UCF, Group of Five and the CFP (SI article)

[UCMB88]

While you may or may not agree that UCF should've been in playoff contention, this is an excellent article on why UCF, UCONN, the AAC and the entire Group of Five are screwed.

UCF's neglected playoff case sets a poor precedent

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The best opportunity (a real opportunity solely due to how the expected better P-5 schools performed that year) for a G-5 to have made the playoff was Houston in 2016 as they knocked off both Oklahoma and a highly regarded (due to their game at Clemson) Louisville (and won both games comfortably). Unfortunately (and ironically given the rhetoric) the strength of the AAC did them in

I doubt the P-5 will ever allow a G-5 school the chance to compete. He'll, they spent much of November looking for reasons to dismiss an unbeaten B-10 school (Wisconsin) as they didn't want them invited to the party.

 

[BlueDogs]

Good for SI for standing up and at least recognizing how harmful the situation is to college football as a whole. The system is rigged to keep brand teams in control and reap the benefits. This is not what competitive sport is about.

 

[Travelman6]

Great, keep more and more teams out, and lose the fan bases (and thus money) of those teams too. Good luck with that!

 

[whaler11]

Great, keep more and more teams out, and lose the fan bases (and thus money) of those teams too. Good luck with that!

Nobody is a fan of the bottom 110 programs because of a potential national championship.

If anyone is following UConn football under the hope they someday get a playoff invite... L. O. L.

 

[Travelman6]

The ol' gentlemen's club continues on.

 

[Afroabe224]

I'm glad the CFP is "Progressive" but 8 teams is the magic number. It sucks we have to wait another decade for it. All P5 champs, highest ranked G5 champ and 2 at-large. Football is the only sport where you can win your conference and not have a chance at the national championship.

8. UCF @ 1. Clemson
7. USC @ 2. Oklahoma
6. Wisconsin @ 3. Georgia
5. Ohio St. @ 4. Alabama

Sign me up.

 

[CL82]

"and though it couldn’t combat the fact that it plays in a division with the likes of Cincinnati, East Carolina and UConn"

Ouch. And how'd we do against the other two?

Sigh.

 

[tduconn]

"and though it couldn’t combat the fact that it plays in a division with the likes of Cincinnati, East Carolina and UConn"

Ouch. And how'd we do against the other two?

Sigh.

I feel UCF's pain of its players, coaches, and fans. My first reaction was its not fair!

However, I'd bet the Ohio States, Michigans, Alabama's , USC's, etc., would love to play in a conference where 25% of its teams are the worst of FBS. They could have broken decades old team records themselves.

However the most explosive teams in the AAC did, it was against teams with some of the worse FBS rankings in various categories.

Don't forget, Oklahoma fans were not thrilled they were playing a team (UConn) with four losses from a perceived weak BCS conference in the Fiesta Bowl.

In fact the move from BCS to FBS started the next year, and two of the 2011 BCS "escapees" were Pittsburgh and Syracuse, followed the next year (2012) by Rutgers, Louisville, and WVU.......they wanted out of a weak BCS conference.

I can feel the pain of UCF and its fans, but can understand why none of the P5 wanted to allow UCF in the Big party.

 

[CL82]

I feel UCF's pain of its players, coaches, and fans. My first reaction was its not fair!

However, I'd bet the Ohio States, Michigans, Alabama's , USC's, etc., would love to play in a conference where 25% of its teams are the worst of FBS. They could have broken decades old team records themselves.

However the most explosive teams in the AAC did, it was against teams with some of the worse FBS rankings in various categories.

Don't forget, Oklahoma fans were not thrilled they were playing a team (UConn) with four losses from a perceived weak BCS conference in the Fiesta Bowl.

In fact the move from BCS to FBS started the next year, and two of the 2011 BCS "escapees" were Pittsburgh and Syracuse, followed the next year (2012) by Rutgers, Louisville, and WVU..they wanted out of a weak BCS conference.

I can feel the pain of UCF and its fans, but can understand why none of the P5 wanted to allow UCF in the Big party.

Yep, me too. But with the P5 moving to just scheduling P5 schools, that argument becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Expanding the playoffs and giving the G5 access, seems like the most logical fix.

 

[freescooter]

The best opportunity (a real opportunity solely due to how the expected better P-5 schools performed that year) for a G-5 to have made the playoff was Houston in 2016 as they knocked off both Oklahoma and a highly regarded (due to their game at Clemson) Louisville (and won both games comfortably). Unfortunately (and ironically given the rhetoric) the strength of the AAC did them in

I doubt the P-5 will ever allow a G-5 school the chance to compete. He'll, they spent much of November looking for reasons to dismiss an unbeaten B-10 school (Wisconsin) as they didn't want them invited to the party.

Agree. For all the hype about a true national champion, the b-10, pac 12 were skipped over to get a team that lost its DIVISION, not its lleague championship. This year proved that this is nothing more than a made for tv Invitational. Had Clemson lost and Wisconsin won I suspect they’d have figured a way to get both Clemson and Alabama into there tournament. It is more like the old pre BCS bowl system than, say, the the 1AA tournament.

 

[huskeynut]

The article is spot on and we should not be surprised at all. The P5 cartel has no intention of allowing anyone outside their little circle of getting in.

 

[NE Football]

No 2 loss team has made the playoffs. I think the playoffs will get expanded to 8 teams and open up access to an undefeated G5 team.

 

[whaler11]

Agree. For all the hype about a true national champion, the b-10, pac 12 were skipped over to get a team that lost its DIVISION, not its lleague championship. This year proved that this is nothing more than a made for tv Invitational. Had Clemson lost and Wisconsin won I suspect they’d have figured a way to get both Clemson and Alabama into there tournament. It is more like the old pre BCS bowl system than, say, the the 1AA tournament.

Yeah I’m sure 13-0 Wisconsin would have been left out. Yeah they were in the top 4 going into the last weekend and would have beated Ohio State.

There tournament certainly would have not included Wisconsin. This seems obvious and certain.

So your argument is if the two best teams in the country are in the same division - the second best team can’t go to the playoff because the best team is in the same division.

I’m not saying that is the case with Alabama but that’s rank stupidity.

 

[huskysupporter]

Shouldn’t be 8 teams. Should be 16 teams. The playoff system in FBS is horrible.

 

[UCFBfan]

The whole system is a joke. No G5 will ever be even considered for the playoffs, even if they beat quality OOC opponents and go undefeated. The tv networks and P5 don’t want them in these games. Bottom Line.

I’d even go so far as saying that the lower half of the P5 will never make it either. If somehow Rutgers or Wake pull off a 1 loss season and are pitted against a 1 loss SEC team, there’s no way they get in. If Ohio St couldn’t get in over Alabama this year, there’s not a chance a lower tier P5 gets in.

It’s not a true playoff or NC. It’s a made for TV playoff that picks good teams and ignores those that don’t fit their mold.

I’m not saying UCF should be in the playoffs but like the article said, the fact that they weren’t even in the conversation shows how much of a fallacy this whole thing is.

However, realistic fans of G5 schools should already know this and just hope their school can at least make the NY6 bowl. That’s basically the highest a G5 school will ever go.

 

[freescooter]

The spokesperson for the selection committee was openly talking about putting Alabama in before the SEC championship game,

 

[uconnric]

The article is spot on and we should not be surprised at all. The P5 cartel has no intention of allowing anyone outside their little circle of getting in.

Exactly, it was their goal all along to create a separate division within FBS.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Yeah I’m sure 13-0 Wisconsin would have been left out. Yeah they were in the top 4 going into the last weekend and would have beated Ohio State.

There tournament certainly would have not included Wisconsin. This seems obvious and certain.

So your argument is if the two best teams in the country are in the same division - the second best team can’t go to the playoff because the best team is in the same division.

I’m not saying that is the case with Alabama but that’s rank stupidity.

The way things worked out, Wisconsin would have made it in had they beaten Ohio St but if a couple of things, not outrageous possibilities, fell differently, an understanding Wisconsin could have been on the outside looking in.

If Miami (who I personally believed was highly overrated but the committee happened to love) won at Pitt (with the ACC title game turning out the same), Wisconsin never would have been viewed ahead of them by the committee. Additionally, Clemson and Georgia would be numbers one & two regardless, if Alabama's one loss had been in the SEC title game (as opposed to Auburn), given the above scenario of Miami having only one loss, the only real debate would have been which of Wisconsin and Oklahoma would be five and six.

 

[freescooter]

Whaler
Who knows who the 2 best teams are? How many games did Alabama play against the Big 10? But based on on the field results they are arguably #3 in their own league behind Auburn who beat them head to head and Georgia who beat Auburn. But the spokesperson for the Committee was openly arguing for Alabama BEFORE the various league championships were over. So yeah, I think they wanted Bama and were trying to come up with s justification to get them. Honestly they are a better tv draw than the alternatives. They also wanted a Clemson rematch though I agree that would have been harder. The Big 12 champ was arguably most at risk I think. The tv crews on multiple league championships, can’t recall which, commented on how the committee wanted Alabama. So they’d have found a way in my view. Clemson and Ohio State winning made it easier but they would have ginned up some justification anyway. SOS or some other foolishness. Probably rated Alabama’s victory over Mercer as a big one.

 

[BlueDogs]

The whole system is a joke. No G5 will ever be even considered for the playoffs, even if they beat quality OOC opponents and go undefeated. The tv networks and P5 don’t want them in these games. Bottom Line.

I’d even go so far as saying that the lower half of the P5 will never make it either. If somehow Rutgers or Wake pull off a 1 loss season and are pitted against a 1 loss SEC team, there’s no way they get in. If Ohio St couldn’t get in over Alabama this year, there’s not a chance a lower tier P5 gets in.

It’s not a true playoff or NC. It’s a made for TV playoff that picks good teams and ignores those that don’t fit their mold.

I’m not saying UCF should be in the playoffs but like the article said, the fact that they weren’t even in the conversation shows how much of a fallacy this whole thing is.

However, realistic fans of G5 schools should already know this and just hope their school can at least make the NY6 bowl. That’s basically the highest a G5 school will ever go.

It is not in the TV network's interest or P5 interest to allow another interesting conference to exist because it would increase the competitive dollars the must be paid out to another conference and drain the premium money networks pay the P5. The best way to do that is make sure there is a permanent under class that can't compete for playoff exposure and also limit NY6 access. Then slowly strangle the lesser conferences with vastly smaller deals so G5 can't maintain their program spending levels. This is a very intentionally orchestrated market control scam where P5 benefits with extra protection dollars in exchange for suppressing competition outside its ranks. We saw the smoking gun when network TV was willing to pay more keep the Big12from expanding. This same dynamic is occurring at much bigger and audacious scale. It's total fraud and i guarantee if some enterprising litigants undertook wide ranging discovery you would find massive collusion and unlawful conspiracies to control the market.

 

[whaler11]

Whaler
Who knows who the 2 best teams are? How many games did Alabama play against the Big 10? But based on on the field results they are arguably #3 in their own league behind Auburn who beat them head to head and Georgia who beat Auburn. But the spokesperson for the Committee was openly arguing for Alabama BEFORE the various league championships were over. So yeah, I think they wanted Bama and were trying to come up with s justification to get them. Honestly they are a better tv draw than the alternatives. They also wanted a Clemson rematch though I agree that would have been harder. The Big 12 champ was arguably most at risk I think. The tv crews on multiple league championships, can’t recall which, commented on how the committee wanted Alabama. So they’d have found a way in my view. Clemson and Ohio State winning made it easier but they would have ginned up some justification anyway. SOS or some other foolishness. Probably rated Alabama’s victory over Mercer as a big one.

You really don’t but your rule hypothetically eliminates teams based on who they share a division with. That’s dumb.

 

[Ldandy]

The article is spot on and we should not be surprised at all. The P5 cartel has no intention of allowing anyone outside their little circle of getting in.

If Houston didn't **** all over themselves at the end of last season they would have made the playoff. The path to the playoff isn't an easy one by any means, but there is one.

 

[UCMB88]

Say hypothetically that UCF defeats Auburn in the Peach Bowl, and they run the table again next season to finish 13-0. (I know, not gonna happen, but just saying what if). Their OOC next year is North Carolina, Pitt, and Florida Atlantic. Do you think they would be in playoff contention then? Yes, a lot depends on how the P5 upper echelon shakes out, but I say in the above scenario, UCF would barely get a sniff for the 4-team playoff and that is why the G5 is screwed.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Say hypothetically that UCF defeats Auburn in the Peach Bowl, and they run the table again next season to finish 13-0. (I know, not gonna happen, but just saying what if). Their OOC next year is North Carolina, Pitt, and Florida Atlantic. Do you think they would be in playoff contention then? Yes, a lot depends on how the P5 upper echelon shakes out, but I say in the above scenario, UCF would barely get a sniff for the 4-team playoff and that is why the G5 is screwed.

You do realize that if Auburn beats UCF it will be because of the superiority of better P5 schools over even the best of the G5 while if UCF wins it will only be because Auburn didn't take the game seriously.