There is a problem that may be brewing, that I want to make sure is out there before the playoff committee starts finalizing their playoff teams. Does the loser of the Alabama vs Florida State have to win out to make playoffs? I think we can all safely say if the loser of the Alabama vs Florida State wins out they will make the playoffs.
Both the ACC and SEC are top football conferences, and a 1 loss champion from those conferences is making the playoffs… period.
If the winner of Alabama vs Florida State loses a conference game, they are mostly likely in barring 4 other undefeated champions from the other Power 5 conferences.
What if in a competitive game the loser of the Alabama vs Florida State also loses a conference game but wins their conference? A two loss team has never made the playoffs before. In fact Penn State was a 2 loss team, with a loss OOC to Pitt and won the Big 10 in 2016. They got left out over a 1 loss Ohio State team they beat. I think it is a slippery slope for the committee.
If for a 2nd consecutive year a two loss power 5 champion fails to make the playoff due to one of the losses being OOC, then watch schools start to avoid scheduling tough OOC games. What would be the point, especially if you come from a strong football conference and don’t need the strength of scheduling boost. For the ACC 3 or 4 years ago, scheduling up was a necessity. Now it is not.
If the committee wants to continue see teams schedule strong OOC games, then a 2 loss SEC or ACC champion from Alabama vs Florida State needs to make the playoff – again barring 4 other undefeated champions from the other Power 5 conferences. If they don’t, then despite the best efforts of the playoff system, the goal for teams will be not to prove you are the best team available, but simply avoid losing games.
Make sure you follow the All Sports Discussion Twitter account at @AllSportsDACC and please like our Facebook Page
Leave a Reply