The number of people who want to dismiss FSU from the playoff because they lost their quarterback or they "don't pass the eye test" got me thinking about the number of things that are just being looked over on this Alabama team, which is INCREDIBLY fortunate to be 12-1. Here are some facts that are being overlooked in this debate:
1. The SEC has NOT been a dominant league this year. The SEC went 7-9 overall against P5 teams, 4-6 against the ACC. Any talk about the fact that Alabama belongs because they won the SEC just doesn't hold water, not this year. To compound this fact, Alabama lost at home to Texas of the Big XII, went deep into the 4th quarter tied with South Florida, and needed a miracle to beat 6-6 Auburn just last week. The idea that Alabama is one of the best 4 teams after beating Georgia, who arguably played their worst game of the season yesterday, is comical.
2. FSU played in the ACC, which went 6-4 against the SEC and 10-9 against the P5. Only the PAC-12 (2) had a better record against P5 competition. FSU went undefeated, won their conference championship, didn't nearly get beat by their G5 opponent, and went 2-0 against the SEC. They didn't need a miracle to beat their rival last week and won the game and their conference championship with their 3rd string QB. To say they have no chance at winning just because of an injury to their starting QB just doesn't hold water either. History (2014 Ohio State) tells us that. Further, FSU defeated their common opponent with Alabama, LSU, by a greater margin than Alabama did. Final thought: Are we really going to use injuries to eliminate an undefeated P5 champion from the playoff and put in a team that fails so many stats, but passes "the eye test"? What if Ole Miss were FSU? What if the roles were reversed, FSU had 1 loss and Alabama had 0 but had lost Milroe?
Bottom line: The top four should be:
1. Michigan
2. Washington
3. FSU
4. Texas (Head to Head win over Alabama)
Next four
5. Alabama
6. Georgia
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon
Next four
9. Ole Miss
10. Missouri
11. Penn State
12. Oklahoma
Anything that does not reflect this lineup, especially in the top four, does not follow irrefutable statistics or the standards that the committee has laid out for determining seeding. That is all.
1. The SEC has NOT been a dominant league this year. The SEC went 7-9 overall against P5 teams, 4-6 against the ACC. Any talk about the fact that Alabama belongs because they won the SEC just doesn't hold water, not this year. To compound this fact, Alabama lost at home to Texas of the Big XII, went deep into the 4th quarter tied with South Florida, and needed a miracle to beat 6-6 Auburn just last week. The idea that Alabama is one of the best 4 teams after beating Georgia, who arguably played their worst game of the season yesterday, is comical.
2. FSU played in the ACC, which went 6-4 against the SEC and 10-9 against the P5. Only the PAC-12 (2) had a better record against P5 competition. FSU went undefeated, won their conference championship, didn't nearly get beat by their G5 opponent, and went 2-0 against the SEC. They didn't need a miracle to beat their rival last week and won the game and their conference championship with their 3rd string QB. To say they have no chance at winning just because of an injury to their starting QB just doesn't hold water either. History (2014 Ohio State) tells us that. Further, FSU defeated their common opponent with Alabama, LSU, by a greater margin than Alabama did. Final thought: Are we really going to use injuries to eliminate an undefeated P5 champion from the playoff and put in a team that fails so many stats, but passes "the eye test"? What if Ole Miss were FSU? What if the roles were reversed, FSU had 1 loss and Alabama had 0 but had lost Milroe?
Bottom line: The top four should be:
1. Michigan
2. Washington
3. FSU
4. Texas (Head to Head win over Alabama)
Next four
5. Alabama
6. Georgia
7. Ohio State
8. Oregon
Next four
9. Ole Miss
10. Missouri
11. Penn State
12. Oklahoma
Anything that does not reflect this lineup, especially in the top four, does not follow irrefutable statistics or the standards that the committee has laid out for determining seeding. That is all.
