UCF

[DarthGrumpy]

UCF has got this.

LSU isn't as good on offense as half the AAC, and they have liabilities defensively. Greedy Williams in particular is an awful player that has gotten scorched by good receivers all year - UCF needs to target himm

I know that there are still contractual obligations with certain bowls for certain conferences; but, the fact that #8, undefeated and conference champion UCF is assigned to the Fiesta Bowl against #11 LSU who has 3 loses and came in 3rd in their division (not conference) says a lot. Its fear. Because if UCF beats LSU, then P5 mouthpieces will remind everyone that LSU lost 3 games, got shut-out by Alabama, almost lost to lowly Arkansas, and forgot how to play defense against A&M for the reason that UCF is still not good enough to be in the playoffs.

Now, if they wanted UCF to finally prove themselves on the field (winning isn't the issues here, it's the money), UCF would be playing Georgia in the Fiesta or Peach Bowl with Florida or LSU taking Georgia's spot to play a Texas team with 4 losses. That would have matched-up 2 of the next 3 highest ranked teams as the B1G is contractually required to send their best team, Ohio St, to the Rose Bowl unless that team is selected for the playoffs. The problem here for the P5 is that they have already stated that Georgia should have been in the playoffs because they just lost to #1 Alabama, while fogetting that LSU trashed the Dawgs. So, if UCF beat Georgia, what would have been the excuse not to have them in the playoffs? That was a question to be avoided at all costs.

 

[Adios]

I know that there are still contractual obligations with certain bowls for certain conferences; but, the fact that #8, undefeated and conference champion UCF is assigned to the Fiesta Bowl against #11 LSU who has 3 loses and came in 3rd in their division (not conference) says a lot. Its fear. Because if UCF beats LSU, then P5 mouthpieces will remind everyone that LSU lost 3 games, got shut-out by Alabama, almost lost to lowly Arkansas, and forgot how to play defense against A&M for the reason that UCF is still not good enough to be in the playoffs.

Now, if they wanted UCF to finally prove themselves on the field (winning isn't the issues here, it's the money), UCF would be playing Georgia in the Fiesta or Peach Bowl with Florida or LSU taking Georgia's spot to play a Texas team with 4 losses. That would have matched-up 2 of the next 3 highest ranked teams as the B1G is contractually required to send their best team, Ohio St, to the Rose Bowl unless that team is selected for the playoffs. The problem here for the P5 is that they have already stated that Georgia should have been in the playoffs because they just lost to #1 Alabama, while fogetting that LSU trashed the Dawgs. So, if UCF beat Georgia, what would have been the excuse not to have them in the playoffs? That was a question to be avoided at all costs.

If UCF wins, their win streak keeps going. 26 games would be historic. 25 is historic, as is.

Longest NCAA Division I football winning streaks - Wikipedia

And then, if they keep winning next season...

A UCF win would still be huge for them and the conference.

 

[Adios]

Contractual obligations took UGA to the Sugar Bowl.

Wazzu thinks they should be playing in the Fiesta Bowl.

 

[4in16]

FWIW UCF’s nonconference next season includes vs Florida A&M, @Florida Atlantic, vs Stanford, and @Pitt. They also get Houston at home but dont play Memphis in their crossovers get Tulane and Tulsa instead.

 

[Jax Husky]

UCF has got this.

LSU isn't as good on offense as half the AAC, and they have liabilities defensively. Greedy Williams in particular is an awful player that has gotten scorched by good receivers all year - UCF needs to target himm

Greedy is going to be a Top 5-8 pick, lol. He shut down people all year. What are you talking about?

He also isn't even going to play in the game. LSUs D is going to present a HUGE problem for UCF.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Greedy is going to be a Top 5-8 pick, lol. He shut down people all year. What are you talking about?

He also isn't even going to play in the game. LSUs D is going to present a HUGE problem for UCF.

Must have missed the Bama game; he got destroyed in that game. He also struggled vs the likes of Louisiana Tech.

If he played at UTEP or Ball State, he would go undrafted. He is not very good.

 

[BlueDogs]

UCF should be up against Georgia or OSU. But, the powers that he can’t afford the possibility of an embarrassing loss that would indict the system for the BS it is.

 

[polycom]

UCF should be up against Georgia or OSU. But, the powers that he can’t afford the possibility of an embarrassing loss that would indict the system for the BS it is.

No they shouldn’t they lost their starting QB

 

[Jax Husky]

So

Must have missed the Bama game; he got destroyed in that game. He also struggled vs the likes of Louisiana Tech.

If he played at UTEP or Ball State, he would go undrafted. He is not very good.

He would go undrafted, yet because he plays for LSU some NFL team is going to take him in the top 10? Makes sense. Getting beat once or twice does not mean you suck. He plays on an island basically 100% of the time.


After week 8, Pro Football Focus had this to say about Greedy:

4. GREEDY WILLIAMS, LSU – CORNERBACK
Week 3 Draft Board rank: 5th (+1)
Williams has allowed a 40.1 passer rating into his coverage, just 0.5 points higher than if the quarterback threw the ball in the dirt on every pass,

 

[polycom]

This ucf love is hilarious. They could win with their starting qb but a backup? Come on

 

[Brochacho]

This ucf love is hilarious. They could win with their starting qb but a backup? Come on

That's the fun thing about bowl season. UCF has 4 weeks to become a team centered around Mack vs Milton. Its like a fall camp in December. They might be a very different team in January, which I'd imagine is a concern if you're LSU.

Also, regarding the SEC-hate and P5 bias posts, LSU is really freaking good. Friendly reminder that the SEC has 8 teams in the top 20 of the Sagarin ratings. And looking at LSU's schedule, I'm not sure UCF wins 8 vs it. Still, UCF matches up decently with LSU.

 

[TerryD]

Agree. Notre Dame's best game on its resume - by FAR - was a close week 1 win against Michigan. The same Michigan team who Ohio State just dismantled last week.

And also in the same opponent match game, Notre Dame beat Northwestern by 10 when Ohio State beat them by 21.

Notre Dame is in the Playoff based on smoke and mirrors. They are going to get absolutely throttled by Clemson.

Even if so, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that ND (as an independent playing 12 games) got into the playoffs.

That cements ND's independent football status for the foreseeable future, helps with recruiting and places it (along with 3 ten or more win seasons in 4 years and a 22-3 record in the past two seasons) back right where it wants to be as a program.

 

[TerryD]

This was the easiest route for the Committee. Oklahoma looked more impressive tham Ohio St and Georgia had 2 losses. Putting UGA in over Oklahaoma/Ohio St/ND would have caused an internal brawl. UCF was never in the discussion. That said, ND may still be concnered because it looks to have been a close vote and if ND can't get in after an undefeated season, then, well. Also, the B1G is still not going to be happy having missed out on the playoffs for 3 years now. They can break either the XII (taking Kansas and Oklahoma) or the ACC (taking UVA, UNC, and Duke) sooner than later maybe in their best interest.

The Committee spokesman said yesterday that there was absolutely no dissent or controversy regarding the votes for #1, #2 and #3. The only debate was Oklahoma vs. Ohio State for #4.

 

[Dooley]

Even if so, it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that ND (as an independent playing 12 games) got into the playoffs.

That cements ND's independent football status for the foreseeable future, helps with recruiting and places it (along with 3 ten or more win seasons in 4 years and a 22-3 record in the past two seasons) back right where it wants to be as a program.

Agreed. Notre Dame getting into the Playoff with 12 games versus everyone else's 13 cements their independence for the foreseeable future. Committee really dropped the ball here. Ohio State's 12 wins were far more impressive than Notre Dame's 12 wins.

Aside: the Big 12 must be seeing red right now. They fought hard against having a Championship Game for the last 6 years or so. They were constantly told that the 13th data point was so important and that their round robin champion was not as impressive as other conferences' championship game champions. The Big 12 flirted with expansion just to add members to create a championship game but ultimately decided that playing 2 marquee games, even if it's a rematch, would be better. And in Year ONE of Big 12 CCG in the new CPB Playoff era, all that championship game / 13th data point was washed away like a fart in the breeze to put in 12 game Notre Dame (with a mediocre schedule).

The Sweetheart Deals continue for Notre Dame. It really pays to be a founding member of college football's Old Money Club.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The Committee spokesman said yesterday that there was absolutely no dissent or controversy regarding the votes for #1, #2 and #3. The only debate was Oklahoma vs. Ohio State for #4.

Just like it was 'unanimous' to invite Louisville over UConn into the ACC. The official vote is also a face-savings exercise. It's what happens before that is of interest. The Committee did not help itsle by posting its official rankings (does not show actual votes/points):

#1 Alabama, #2 Clemson, #3 Notre Dame, #4 Oklahoma, #5 Georgia, #6 Ohio St, #7 Michigan, #8 UCF, #9 Washington, #10 Florida.

College Football Playoff

Several committee members when talking to the press emphasized that Oklahoma's conference title win was better than Ohio St's and also referenced the strength of Georgia's loss to Alabama. I would wager that ND lack of a conference title was discussed at length internally as its clear that an unblemished record carries less weight than a title. Not inviting an undefeated ND into the playoffs would, of course, have consequences, too. Naturally, an unblemished record and a conference title seems to carry no weight for teams outside of the P5.

 

[Husky68]

I wouldn't underestimate the angst amongst the talking heads and P5 honchos for the LSU vs. UCF game. LSU running attack and defense could beat up UCF but there is also some possibility that UCF's offense runs/passes all around LSU defense and makes it a big win for UCF and their 2nd string QB. Oklahoma whip Alabama with big score also and get "so big bad SEC defenses can't handle REAL offenses". That would be fun.
I'm counting on Clemson really beating up ND to show how poor the "selection" process is vs. team's ability. That there was NO debate on ND getting in and have them lose big and much debate on Oklahoma and they win would show how weak their "eye test" is.
Like all good con men, the talking heads would still have a NARRATIVE to explain away this type of debacle.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

This ucf love is hilarious. They could win with their starting qb but a backup? Come on

Maybe LSU shows up; perhaps not, and the same applies to Central Florida. Maybe Mack's 4 running TDs, 2 passing TDs, and decent completion % against Memphis and prior back up play mean nothing. Or, perhaps the guy's pretty good and contributes to a good effort and a win or loss against a decent LSU opponent. Who knows, it's funny bowl season time. TBD 1/1/19!

 

[polycom]

Maybe LSU shows up; perhaps not, and the same applies to Central Florida. Maybe Mack's 4 running TDs, 2 passing TDs, and decent completion % against Memphis and prior back up play mean nothing. Or, perhaps the guy's pretty good and contributes to a good effort and a win or loss against a decent LSU opponent. Who knows, it's funny bowl season time. TBD 1/1/19!

So now we are comparing LSU and Memphis, okay.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

So now we are comparing LSU and Memphis, okay.

Not I; just reasonably pragmatic given the bowl season.

 

[TerryD]

Agreed. Notre Dame getting into the Playoff with 12 games versus everyone else's 13 cements their independence for the foreseeable future. Committee really dropped the ball here. Ohio State's 12 wins were far more impressive than Notre Dame's 12 wins.

Aside: the Big 12 must be seeing red right now. They fought hard against having a Championship Game for the last 6 years or so. They were constantly told that the 13th data point was so important and that their round robin champion was not as impressive as other conferences' championship game champions. The Big 12 flirted with expansion just to add members to create a championship game but ultimately decided that playing 2 marquee games, even if it's a rematch, would be better. And in Year ONE of Big 12 CCG in the new CPB Playoff era, all that championship game / 13th data point was washed away like a fart in the breeze to put in 12 game Notre Dame (with a mediocre schedule).

The Sweetheart Deals continue for Notre Dame. It really pays to be a founding member of college football's Old Money Club.

Ohio State could not get past a 29 point drubbing by 6-6 Purdue.

 

[Dooley]

Ohio State could not get past a 29 point drubbing by 6-6 Purdue.

Yup. It's just a shame that the Committee caved hard here. Notre Dame's resume is not impressive whatsoever but you're right, one bad game against Purdue ultimately did Ohio State in. And Notre Dame beat all the cupcakes they had on their schedule, albeit some with a greater degree of difficulty than others (ex- Ball State). But I do understand that this Playoff is first and foremost all about money. And if they can spread around the opportunities for its Old Money Club members, they'll try. This just happened to be a good year to sneak Notre Dame in to keep them happy. In other years, there may not be that opportunity. The only real Old Money Club member who had a case over Notre Dame was Ohio State. And you see that they conveniently slotted them down to "6th" behind a 2-loss SEC team so that there can't be any questioning of the scam rankings.

Just hope the Playoff is expanded soon so that college football can, one day, get to a point where an actual champion is crowned on the field and not in popularity polls. Until then, the scam continues I suppose.

 

[BlueDogs]

An FBS school wins 25 games in a row, including beating a team they could not possibly match against in the big bad SEC and yet they don’t make the cut. The CFP is an un-American cartel. I don’t care what anybody says about quality, etc...it’s fundamentally wrong. The reason why the NCAA basketball championship is so popular is because it is about merit and giving teams a chance to show they do belong. This nonsense is designed to control the market, recruiting talent and dollars. It is the height of corruption. Guarantee UCF would out gun a terrible OU defense.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

Yup. It's just a shame that the Committee caved hard here. Notre Dame's resume is not impressive whatsoever but you're right, one bad game against Purdue ultimately did Ohio State in. And Notre Dame beat all the cupcakes they had on their schedule, albeit some with a greater degree of difficulty than others (ex- Ball State)

Notre Dame's schedule was only weak because the teams on there had down seasons. Let's not act like they played a MAC schedule. Stanford, USC, VT, and FSU were supposed to be better. They did play at Northwestern and Syracuse was better than expected. There schedule did not turn out strong, wasn't cupcake either. ND most years play a fairly difficult schedule. If you want to make it about not having to play a 13th game, that's fair.

 

[Dooley]

Notre Dame's schedule was only weak because the teams on there had down seasons. Let's not act like they played a MAC schedule. Stanford, USC, VT, and FSU were supposed to be better. They did play at Northwestern and Syracuse was better than expected. There schedule did not turn out strong, wasn't cupcake either. ND most years play a fairly difficult schedule. If you want to make it about not having to play a 13th game, that's fair.

And in most years when Notre Dame plays a fairly difficult schedule, they lose.

When you only schedule 12 games, that's the risk you take. You're banking on at least half the schedule being strong. Your chances should be more limited if you want to play 12 than if you play 13. You either:
1. run the table against a strong 12 game schedule (was not the case);
2. play a 13th game.

Notre Dame played 12 games against mostly competition in "down years". Notre Dame's only impressive win was a close win in week 1 against Michigan. The same team that Ohio State pummeled not too long ago. Notre Dame's only other significant win - against Northwestern - was also overshadowed by Ohio State. Meanwhile, UCF hasn't lost in 2 years and they can't even crack the serious "also receiving votes category".

I just want to know how Notre Dame's 2018 schedule was any different than UCF's schedule when the "marquee" names on it are ALL in down years? Not to mention, UCF played one more game than Notre Dame and they won that too.

The Big 12 just got a Championship Game shoved down their throats after years of fighting tooth and nail against it. They were told the 13th data point was important. It's clearly not. What's most important is the name of your school. If you are Notre Dame or Alabama, you can play 12 games and get in. Everyone else can go punt. I just don't know how Notre Dame got elevated to that status. Like I said in the first sentence, when Notre Dame plays against good teams, they lose. And they are going to lose big against Clemson.

 

[bc puckett]

Agreed. Notre Dame getting into the Playoff with 12 games versus everyone else's 13 cements their independence for the foreseeable future. Committee really dropped the ball here. Ohio State's 12 wins were far more impressive than Notre Dame's 12 wins.

Aside: the Big 12 must be seeing red right now. They fought hard against having a Championship Game for the last 6 years or so. They were constantly told that the 13th data point was so important and that their round robin champion was not as impressive as other conferences' championship game champions. The Big 12 flirted with expansion just to add members to create a championship game but ultimately decided that playing 2 marquee games, even if it's a rematch, would be better. And in Year ONE of Big 12 CCG in the new CPB Playoff era, all that championship game / 13th data point was washed away like a fart in the breeze to put in 12 game Notre Dame (with a mediocre schedule).

The Sweetheart Deals continue for Notre Dame. It really pays to be a founding member of college football's Old Money Club.

BTW this was the second year the Big 12 has had a championship game and in both years OU not only won the game and made the CFP, and I'm fairly certain the conference made a few dollars on the event as well. They also didn't fight hard against having a championship game as they had one for years before realignment left them with only 10 teams which meant by NCAA rule they weren't allowed to have a CCG as the requirement was a minimum of 12 teams. The received a waiver to bring back a CCG beginning in 2017 which is what they wanted all along. All that "One true champion" nonsense was nothing but BS because they had no other option.