Oregon’s huge upset of the fifth-ranked team in the CFP has embarrassed the organization, making it a bigger joke than the BCS selection committee



... LSU behind Ohio State, whose schedule is 29th in the country

When Lousiana State University defeated the Crimson Tide of Alabama, scoring 46 points against the then-undefeated Tide that has won more national titles in this century than the Big Ten combined, everyone figured that the LSU Tigers would be the number one seed in the College Football Playoffs as long as they defeated Georgia for the SEC title.

However, the CFP committee, which includes a slew of over-the-hill septuagenarian coaches, has Ohio State at the top of its list today despite LSU being about 30 points better in each of the national polls.

 Note that in addition to defeating Alabama, the Tigers knocked off seventh-ranked Florida and will face fourth-ranked Georgia in the SEC title game.

About those Buckeyes

According to the Sagarin rankings, the Buckeyes has played the 29th strongest schedule in the country. Woeful. They have played no one of any quality outside the Big Ten, and as I have written before, the Big Ten is terribly overrated.

Ohio State is facing Wisconsin today, a team that lost to the woeful Illini of Illinois. Wisconsin is in the top 10 — tenth — only because they defeated Minnesota, which is another overrated Big Ten team.

Who is on the CFP committee?

 After reading a story in the New York Times today about how Ohio State is ahead of LSU, I realize why Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens, whose school upset the fifth-seeded team in the CFP rankings last night, decimating Utah, 37-15, has appeared to be so stupid in his analysis of why the CFP picks have been so convoluted.

As the Times noted,

Thus far, the committee has seemed interested in igniting debate.

Billy Witz, “For L.S.U., a Lot of Love in Polls, Not
So Much in Playoff Rankings,” Dec. 7, 2019

The first CFP rankings had Clemson, which has now won 27 consecutive regular-season games, fifth, edged out by Penn State, which then summarily lost its undefeated season by falling to Minnesota, which was then undefeated.

 So, Minnesota, which has the 70th ranked schedule in terms of toughness, climbed eight spots into the top team before losing to Iowa and then to Wisconsin, both of which were not in the Top 10 at the time.

 The Times explained why the committee has been so outrageous. Instead of having schools administrators and experts on it, they have three septuagenarians, all former coaches from the south: 75-year-old R.C. Slocum of Texas, 73-year-old Frank Beamer of Virginia, and 76-year-old Ken Hatfield of Arkansas, along with a token female, a professor of journalism at the University of Arizona.

It also includes a former Army chief of staff and a university president — and six A.D.s, though AD’s should be the focus on a committee like this.

From those locations, you would think that they might favor the SEC, but I point that out because they have no clue.

Asked why LSU was overlooked and Ohio State elevated to the top spot, Mullens was equally clueless,

As we’ve talked in past weeks, both really have dynamic offenses, both have good defenses. Ohio State’s is just a little ahead at this point.

Billy Witz, “For L.S.U., a Lot of Love in Polls, Not
So Much in Playoff Rankings,” Dec. 7, 2019

Ahead based on what? Based on the opinions of people who really do not belong on that committee in the first place?

So, today, I am rooting for LSU to beat Georgia and Wisconsin to be Ohio State and Clemson to beat whatever ACC team it faces [at least it has a ranked opponent, 24th, unlike last year when it played an unranked team for the title.]

That should really confuse the committee, and would probably end up with the Wisconsin Badgers in the top four.

And we thought that the BCS was terrible.

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