National thoughts on South Carolina's College Football Playoff chances
The debate around college football has been loud: who will be the 12th team in the College Football Playoff field? The Big 12 champ is getting in. The ACC champ is, too. A Group of 5 (likely Mountain West champ) is making it. Barring a Clemson upset of SMU, the rest of the spots in the field seem decided. In some order, Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Notre Dame are in the field. So, who will get the last bid?
“South Carolina is the hottest team in college football and has the best overall resume with no bad losses!” “Ole Miss beat South Carolina and lost three games by 13 total points!” “Alabama beat South Carolina and also has as many ranked wins as the Gamecocks!” “Miami has Cam Ward!” (That’s the biggest thing the Hurricanes have as far as their resume is concerned, honestly.)
The debate rages, but on Tuesday night, things could become a little clearer. The updated College Football Playoff rankings drop at 7:00 p.m. Ahead of that announcement, though, the talking heads have had plenty to say.
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That SEC Podcast host Michael Bratton argues that the poor officiating in the South Carolina-LSU game shouldn’t count against Shane Beamer’s team come Selection Sunday.
ESPN personality Todd McShay thinks the Gamecocks are the most deserving 12th team. However, he also believes Alabama could get into the field based on the virtue of…being Alabama.
College Football Smothered and Covered host Barrett Sallee thinks LaNorris Sellers’ injury against LSU could work in South Carolina’s favor if the Selection Committee is consistent with how they handled Florida State last year following Jordan Travis’ injury.
CBS and Yahoo analyst Adam Breneman gave a long and detailed answer to those who question whether or not the Gamecocks belong in the College Football Playoff field.
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Not everyone believes South Carolina belongs in the field, however.
Chris “The Bear” Fallica used some computer rankings averages to conclude that Alabama should be the final at-large team in the Playoff.
Even Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin got in on the social media politicking.
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As things stand, most projections favor Alabama making the College Football Playoff. In fact, on Monday, most Las Vegas betting lines tilted heavily toward the Crimson Tide.
However, the sentiment seems to be that the South Carolina Gamecocks are more deserving of a spot in the field than their SEC brethren. What will the CFP Selection Committee decide to do? Will they pick the team deemed most deserving, or will they pick a more recognizable brand?
On Tuesday night, a fuzzy picture will become a little clearer. ESPN will air the College Football Playoff Rankings show from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This will be the final update before Conference Championship Weekend and then the Selection Sunday Show on December 8th.
