The expanded College Football Playoff off to a rough start

[SubbaBub]

Ehh whatever Oregon got blown out so they don't have an argument really, people just love to complain it's the American way.

This. The format is working perfectly. Anyone who reasonably had a shot to claim the title got in. No one had an easy path and they settled it on the field.

Last week the complaint was Ohio State and Penn State had to play an extra game.

This week the complaint is the teams given byes should have played earlier even though the matchups would have been effectively similar.

Any other format is just gifting seeded based on reputation and subpar SEC teams getting an easier path that they clearly don't deserve.

Bowl games have blowouts, always have and in fact that has been the norm more than not. We are just used to paying attention to fewer playoff games. Between the layoff, transfers, graduates, now the portal and the extra games. The finalists will play 16/17 games vs the old total of 12/13.

For those interested. Indiana played ND closer that UGA did and ASU as the last bye team was a missed call away from beating the consensus #3 team in Texas.

The seeding doesn't make better games but is does reward winning, so it should be kept as is.

On a UConn related note, Oregon got beat worse than UConn in it's BCS bowl and no one says they didn't belong. UConn also traveled to Phoenix just as well as Penn State did this year. I know because I was at both games.

 

[AllHusky]

Personally I have really enjoyed the smorgasboard of Football games available seemingly around the clock. Every chance I had to grab an hour in front of the tube, I seemed to be able to find a game that was of interest, whether a playoff or just one of the many bowls.

Wondering, did our game being on the mid to late part of the Bowl schedule impair our staffs ability to get out and Portal evaluate and recruit at these games?

 

[ZooCougar]

Personally I have really enjoyed the smorgasboard of Football games available seemingly around the clock. Every chance I had to grab an hour in front of the tube, I seemed to be able to find a game that was of interest, whether a playoff or just one of the many bowls.

Wondering, did our game being on the mid to late part of the Bowl schedule impair our staffs ability to get out and Portal evaluate and recruit at these games?

Probably not.

Nowadays in December the recruits come to you, you either reach the right number or you don’t.

 

[Purple Stein]

This Notre Dame/Penn State game tonight is a lot of fun. And to think in prior seasons Notre Dame would have been eliminated for that loss against NIU.

 

[UCFBfan]

This Penn St/ND game is great.

These playoffs may have started off with blow outs but they picked up the excitement after that. The Texas game, ND game, and this game have been great watches.

 

[storrsroars]

Dammit. Thought ND was a sure bet for a winning FG.

... but they get another chance with 33 secs left!

 

[superjohn]

Nice quick review. It was obviously a catch but refs take to long most of the time.

 

[superjohn]

This announcer may be the biggest idiot ever. What the hell is he talking about???

 

[storrsroars]

Suck it PSU.

 

[J187Money]

This is exactly like it should be.

 

[superjohn]

ND baby!

 

[UCFBfan]

WOW! The commentator said a columnist wrote that Marcus Freeman made ND a likable team for all the people who never like them. I kinda agree. My family are PSU fans so I hate ND and was bummed with the result. However, I don't hate myself for cheering for them to win it all.

 

[BugsyCT]

We're one win away from a transitive property national championship.

UConn > Buffalo > NIU > ND

 

[RioDog]

Go Irish.

 

[Vowelguy]

We're one win away from a transitive property national championship.

UConn > Buffalo > NIU > ND

I think they’ll be significant underdogs in the title game.

But if they win…

If NIU can beat the NC why not UConn?

 

[storrsroars]

WOW! The commentator said a columnist wrote that Marcus Freeman made ND a likable team for all the people who never like them. I kinda agree. My family are PSU fans so I hate ND and was bummed with the result. However, I don't hate myself for cheering for them to win it all.

And they did it with a Duke QB.

 

[Devland]

This was a horribly played game. Although Franklin is far more likeable than Freeman, he can not win a big game. He had far more talent but laid an egg again. Ohio State, even though I hate them, are going to cake walk to a championship.

 

[superjohn]

This was a horribly played game. Although Franklin is far more likeable than Freeman, he can not win a big game. He had far more talent but laid an egg again. Ohio State, even though I hate them, are going to cake walk to a championship.

Franklin is the least likable coach after Brian Kelly. Freeman is as likable as it gets.

 

[storrsroars]

This was a horribly played game. Although Franklin is far more likeable than Freeman, he can not win a big game. He had far more talent but laid an egg again. Ohio State, even though I hate them, are going to cake walk to a championship.

Living in western PA, I believe I'm fully entitled to note that Franklin is an ass.

 

[Vowelguy]

Franklin is the least likable coach after Brian Kelly.

Don’t forget about Mike gundy.

 

[superjohn]

Living in western PA, I believe I'm fully entitled to note that Franklin is an ass.

Franklin is a total scumbag, I didn't know there was anyone who actually likes him outside of Happy Valley. I doubt even many like him in Happy Valley.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

That was a legitimately entertaining game last night after 7.5 snoozers. And the only reason Texas/Arizona State was close was because Texas almost choked at the end of a game it had in the bag.

I can’t stand either team, but it was a good game last night.

 

[CTBasketball]

Independents still undefeated.

 

[KryHavok]

WOW! The commentator said a columnist wrote that Marcus Freeman made ND a likable team for all the people who never like them. I kinda agree. My family are PSU fans so I hate ND and was bummed with the result. However, I don't hate myself for cheering for them to win it all.

I'll root for any of the Catholic teams in the Big East (or Gonzaga) if they aren't playing against UConn, but I can never find myself rooting for BCU or ND, which given my upbringing I should, but those 2 teams I can't stand. However, there is something about Freeman that I find admirable, maybe it's his unassuming nature or that fact that he just coaches well and isn't a blowhard. I was very much rooting for PSU last night, and when they gave up a TD to ND that tied the game at 10-10, I thought "well that's it, PSU is gonna lose now". They made a game of it and almost restored my faith when they went up 24-17. But in the end they blew it. I hope Ohio State wins tonight and thrashes ND in the title game. As for Freeman, I'm glad he's having success and hope he leaves ND for some other school so that I can go back to completely hating ND.

 

[gtcam]

It was a really entertaining game last night.
I despise ND but I do like Freeman
Can't help but believe Ohio State will win it all.