College Football Playoff Rankings 2015 (ND #8...)

[NDgradstudent]

Pretty surprised by this
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Long: Weather conditions were discussed by committee. Clemson and Notre Dame played in driving rain storm.</p>— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonSolomonCBS/status/661707551575293953">November 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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[LoveThee]

Wow. This is awesome.

 

[BobbyMac]

Cool to see us so high and great motivation for the team, but....

it still doesn't mean anything if a Big-12 team goes undefeated. We seem destined to finish behind Clemson, SEC champ, B1G champ no matter what. Baylor or TCU would 100% jump us if they finish 12-0. TCU was #4 going into the last week last season and finished #6 so we can get jumped at any time even without a loss. Great for us to be ranked this high, but IMO we still don't fully control our own destiny by winning out.

This exactly.

Baylor at #6 on ND's heels with a freshman QB is a notice being served that they will be in if they win out.

also...

What happens if Utah wins out and beats Stanford more convincingly than the Irish do? Does the PAC championship and better performance against Stanford in back to back games weigh more than the head to head with SC???

 

[IrishinSyria]

I don't understand why people are rooting for Clemson. If they win out, we stay behind them but with a "good loss." If they get crushed by FSU, they drop, hard. That's better.

Because then FSU has a case to be in ahead of us? Keep in mind they finish with Florida and (assuming they beat Clempson) the ACC championship game. That's a lot of potential "quality" wins for them in November.

 

[greyhammer90]

I don't understand why people are rooting for Clemson. If they win out, we stay behind them but with a "good loss." If they get crushed by FSU, they drop, hard. That's better.

I think we're assuming that our good ranking over other 1 loss teams is because our loss is the best quality. If Clemson drops so do we.

Not sure if I agree but I understand the logic

 

[Senoj13]

I don't understand why people are rooting for Clemson. If they win out, we stay behind them but with a "good loss." If they get crushed by FSU, they drop, hard. That's better.

I think ND is #5 mainly because Clemson is #1. I think they had Clemson #1 first and then couldn't justify ranking ND any lower based on them being #1. That's why I think if they falter, ND possibly moves with them.

 

[IrishinSyria]

This exactly.

Baylor at #6 on ND's heels with a freshman QB is a notice being served that they will be in if they win out.

also...

What happens if Utah wins out and beats Stanford more convincingly than the Irish do? Does the PAC championship and better performance against Stanford in back to back games weigh more than the head to head with SC???

I don't think convincing wins are supposed to matter. PAC Championship will though.

 

[irish4ever]

I don't understand why people are rooting for Clemson. If they win out, we stay behind them but with a "good loss." If they get crushed by FSU, they drop, hard. That's better.

ND would need a 2nd Clemson loss for them to pass Clemson. A Clemson loss and going down in the polls would hurt ND's strength of schedule. I'm hoping for ND to win out (including knocking off Stanford on the road), and all ND opponents (yes, even U$C) to win games, hence helping ND's strength of schedule.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Also if you're rooting for a Clemson loss, it can't come to a current 1 loss FSU.

 

[wizards8507]

I think we're assuming that our good ranking over other 1 loss teams is because our loss is the best quality. If Clemson drops so do we.

Not sure if I agree but I understand the logic

I think ND is #5 mainly because Clemson is #1. I think they had Clemson #1 first and then couldn't justify ranking ND any lower based on them being #1. That's why I think if they falter, ND possibly moves with them.

Except that if and when Clemson loses, we will have won that week.

 

[BobbyMac]

I don't understand why people are rooting for Clemson. If they win out, we stay behind them but with a "good loss." If they get crushed by FSU, they drop, hard. That's better.

If you can guarantee me they lose 2, FSU losses 2 and a 2 loss ACC Coastal wins the Championship game

Add to that guarantee SC and Stanford play in the PAC championship and no team goes undefeated in the BIG-12

and then I'll root for them to lose. The Irish just got pulled into the 5 spot on their coat tails. You are usually dead on with your comments but if they don't win the ACC and another 1 loss team does they lose that advantage. I'll roll with them undefeated... I can't live with FSU making the playoffs with EG with the Irish 11-1 and left out.

 

[NDgradstudent]

If you can guarantee me they lose 2, FSU losses 2 and a 2 loss ACC Coastal wins the Championship game

Add to that guarantee SC and Stanford play in the PAC championship and no team goes undefeated in the BIG-12

and then I'll root for them to lose. The Irish just got pulled into the 5 spot on their coat tails. You are usually dead on with your comments but if they don't win the ACC and another 1 loss team does they lose that advantage. I'll roll with them undefeated... I can't live with FSU making the playoffs with EG with the Irish 11-1 and left out.

Also, I'd rather play Clemson again in the playoff than OSU, LSU, or Bama.

 

[wizards8507]

If you can guarantee me they lose 2, FSU losses 2 and a 2 loss ACC Coastal wins the Championship game

Add to that guarantee SC and Stanford play in the PAC championship and no team goes undefeated in the BIG-12

and then I'll root for them to lose. The Irish just got pulled into the 5 spot on their coat tails. You are usually dead on with your comments but if they don't win the ACC and another 1 loss team does they lose that advantage. I'll roll with them undefeated... I can't live with FSU making the playoffs with EG with the Irish 11-1 and left out.

These rankings prove that isn't necessary. We're ahead of undefeated teams so there's no reason to assume a 12-1 conference champion would be ahead of us.

 

[ickythump1225]

I don't understand how anyone can cheer against Clemson at this point? Are you insane? The only reason we're sitting at #5 is because the committee LOVES Clemson. If they tank we're going down with them. Us winning the week they lose doesn't matter, that is old school BCS thinking. If that mattered all of the undefeated teams would be ahead of us at the moment. The playoff spots have to go to somebody and we should just resign ourselves to the fact that the ACC and the SEC are probably grabbing 2 of those spots and just hope for chaos to reign in the Pac-12, Big 12, and B1G.

 

[NDRock]

Best case scenario is Ole Miss winning out and winning the SEC, that's the only scenario I see how the SEC gets kept out. Long shot but that's what I'm hoping for.

 

[dwshade]

Paraphrasing tweet from Stewart Mandel: ND ranking makes more sense when you consider last 4 opponents are 8-0, 7-1, 5-3, and 7-1.

So glad SOS is a vital part of process. Baylor and TCU such weak OOC schedules.

 

[BobbyMac]

I don't think convincing wins are supposed to matter. PAC Championship will though.

Normally I'd agree but ask Ohio State about convincing wins in a championship game and then ask what if Utah beats Stanford by 21+ after ND wins by just 1 in Palo Alto... that can only add to the case for Utah over ND.

 

[dwshade]

Utah won't beat Washington.

 

[koonja]

OSU was #16 last time at this year. Win and we're in. I ain't scared/

 

[drayer54]

This gives my dream of a Clemson rematch hope!

 

[johnnycando]

This is a justified position and I love how it omits the AP, Coaches, and ESPN's skewed views...

#1 SOS and body of work.

That's the committee's decision matrix.

The Clemson game was objectively viewed.

 

[ohara831]

The door is open. Just win out and walk through it into the playoffs.

 

[Bishop2b5]

If ND or Bama wins out and don't seriously struggle in multiple games or look really bad while doing so, it's hard to imagine a realistic scenario where either would be left out of the playoffs. At least one of the teams ahead of ND will lose (Bama vs LSU guarantees that), and the odds that at least one of the remaining 3 teams will drop a game in the next month are very high.

The SEC champ is not necessarily guaranteed a spot though. Consider this real possibility:

1. Bama beats LSU and wins out.

2. Ole Miss wins the rest of their SEC games and thus clinches the SECW, but looks bad doing so or drops an OOC game.

3. Ole Miss faces UF in the SECCG, but UF has also looked bad down the stretch or lost another game.

4. The SEC champ would have 2 losses and be ranked outside the top 10, or 1 loss and have looked bad down the stretch and barely be in the top 10.

The committee would be very unlikely to send them to the playoff. They'd probably take an 11-1 Bama who'd be ranked 3rd or 4th. I don't think that is likely, as I believe LSU will kill Ole Miss later this month and the winner of the Bama-LSU game will win the SECW, but it's not far-fetched either.

 

[Senoj13]

Here's an interesting question. Do you think ND would be #1 at 8-0? Is Clemson's win over ND more important to their ranking than an ND win over Clemson? I think ND would be top 4, but most likely not #1. Its also possible Clemson would not be in the top 6 with an ND loss. Thoughts?

 

[wizards8507]

Here's an interesting question. Do you think ND would be #1 at 8-0? Is Clemson's win over ND more important to their ranking than an ND win over Clemson? I think ND would be top 4, but most likely not #1. Its also possible Clemson would not be in the top 6 with an ND loss. Thoughts?

Absolutely number 1

 

[ulukinatme]

I don't understand how anyone can cheer against Clemson at this point? Are you insane? The only reason we're sitting at #5 is because the committee LOVES Clemson. If they tank we're going down with them. Us winning the week they lose doesn't matter, that is old school BCS thinking. If that mattered all of the undefeated teams would be ahead of us at the moment. The playoff spots have to go to somebody and we should just resign ourselves to the fact that the ACC and the SEC are probably grabbing 2 of those spots and just hope for chaos to reign in the Pac-12, Big 12, and B1G.

This. I can't believe people are still rooting for Clemson to lose. Sure, beating FSU is no guarantee for them, but who is going to realistically stop Clemson after that? North Carolina in the championship? Their remaining games are Syracuse, Wake, and South Carolina, I don't see them losing those. So, they have 1 decently tough game they have to ball out for. Clemson will still likely get into the playoff I think with 1 loss, especially if it's a close lose to FSU, and they'll still get in over us probably because our 2 point loss won't look as good and they will have won the head to head game. The SEC will likely be guaranteed a spot, as will the B1G champ, and Clemson if they take care of FSU. We likely control the PAC-12's fate if we win, and Big 12 cannibalism is right around the corner.

 

[BobbyMac]

OSU was #16 last time at this year. Win and we're in. I ain't scared/

And Everett and FSU are 16th right now and if they win out with a win over Clemson they would be looking pretty sweet.

 

[ulukinatme]

OSU was #16 last time at this year. Win and we're in. I ain't scared/

Yeah, but they moved up heavily after that whipping of Wisconsin in the championship. We don't have the same luxury, even though we're very high right now. We're definitely in excellent position, but at least one team will jump us I wager based on November games to come.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

College Football Playoff Rankings 2015 (ND #5!!)

College Football Playoff Rankings 2015 (ND #5!!)

Here's an interesting question. Do you think ND would be #1 at 8-0? Is Clemson's win over ND more important to their ranking than an ND win over Clemson? I think ND would be top 4, but most likely not #1. Its also possible Clemson would not be in the top 6 with an ND loss. Thoughts?

Clemson most certainly wouldn't be top 6 with a loss IMO, and it would have been chalked up to "Clemsoning," making committee members scared of them in fears of looking like idiots when they end up with 4 losses.

ND winning that game wouldn't have vaulted them to #1 either, because the "Clemsoning" stigma would be discussed about that win in attempts to cheapen it.

I think the committee was a little too emotional about Clemson's 58-0 win over Miami personally. It was a game that had potential to be "Clemsoned," and they came out and kicked the Canes teeth in.

 

[MNIrishman]

The hate for Iowa in here surprises me. Y'all are hating on their schedule, but think ND's is that much better? Don't be such homers... we've beaten garbage for the most part, just like Iowa.

Notre Dame's SoS has been top 5-15, depending on who's doing the evaluating. I haven't seen an Iowa SoS stronger than 50th.