Who should receive the last two FOFC-BBCF playoffs bids?

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

I think the real problem is we went with assigning all conference champs an auto bid in the tourney, which leaves us with half or a third of the tourney not even being ranked in the top 25 on ANY polls. We should have said conference champs get an auto bid IF they are ranked in the top 25 on ANY in game poll. That would ensure all of the teams actually belong in a national championship tournament.

I think that it actually gets to the issue of what it means to "belong in a national championship tournament."

I see two main ways of looking at playoff tournaments. First, you can try to find the best (say) 16 teams in the country and put them in the tournament with no regard to conference championships or the like. Pick a method of ranking teams, and put #s 1-16 in the tourney and be done with it.

Second, you can look at the tournement as a reward for a great season and as a way of trying to make sure that as many teams as possible have at least a theoretical chance of actually competing for a national championship--as a chance to put as many teams' destinies into their own hands as possible.

I tend to fall into the second group. If you win your conference, you have earned the right to go swim in the big kids' pool. If you finish 2nd in a "power" conference and are frozen out of the playoffs--well, maybe you shouldn't have finished second.

I have no doubt that the best bubble team left out of the NCAA tournament would beat the worst conference champ in the tournament 9 years out of 10. But I still prefer the system where the conference champs get to go to the show over the first bubble team left out.

Maybe the best way to phrase it: Are you looking to find the best team, or are you looking to find the National Champion. Sometimes, those are not the same thing.

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

The head to head win is a pretty compelling point. If you use that logic, Wisconsin beat Perdue head to head and Perdue is in the tourney, so Wisconsin should be too. Problem is Perdue won the Big 10 and Wisconsin did not. Why PSU over Wisconsin then? Because PSU played a tougher schedule and beat more top 25 teams.

You can always play the X beat Y and Y beat Z and Z is a playoff team, so X should be too (or whatever), but we're talking about 2 bubble teams that actually played each other and Auburn handily beat Georgia at Georgia. Oh yeah, and Auburn has fewer losses, too. The strength of schedule is nowhere near enough to overcome those facts.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

On the other hand, the big 10 and big 12 teams had much easier schedules across the board.

Well, maybe not COMPLETELY across the board.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

The only reason Georgia won their division and Auburn did not is because Auburn is in the same division as LSU and Georgia is not.

That may be true, but if our philosophy has been to make sure each conference is represented, shouldn't there be an argument that states that, at least in close cases, each division should be represented as well?

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

That may be true, but if our philosophy has been to make sure each conference is represented, shouldn't there be an argument that states that, at least in close cases, each division should be represented as well?

Uh, no. If that's the case, what's the point of the Championship Game?

[Grammaticus]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

The only reason Georgia won their division and Auburn did not is because Auburn is in the same division as LSU and Georgia is not.

That’s true. If you take the common opponent and conference champ LSU, Georgia played them 24-16. One score and 2 point convert from a tie. Auburn got spanked by LSU 37-6. I think if you played GA /AUB 10 times GA would come out on top more frequently. So, in the tourney, they will likely do better.

But really, the differences are not that much. I won’t cry over AUB getting in. In fact, I hope they whip azz for the SEC. Plus, AUB beat me, so it makes me look a little bit better.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Uh, no. If that's the case, what's the point of the Championship Game?

Uh, apparently to give one team an extra loss, and eliminate them from the playoffs.