NCAA Playoff Committee Rankings 2014 (Unranked)

[GTO Slayer]

Did TCU just defeat itself this weekend?

Did TCU just defeat itself this weekend?

The first TEST of the "committee's" integrity comes this Tuesday. Does a three loss WVA drop from the top twenty five? If so ... I fully expect Jeff Long to hit the air waves saying, "The committee is no longer impressed with Alabama's body of work as they have no 'quality wins'." I won't be holding my breath for this, though. This should be interesting to watch. If they start the rankings each week with a clean slate, how does a win this week over a ranked opponent help you next week if they are no longer ranked? Talk about a low profit situation for TCU. If TCU and Alabama still get credit for WVA, then why do we not get credit for Stanford in week six? It's not that I believe ND is a top four team at this time, but these are the criteria Jeff Long is spewing and therefore the committee should be held to them. Just curious does the Arizona loss negate the marginal win against Stanford this week for Oregon? Doesn't this make their loss look much worse? According to Jeff Long Losses are measured as well. Looking forward to Tuesday and the uproar that will surely ensue. GO IRISH!

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Baylor and AZ St could easily jump us. I wouldn't be shocked after our performance. I will be pi$$ed however if Ole Miss is still ahead of us.

I'd be surprised if a 2 loss team is ahead of us, even with a poor performance vs. Navy.

 

[Irish YJ]

I'd be surprised if a 2 loss team is ahead of us, even with a poor performance vs. Navy.

surprised, no, pi$$ed, yes
it is Jeff Long's show isn't it.

 

[Grahambo]

It's too difficult to predict what the CFP would do. It really does appear that strength of schedule is really hurting ND which sucks because coming into the season people were crying it was gonna be too difficult.

I did predict 11-1 with the only loss to FSU so I'm on pace for that!

Although it appears that the playoff is a longshot at best and even before I officially wave the white flag as there are still too many games left, it will be nice to get into a New Years Day bowl game. Still a pretty good consolation to the season and a great builder heading into the offseason as ND does return a hell of a lot of people and even gets back KVR, Ishaq, and maybe DD.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

It's too difficult to predict what the CFP would do. It really does appear that strength of schedule is really hurting ND which sucks because coming into the season people were crying it was gonna be too difficult.

I did predict 11-1 with the only loss to FSU so I'm on pace for that!

Although it appears that the playoff is a longshot at best and even before I officially wave the white flag as there are still too many games left, it will be nice to get into a New Years Day bowl game. Still a pretty good consolation to the season and a great builder heading into the offseason as ND does return a hell of a lot of people and even gets back KVR, Ishaq, and maybe DD.

Yeah. THis is going to be a very very good team next year. Heck, it's a very good team this year...most of the time.

 

[Irish YJ]

It's too difficult to predict what the CFP would do. It really does appear that strength of schedule is really hurting ND which sucks because coming into the season people were crying it was gonna be too difficult.

I did predict 11-1 with the only loss to FSU so I'm on pace for that!

Although it appears that the playoff is a longshot at best and even before I officially wave the white flag as there are still too many games left, it will be nice to get into a New Years Day bowl game. Still a pretty good consolation to the season and a great builder heading into the offseason as ND does return a hell of a lot of people and even gets back KVR, Ishaq, and maybe DD.

I'm still optimistic with a lot of FB ahead of us, and a lot of teams playing each other. If we end up in the playoffs, great. If we don't.... won't be PO'd unless there is a team like Mich St ahead of us.

I'll be happy if we go to a big bowl. A bit disappointed, but still happy knowing we have everyone coming back for a run next year.

 

[phork]

If we drop or get jumped I want to hear about MissSt and how they powered through a victory at 0-13 in the SEC since last year Arkansas.

I had hope for this committee. Its now gone. Looking for a good bowl game and a good victory over a decent team as this years outlook.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

This may have been answered somewhere but how do the committee members get a feel for every integral game played?

Watching every game? Are they just checking scoreboards? National media summaries? Highlights?

Also, regarding our Navy win.. They claim that they take injuries into consideration.

We had a number of injuries on defense causing havoc in our communication against a complex, efficient offense.

 

[PLACforever]

I would love to see Navy play some of the other top ten teams. Triple option is no joke.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

The only placing I care about, is next week after we thump ASU in their house. It is then we get our rightful placement because we will finally have the "quality" win!

 

[Irish YJ]

I would love to see Navy play some of the other top ten teams. Triple option is no joke.

Ohio St held them to 17.. The only scored more 2 teams, one being VMI..

 

[PLACforever]

Ohio St held them to 17.. The only scored more 2 teams, one being VMI..

? OSU was the first game of the season and to date, 17 is the least amount of points they've scored.
Not sure what you are saying.

 

[Irish YJ]

? OSU was the first game of the season and to date, 17 is the least amount of points they've scored.
Not sure what you are saying.

Triple option isn't a joke, but our D did worse than most they played.
OSU relevant to the committee if they have to compare us to them (OSU) down the road.
OSU is not a top ten team now, but could be if they beat MI St.

 

[irishfan]

I can't wait to see where Bama is in these rankings. Their best win over a 6-3 team. They now have a loss to a 2-loss Ole Miss team as well.

Wins
--WVU (6-3)
--A&M (6-3)
--Florida (4-3)
--Tennessee (4-5)
--Arkansas (4-5)
--Southern Miss (3-6)
--FAU (3-6)

I know they still have 3 tough games left. But right now, they appear to have a very weak resume. Only those Arkansas and Tennessee games were on the road. Obviously the Top 3 will be MSU, FSU, Auburn, but I think a lot of other teams would have good arguments over Bama for #4. Oregon, TCU, K-State should all be above them.

 

[irishfan]

Also my projected rankings:

1) Mississippi State
2) Florida State
3) Auburn
4) Oregon
5) TCU
6) Alabama
7) Michigan State
8) Kansas State
9) Notre Dame
10) Arizona State
11) Baylor
12) Ole Miss
13) Nebraska
14) Ohio State

 

[Fbolt]

What is interesting is that this poll completely disregarded the other polls, at least in re: to ND. With that, will this poll - or is this poll - attempting to influence the others?

Happening

 

[stlnd01]

I can't wait to see where Bama is in these rankings. Their best win over a 6-3 team. They now have a loss to a 2-loss Ole Miss team as well.

It'll be interesting to see if/how the committee's views change re: games that were played before the first ranking if one of the teams involved tumbles (or rises) later in the season. I.E. Will losing to Ole Miss hurt Alabama more if Ole Miss loses another couple of games and finishes 8-4 than it did in last Tuesday's rankings? If, say, Stanford had gone on a tear and won the Pac-12 (I know. Not gonna happen.), would that have pulled our ranking up? Or are those games sort of already processed once the committee sets its first vote?

As for Bama, personally I think they are the default "best team in the country" until proven otherwise. They will always be at/near the top of their cohort of losses and get a shot to prove it on the field. In this case, win out and they're in. Also in this case if they win out, they beat two of the current top three, win on the road at LSU and win the SEC. So there's that.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Just to throw some kerosene on the fire, looking at this situation as it stands and would seem to play out, my best guess [even though I don't like it] would be a final playoff seeding of:

1). FSU
2). SEC champion regardless of number of losses
3). Oregon
4). Michigan State

First out: Big12 champion, SEC second-best team, and then Notre Dame [if we win out.] Until Navy I didn't think this, but I believe that we have lost "psychological ground" by not winning more decisively.

The above four, as you see, would "please" most football fans around the nation in that four conferences would play each other, and two "fancy" teams [FSU and Oregon] would play two "power" teams [SEC champ and MSU]. The committee itself would probably like this too, consciously or not.

 

[Bluto]

Just to throw some kerosene on the fire, looking at this situation as it stands and would seem to play out, my best guess [even though I don't like it] would be a final playoff seeding of:

1). FSU
2). SEC champion regardless of number of losses
3). Oregon
4). Michigan State

First out: Big12 champion, SEC second-best team, and then Notre Dame [if we win out.] Until Navy I didn't think this, but I believe that we have lost "psychological ground" by not winning more decisively.

The above four, as you see, would "please" most football fans around the nation in that four conferences would play each other, and two "fancy" teams [FSU and Oregon] would play two "power" teams [SEC champ and MSU]. The committee itself would probably like this too, consciously or not.

Good post per usual. Too bad ND didn't schedule MSU this year. This ND team would whoop them based on what I've seen.

 

[irishog77]

If we drop or get jumped I want to hear about MissSt and how they powered through a victory at 0-13 in the SEC since last year Arkansas.

I had hope for this committee. Its now gone. Looking for a good bowl game and a good victory over a decent team as this years outlook.

And to further that point, arkansas is 0 for their last 17 games in sec play. And I believe 1-2 against Power 5 teams in that same stretch-- beating Texas Tech and losing twice to Rutgers. This year, I honestly don't think arkansas is terrible, but there really is no way to dress up their run against semi-decent competition. There truly is no way to talk-up a win against them.

Just to throw some kerosene on the fire, looking at this situation as it stands and would seem to play out, my best guess [even though I don't like it] would be a final playoff seeding of:

1). FSU
2). SEC champion regardless of number of losses
3). Oregon
4). Michigan State

First out: Big12 champion, SEC second-best team, and then Notre Dame [if we win out.] Until Navy I didn't think this, but I believe that we have lost "psychological ground" by not winning more decisively.

The above four, as you see, would "please" most football fans around the nation in that four conferences would play each other, and two "fancy" teams [FSU and Oregon] would play two "power" teams [SEC champ and MSU]. The committee itself would probably like this too, consciously or not.

If KSU or TCU wins out, I think either will certainly pass up michigan state. And based on the way the committee is trending (and all the political pressure they are facing) and the potential for multiple 1-loss teams to be in the mix, I'm fairly convinced the sec will not get 2 teams into the playoff, and with lesser conviction, not sure they will take a 2-loss sec champ over a 1-loss big ten and/or big xii team. I could, however, see them selecting a 2-loss sec champ over a 1-loss ND.

 

[stlnd01]

If KSU or TCU wins out, I think either will certainly pass up michigan state. And based on the way the committee is trending (and all the political pressure they are facing) and the potential for multiple 1-loss teams to be in the mix, I'm fairly convinced the sec will not get 2 teams into the playoff, and with lesser conviction, not sure they will take a 2-loss sec champ over a 1-loss big ten and/or big xii team. I could, however, see them selecting a 2-loss sec champ over a 1-loss ND.

I guess we'll know more Tuesday when we see how Ole Miss gets slotted, but it's hard to see a two-loss SEC team getting in over a one-loss P5 conference champ. SEC could still get two teams in the playoff, but they're probably down to three candidates (Miss. State, Auburn, Bama), and they still have some games to play against each other.
That said, I think we're better than anyone in the Big 12 or Big 10, but I'm not sure we win that argument at the committee right now. Best thing for us is probably Arizona State going on a run (after we beat them, of course) and knocking off Oregon to win the Pac-12. Would also be nice if Ohio State beats Michigan State and then loses to Michigan.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I'm extremely curious to see what happens with Oregon, Alabama, and TCU.

Oregon - Decisive win over a bad Stanford team. If ND isn't getting respect for their win against Stanford, than neither should Oregon. They're not a quality opponent this year.

Alabama - Had a bye. During which, WVU (their one quality win) lost. Suddenly, WVU is a three-loss team and probably out of the top 25. Does Alabama stay at #5? Do they move up? Do they fall a couple spots?

TCU - Beat a ranked WVU team, however, they now have three losses so does that win count as a quality win anymore? TCU has more wins over ranked opponents than Bama now. Do they jump them in the polls?

My Top 4:

Miss St
FSU
Auburn
Oregon
----------------
TCU
Bama
KState
Baylor
ND
MSU

To round out my top 10.

 

[irishff1014]

I'm extremely curious to see what happens with Oregon, Alabama, and TCU.

Oregon - Decisive win over a bad Stanford team. If ND isn't getting respect for their win against Stanford, than neither should Oregon. They're not a quality opponent this year.

Alabama - Had a bye. During which, WVU (their one quality win) lost. Suddenly, WVU is a three-loss team and probably out of the top 25. Does Alabama stay at #5? Do they move up? Do they fall a couple spots?

TCU - Beat a ranked WVU team, however, they now have three losses so does that win count as a quality win anymore? TCU has more wins over ranked opponents than Bama now. Do they jump them in the polls?

My Top 4:

Miss St
FSU
Auburn
Oregon
----------------
TCU
Bama
KState
Baylor
ND
MSU

To round out my top 10.

They Beat Stanford with ease 45-16. and it was all we could do to beat them by 3.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

They Beat Stanford with ease 45-16. and it was all we could do to beat them by 3.

It's been pointed out numerous times that the committee is not taking margin of victory (or defeat) into consideration. Just the "quality" of the team.

 

[NDohio]

I'm curious what happens if OSU defeats MSU. I hate OSU but it could be good for ND for this to happen. OSU's loss is horrible and their schedule has been weak but beating MSU would be a high quality win.

There is so much that can happen in the next 4-6 weeks that the rankings could get very interesting. If the committee truly does start over every week there should be some drastic changes in the order of teams.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I'm curious what happens if OSU defeats MSU. I hate OSU but it could be good for ND for this to happen. OSU's loss is horrible and their schedule has been weak but beating MSU would be a high quality win.

There is so much that can happen in the next 4-6 weeks that the rankings could get very interesting. If the committee truly does start over every week there should be some drastic changes in the order of teams.

All of my curiosity lies within the bolded comment. IF they start over each week w/o any bias, etc then there could be teams that change drastically week-to-week. It's a very fluid situation depending on how this next month unfolds.

 

[Irishman77]

Just to throw some kerosene on the fire, looking at this situation as it stands and would seem to play out, my best guess [even though I don't like it] would be a final playoff seeding of:

1). FSU
2). SEC champion regardless of number of losses
3). Oregon
4). Michigan State

First out: Big12 champion, SEC second-best team, and then Notre Dame [if we win out.] Until Navy I didn't think this, but I believe that we have lost "psychological ground" by not winning more decisively.

The above four, as you see, would "please" most football fans around the nation in that four conferences would play each other, and two "fancy" teams [FSU and Oregon] would play two "power" teams [SEC champ and MSU]. The committee itself would probably like this too, consciously or not.

Oregon plays mich st, so only one of those will make it to the playoff.

Fsu
Miss st
Mich st
Irish

 

[Rhode Irish]

Oregon plays mich st, so only one of those will make it to the playoff.

Fsu
Miss st
Mich st
Irish

Not sure what you mean. They already played and Oregon won, so it would be hard for me to believe that if both teams win out that MSU would finish ahead.

 

[Ndaccountant]

I think MSU is going to lose to OSU this weekend. I don't think either team is particularly good, but I think UM has been eying this game all year and MSU doesn't have the defense to stop them nor the offense to match score for score.

 

[BigIrish]

Michigan State will lose to OSU. I like Dantonio, but Meyer will beat him more often than not.