How did they pick Notre Dame and Oklahoma over OSU?

[PSUTE]

Who was a bigger phony this year, Michigan or Notre Dame?

Michigan is always overrated...

 

[Diego Roll Tide]

Alabama sure looked good. I shook my head listening to the Oklahoma QB talk after the game about how "we stopped ourselves" and how the game was close. Alabama had him scared; couldn't even stay in the pocket.
This game was never in doubt after the 2nd Alabama offensive series. They simply took their foot off the gas in the 2nd half.

Alabama’s second half possessions were as follows:

A perfect pass Jeudy failed to secure ended the first drive. That drive was aided by Tua and Jacobs getting crossed up on 1st down and losing 6 yards.

Touchdown

Touchdown

Took a knee at the OU 6 to end the game.

In what way did anyone “take a foot off the gas”?

 

[Montalban]

Impossible.

I’ve been assured for years that USC, Miami, and Texas are the programs that will run CFB due to “built in advantages”.

I actually do think USC will make a resurgence in the next couple of seasons. As long as they let Kingsbury run the offense and make Helton keep his hands off. There are way too many athletes there for them to continue to struggle. Once they get a decent HC they'll be good again.

 

[Diego Roll Tide]

They weren't anything to fear on defense. I ain't defending them...just pointing out how bad OU's was.

And Murray did better against Bama than Haskins would have...at least IMHO. Haskins is more pocket passer than "backyard ball" QB. Murray can chunk it from the pocket pretty well too. But, he'll drive a defense nuts when it turns into "backyard ball". So no, tOSU wouldn't have done any better. OU's pass defense is still very, very poor. While very good, that factor needs to be taken into consideration when evaluating Tua's performance last night.

I agree with that to an extent. Quality of opponent always is a factor.

That said, setting a bowl record for QBR speaks for itself. However bad OU’s defense is, there have been worse ones and still pretty bad ones over the years that didn’t come close to yielding 24/27 with 3 drops. Add in that Tua was under pressure to score knowing how explosive OU is, and it makes it even more impressive.

 

[Diego Roll Tide]

I actually do think USC will make a resurgence in the next couple of seasons. As long as they let Kingsbury run the offense and make Helton keep his hands off. There are way too many athletes there for them to continue to struggle. Once they get a decent HC they'll be good again.

They will, but many act like Carroll was the norm. Prior to him, they hadn’t been close to “dominant” since the 70s.

They’re far more likely to be a 9-3 type team most years than what they had with Carroll.

 

[Deep Creek]

Gotta disagree. He looked like shit out there until after the game was already decided and Bama took their foot off the gas. He looked confused and skittish out there. Extremely disappointing.

That is your perogative.

Just don't think Haskins would have been able to scramble and ad lib like Murray. If you think he would have, that is fine. I don't.

The OU offensive line had their head up their asses at that time. Anyone would have been skittish.

Murray also should have been confused. His best receiver wasn't ready to play at all. OU actually did pretty well considering they didn't have all their ammo. But, their defense wasn't going to allow them to win the game even if the OU offense was fully loaded and their powder was dry.

 

[Montalban]

Alabama’s second half possessions were as follows:

A perfect pass Jeudy failed to secure ended the first drive. That drive was aided by Tua and Jacobs getting crossed up on 1st down and losing 6 yards.

Touchdown

Touchdown

Took a knee at the OU 6 to end the game.

In what way did anyone “take a foot off the gas”?

Don't be a fool. They had all scrubs in there on defense for most of the second half and they ran the ball on offense trying to kill clock. Not their fault Oklahoma couldn't stop them. They were completely out-classed and never in the game.

 

[jjc2009]

College football has a lot of hatred for Zooky.

I imagine college football is just like everyone else then.

 

[Montalban]

They will, but many act like Carroll was the norm. Prior to him, they hadn’t been close to “dominant” since the 70s.

They’re far more likely to be a 9-3 type team most years than what they had with Carroll.

Too many superior athletes to be down for long. their policy of hiring coaches on the cheap is usually what does them in.

 

[Montalban]

That is your perogative.

Just don't think Haskins would have been able to scramble and ad lib like Murray. If you think he would have, that is fine. I don't.

The OU offensive line had their head up their asses at that time. Anyone would have been skittish.

Murray also should have been confused. His best receiver wasn't ready to play at all. OU actually did pretty well considering they didn't have all their ammo. But, their defense wasn't going to allow them to win the game even if the OU offense was fully loaded and their powder was dry.

Yes it is. I was extremely disappointed in Murray. I do agree though that OSU would not have made much of a game of it either.

 

[7Samurai13]

I'm not and haven't ever tried to advocate that UCF is a more deserving team THIS YEAR, than Notre Dame. I just don't think it's right that anytime Notre Dame goes undefeated they automatically are considered a Championship contender, and anytime a non-P5 team goes undefeated they are automatically denounced for their weak schedule, something that it's almost impossible for them to do anything about.

My referencing last year's bowl game win over Auburn is only to point out the possibilities. It's "possible" that UCF was one of the Best 4 teams last year. But because of preconceived perceptions of fans and the NCAA's desire to maximize profits and a system designed to make it almost impossible for non-P5 teams to ever qualify for the CFP, we'll never know just how good last year's UCF team was, and we might not get a chance to really know how good this year's UCF team is either, because LSU might be a decent team, but #11? It's like the bowl people purposely made sure UCF wasn't paired up against a Top 5-8 ranked team, seeing as their beating the likes of an Ohio St or a Georgia would promote the tourney expansion people's argument and that would rock the boat and those wanting to maintain the status quo wouldn't like that.

The problem is when has a P5 team played a remotely decent schedule in the CFP era and went undefeated? Don’t get mad when we call a weak schedule a weak schedule.

 

[Wamu]

Who was a bigger phony this year, Michigan or Notre Dame?

meeeechegan & it's not even close. That team in ann arbor has the most over hyped HC in the country.

 

[IrishBlooded]

To he fair.

ND did score 300% more points in their last playoff appearance than Ohio St did

 

[Diego Roll Tide]

Don't be a fool. They had all scrubs in there on defense for most of the second half and they ran the ball on offense trying to kill clock. Not their fault Oklahoma couldn't stop them. They were completely out-classed and never in the game.

One possession was a failure, and it wasn’t due to play calling. The offense did what it wanted.

The defense made numerous mistakes and lost their composure.

 

[fredsdeadfriend]

The problem is when has a P5 team played a remotely decent schedule in the CFP era and went undefeated? Don’t get mad when we call a weak schedule a weak schedule.

Hey, I went round and round with a Cincy/Miami of Ohio fan back when those 2 teams got into the Top 4-8 of the rankings by beating up nothing but creampuffs.

So you are right to call out a team's weak arse schedule.

Maybe the combo of having expanded to 4 teams and UCF's whooping up on an arrogant SEC team that happened to beat Bama and Georgia that season, just made me feel a large dose of mystery, more than anything. I don't like the idea that UCF just might have been good enough to win it all and because of the system, we'll never know. I like to know the answers to the mysteries of the world.

But then again, that is part of why I love cfb, too, lol. Who was the best team in 1960, for example. My Gophers were named the Champs, but then lost their bowl game? Opened up so many questions? Who should be considered #1 after the bowl games? Not everyone played in bowl games back then. The #2 ranked team got pummeled by my Gophers. The #3 team played ZERO Top 25 ranked teams. There were 3 or 4 teams involved in a Team A beat Team B who beat Team C who beat Team A type scenario, and all ended the season with one loss. It's just the best case/season, to my knowledge, of anyone's opinion is just as valid as the next.

So apart of me I guess likes the fact that UCF wasn't allowed in the CFP last year. Now we can talk about it and debate it for years to come, lol.

 

[Montalban]

One possession was a failure, and it wasn’t due to play calling. The offense did what it wanted.

The defense made numerous mistakes and lost their composure.

Exactly. Alabama took their foot off the gas and lost their focus and intensity after half time. Easy to do when you are thoroughly dominating your opponent and know the game is over.

Oklahoma's offense was completely bottled up when the game still mattered.

 

[Phantom]

I think you're underestimating how big Notre Dame's fan base is. There is a reason why they're on their own network and Georgia isn't.

I understand, but I thought that is why we went to the playoff system? They are suppose to pick the best 4 teams. No politics. To be honest, I never thought that would happen, but they need to be called out on it.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

Should have been Bama, Oklahoma, Clemson and Georgia

Ohio st? Fuck that noise

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

I understand, but I thought that is why we went to the playoff system? They are suppose to pick the best 4 teams. No politics. To be honest, I never thought that would happen, but they need to be called out on it.

Unless the selections are based 100% on analytics there will always be human bias. Just like the NCAA tournament

 

[DeafOranguntan]

Who was a bigger phony this year, Michigan or Notre Dame?

Michigan. For a lot of the season, analysts thought they looked so good by the "eye test" that they wanted to move them ahead of Notre Dame, who beat them. They got blown out by an okay Ohio State and an okay Florida. Also, the right answer is always Harbaugh, who is the paragon of phony. Notre Dame, for an independent, played a respectable schedule (most seasons it would have been absurdly difficult) and went undefeated. They averaged beating those opponents, including 11 P5 and 8 bowl eligible teams, by 17 points a game. Statistically, they were good at everything, but not elite at anything except limiting the big play. And they played a team that was just far more talented.

I'd also submit Ohio State as a potential phony, given how many think they needed to be there and could run with Bama and Clemson. They were crushed by a Purdue team that just was historically decimated by the 7th best team in the SEC. They were outplayed by Maryland. They almost lost to a bad Nebraska and a good, but not great, Penn State. However, everyone just forgot about the whole season, because they beat a Michigan that was whipped worse by the SEC's 5th best team, and a 5 loss Northwestern, who was beaten by Akron and dominated by Duke.