Of course we are a long way from figuring this whole thing out, but in listening to a lot of sports this weekend I am more than ever convinced that there will be a lot of hard feelings over who gets in and who is left out. I was listening this one XM College Sports show that has a host (forget his name) and Eddie George as the co-host. They were talking about it and the host feels like that there are virtually no circumstances that Ohio State gets into the playoff, Eddie tried to say but what if we run the table and beat Mich State, the host said schedule is not good enough. The host did think though that if Mich State ran the table that they might get in. Then a guy from the Big10 Network came on as a guest and he was completely flumoxed that this guy thought there was no chance Ohio State with 1 loss would get in. I think that if the B1G Champion is 1 loss Ohio State or Michigan State and don't get in that there will be problems and complaints. The host went on to say that he thought if Notre Dame played FSU close and lost at Tallahassee that a 1 loss ND would get in over a 1 loss Big 10 team. That especially will cause the B1G to complain. I'm sure an issue will be made that the B1G Champion will have played a Championship game while ND and the B12 Champion will not have played a Championship game and that should give the B1G champion an edge over a 1 loss ND or 1 loss B12 team. I think everybody is good with undefeated teams getting a slot over any 1 loss team. Undefeated ND or undefeated Baylor would be OK. Even I have to admit that the SEC West really has a ton of really good teams, more than any other division or conference and that there certainly could be a circumstance where the #2 team in the SEC West gets a slot along with the SEC Champion if it is another SEC West team. Where it will really get dicey is what happens if Georgia runs the table and ends up in the SECCG as a 1 loss team and the SEC West team is either a undefeated Ole Miss or undefeated Miss State, there being at least 1 one loss SEC West team. Georgia upsets the undefeated team. Now there are 2 1 loss SEC West teams and 1 loss Georgia. Dicey...of course this is all highly unlikely, but when we get to 2 SEC team out of the 4, that leaves 2 slots for the other 4 conferences...it'll be testy in that selection room and likely as not a lot of unhappiness and maybe even some regrets that we have the 4 team playoff.
What if we wind up with say.. a 1 loss Alabama, a 1 loss Miss State and a 1 loss Ole Miss who wind up losing to a 2 (or more) loss Georgia in the SECCG. I promise you, the SEC Network would lobby for 3 SEC teams
I hate to say it but Alabama is going to lose again this season and I hope it is only one more loss. Miss State, A&M, Auburn. Tennessee is in there also. I don't think a 1 loss Alabama will be in the equation. :cry:
Listening to more talk this morning on the playoff. The topic was whether we will be looking strictly for the 4 best teams or to try and get 4 conference champions. They said the original mantra was to get the 4 best teams no matter what conference. Depending on how things work out for the 4 SEC West teams, Auburn, Ole Miss, Miss State and Alabama along with Georgia you could certainly see 2 SEC teams and make a good case that they are in the 4 best. Talked about what if Ole Miss and Miss State reach the Egg Bowl undefeated, certainly will be difficult but could happen. In that scenario assuming that one doesn't blow out the other both could end up in the playoffs. I have no doubt that if we'd have had a 4 team playoff last year that both Auburn and Alabama would have been in the group. Gets back to 2006 when Ohio State and Michigan played and both were undefeated and ranked #1 and #2 and there was some talk that there should be a rematch in the BCS championship game if the outcome of the game was close. Of course it didn't happen and the Gators got in and clocked Ohio State for Urban Meyer's first Nat'l Championship. I think that is the scene that sent Dave over the edge living in Michigan at the time and having to hear a lot of trash talk about how the Gators didn't deserve to be there.