:

"What gives you the right to leave 3 SEC teams out of the playoffs?"

 

[Wow]

I think this is coming sooner than we think.

Go to 24 teams and have 8 byes.

 

[psuro]

Go to 24 teams and have 8 byes.

Then team #25 will complain.

As long as you have committees picking and choosing, you will have complaints.

Edit - I would also like to point out that the CFP Committee Chair is the Michigan AD, and Ohio State has to play an SEC team and then face Oregon just to get to the Semi-Finals.

Probably just a coincidence. Or is it?

 

[Nittering Nabob]

Reece Davis just kept asking Ward Manuel (Committee Chair) why some teams had an "easier" road in the playoff. He seemed very focused on Penn State having an "easier" road than say Oregon and wanted to know how that was fair.

It was a legitimate question the first time he posed it, but his hatred of PSU was on full display when he kept yammering about it over the next 3 hours.

 

[CDLionFL]

Everyone has hammered PSU's road and I can't say I disagree with them. But, that's why they play the games and this year is likely a beta test that will be tweaked for next year and the future. However, the biggest fuel we'll give all the haters is if we honk a home game against SMU. You think people in the media dump on PSU now, just wait until that happens.

 

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And we’d deserve it