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Then the committee has literally just told the rest of the country that Championship games are meaningless. They won't do that just to assuage Bama. Bama got pulverized AT HOME. That defense is atrocious. This is not a typical Bama team and we all saw it.
I can’t foresee any way the ACC could force the SEC into that matchup. Furthermore, why would the ACC want to do that? Clemson/FSU/Miami/Va Tech would all have been more appealing matchups on paper and likely on the field. Why would the ACC want to run its 13th/14th best football program out there to be pulverized on opening day?
I don't know details and agree some odd choices...part of a 3 year deal that included FSU and Louisville.
I think they already told us those games are meaningless - they want the four best teams. In my scenario I think it's an easy argument to say Bama > Oregon.
this is so true.
Booking anything is a fool's errand in this game, which is why I love it. Sure, there's a lot of chalk. But the surprises are generally out of left field. Just to throw some scenarios out there, I think it's equally as likely Bama loses to Auburn then Georgia beats LSU. I'd also be surprised if LSU shows up this week. They may win anyway because Ole Miss is just that bad, but we've all seen crazier. And as @bigmarc27 mentioned, Georgia hasn't been that impressive - they go to Auburn Saturday and could eliminate themselves then...even if they bounce back to win a conference championship next month.
I think the context of the Oregon loss matters - they were missing all/most of their WR corps, played like it, still almost won that game anyway, and it was week 1.
Well, that's impossible, but:
I said the regular season, but fair enough.
I think the Big 10 is fairly close but don't disagree that the SEC is the best league and has been for quite some time now. However, I'm not sure how much that really matters when you evaluate Bama since they're not going to play either UF or UGA. The SEC in a weird way puts them at a disadvantage with only 8 conference games and one fixed rival in the other division who hasn't been good for a long time. They really need to rethink their intra-conference scheduling, I've seen proposals out there that would be huge improvements over what they do now, and would allow every player to visit each stadium in the conference at least once over any given four year period. It's so wonky right now.
Saban will let the SEC revisit the scheduling issues once Tennessee is good again. Assuming he's still alive of course.
Right, so if 10-1 Oregon plays 10-1 Utah, the winner will go to the playoffs. This isn't complicated.
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I'm talking about the committee. They can easily justify putting Oregon in over Bama despite the fact that they have a common opponent who beat Oregon but lost to Bama. This isn't science, it's a bunch of old dudes in a room, they can come up with whatever they want.
Dude, it was 33-13 at halftime and were it not for a meaningless 80 yard bomb by Bama at the end, it's a bigger differential. The nation has now witnessed Bama's mighty defense crumble on primetime twice to QBs with NFL futures. Joe Burrow had his way with them. Trevor Lawrence made it look like child's play.
Fair, I just think it's an "easy" argument to make if Bama beats Auburn soundly - Oregon lost to a team Bama pounded that has 3 losses while Bama lost to potentially the #1 team in the country. I'm not sure how much other arguments matter beyond that (at least in this scenario).
I'm no Bama apologist and I agree their defense was bad in both those games.
To be clear I’m not defending Bama and would prefer to see Oregon, I’m just being realistic.Hoping to find out.
Minnesota is an underdog at Iowa this weekend, where they've not won in over a decade. The'll be at best a pick-em against Wisconsin in the season finale. Honestly, the game in between at Northwestern is a dangerous trap for the Gophers as well. I've got Minnesota finishing the season on an 0-3 run.
Well, we don't really know the caliber of their defense because between Clemson and LSU, Alabama's schedule has been pockmarked by lackluster teams piloted by guys who will likely never play in the NFL (unless you're a Kellen Mond believer, and I for one am not). But when Alabama has squared off against future Sunday players, they get throttled.I'm no Bama apologist and I agree their defense was bad in both those games.
But I don't think saying they lost to 2 NFL QBs that are surrounded by top-5 talent/athletes necessarily helps the idea that their defense is atrocious. I still think if Bama thumps Auburn and it's either them or Oregon that Bama gets in. Just my thought on it and I don't have a vote.
I understand and I would think LSU would be favored by 10 or more against Oregon, but this is shaping up to be a year where it'll be harder to get 2 teams in from the SEC. IMO. Obviously, a lot can change. Utah could lose to UCLA and then beat Oregon and then I'll be forced to shut up.
Gus Bus heading to Arkansas?
I intentionally kept what I wrote in the past tense. If Alabama dominates Auburn (and Mississippi State) then that goes under consideration. That's just one if-then scenario though. There's dozens of other if-then situations still to play out, including what Oregon does between now and Dec 7. As of Nov 13 I think Oregon is playing from ahead, but that's different than controlling your own destiny. I don't think they do.
I think they have a better shot at going 3-0 than 0-3, but I also think their actual path is somewhere in between. I'll be surprised if they win this weekend. I want them to, but this is the sort of spot Iowa seems to always feast on.
I'm with you before and after Northwestern but the are pretty bad this year. If they lose that game then it's not a good look for Penn State. I still think OSU is pretty comfortably the best team in that conference.
Once Minnesota won in double OT at Fresno the path was clear to 8-0. A pile of home games against bad teams with two road games against also terrible opponents - Purdue and Rutgers. Credit where credit's due for last weekend. Now some big tests lie directly in front of them. And if they beat them then they won't be 8th anymore.
Mac_32 addressed this well already, but all you really need to do is turn to Vegas to see what their thoughts are.
We go this every year too...Saban is the one pushing the ‘visit every stadium’ angle and expansion to 10 conference games...including voting (against LSU, UGA and UF) on record.
If you know anything about PJ Fleck, the gophers or not susceptible to a trap game.
ki
