Why I Hate The BCS Even More Tonight

[BaltimoreTerp]

As far as I'm concerned Alabama can go sit with the 1980 Orioles' date=' who despite winning 100 games didn't make the playoffs because the NYY won 101 games. Those are the breaks. Better luck next year. Unless you play college football, where you get to make and break the rules as you go along.[/quote']

Exactly.

If there was a playoff system and Alabama won their way into the championship game against LSU or whomever, I'm perfectly fine with that. Under this system, however, this is a bad outcome.

[Hawkigizer]

Because the one team that is as good as you happens to be in your same division.

Based on the outcome of the LSU/Bama game, LSU isn't "as good as" Alabama. They are better. And thus Alabama isn't even the best team in their own conference and should no longer be considered in the running when determining the best team in the country. I don't know why that's a hard concept to grasp.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Based on the outcome of the LSU/Bama game, LSU isn't "as good as" Alabama. They are better. And thus Alabama isn't even the best team in their own conference and should no longer be considered in the running when determining the best team in the country. I don't know why that's a hard concept to grasp.

It's a hard concept to grasp because it doesn't make any sense.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Here's an interesting question. If Oklahoma State had lost on Saturday, who would you guys have put in the National Title game?

Perhaps Stanford? Well, they didn't win their conference.

Oregon? They lost twice this year already including LSU who they already had a shot against!

Arkansas? Two losses to LSU and Alabama.

Boise State? Why they lost at home to TCU.

TCU? They have two losses.

Let me know what the answer is.

[Hawkigizer]

We are trying to determine the best team in the country, without a playoff system. Alabama already lost to LSU fair and square on their home turf in a head to head matchup, and thus can not be considered the best team in the country. Why does that not make any sense?

[CrimsonTribe]

I'm not arguing that' date=' college football is, in theory. I'm arguing for a playoff. An LSU-Alabama rematch would be must-see-TV in the context of a real playoff. But college football tells us the whole season is a playoff. LSU-Alabama just happened to meet each other half-way through the playoff instead of at the end. Or not, as we are now expected to believe.[/quote']

Who is arguing against a playoff? The only thing I'm saying is that under the current system, Alabama deserves to be where they are. OSU deserves a shot too, but a little less than Alabama. That's what it came down to.

[Pedro Cerrano]

We are trying to determine the best team in the country, without a playoff system. Alabama already lost to LSU fair and square on their home turf in a head to head matchup, and thus can not be considered the best team in the country. Why does that not make any sense?

Because you're applying a different standard to Alabama than to the rest of the one-loss teams. I'm sure a large part of that is due to the fact that you're an Auburn fan but that's just speculation on my part.

[Hawkigizer]

Here's an interesting question. If Oklahoma State had lost on Saturday, who would you guys have put in the National Title game?

Perhaps Stanford? Well, they didn't win their conference.

Oregon? They lost twice this year already including LSU who they already had a shot against!

Arkansas? Two losses to LSU and Alabama.

Boise State? Why they lost at home to TCU.

TCU? They have two losses.

Let me know what the answer is.

This is a very interesting question, and I've actually been debating that myself. That would just be a huge mess, with no logical choice to play LSU. I'd be more ok with Bama getting a rematch in that case I guess because no team has a great argument, but it would still have me feeling funny.

[Birds of B'more]

It's a hard concept to grasp because it doesn't make any sense.

Well, you're right in that it doesn't make sense. But that is exactly what the anti-playoff faction has been trying to sell college football fans. Except now the system has given us a matchup that contradicts what they've been saying. I can only imagine how they will try to spin it.

I keep hearing more momentum for the Plus-1. But honestly, this season has been a whole different animal. Unlike the usual argument over who should play for the championship, this season has left us with a situation in which the only fair thing to do is declare the season over and crown LSU the champion (yes, I know they couldn't do that even if they wanted to). But if they had a playoff, and LSU were to lose to Alabama or someone else, that would be perfectly fine. It's happened before (see: 2007 New England Patriots, 1991 UNLV Runnin' Rebels). But when college football tells us every week of the regular season is a playoff game, than this is just wrong.

[Pedro Cerrano]

This is a very interesting question, and I've actually been debating that myself. That would just be a huge mess, with no logical choice to play LSU. I'd be more ok with Bama getting a rematch in that case I guess because no team has a great argument, but it would still have me feeling funny.

Why? If OK State lost Alabama still would have lost to LSU and thus nothing about your stance SHOULD change.

[CrimsonTribe]

We are trying to determine the best team in the country, without a playoff system. Alabama already lost to LSU fair and square on their home turf in a head to head matchup, and thus can not be considered the best team in the country. Why does that not make any sense?

It makes sense if you assume the best team wins every time. I'm not saying that LSU isn't the best team, just that the best team doesn't always win. If Alabama wins the BCS National Championship and LSU gets the AP, I won't be upset.

[Hawkigizer]

Because you're applying a different standard to Alabama than to the rest of the one-loss teams. I'm sure a large part of that is due to the fact that you're an Auburn fan but that's just speculation on my part.

I'm applying a different standard because Alabama already had a shot against LSU and failed. We know they aren't as good as them based on that outcome. We don't know that about Oklahoma St.

Also, I already said in a previous post I'd feel the same way if the Bama & LSU's roles were reversed. My being an Auburn fan really isn't clouding my judgement...although I'm sure you won't believe that.

[Birds of B'more]

Who is arguing against a playoff? The only thing I'm saying is that under the current system, Alabama deserves to be where they are. OSU deserves a shot too, but a little less than Alabama. That's what it came down to.

I never said anyone was against it. But every year just builds a better argument for it.

And under the current system, Alabama got to where they are. Deserving to be where they are is another matter.

[CrimsonTribe]

Because you're applying a different standard to Alabama than to the rest of the one-loss teams.

This. Which is what I was saying above.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Well' date=' you're right in that it doesn't make sense. But that is exactly what the anti-playoff faction has been trying to sell college football fans. Except now the system has given us a matchup that contradicts what they've been saying. I can only imagine how they will try to spin it.

I keep hearing more momentum for the Plus-1. But honestly, this season has been a whole different animal. Unlike the usual argument over who should play for the championship, this season has left us with a situation in which the only fair thing to do is declare the season over and crown LSU the champion (yes, I know they couldn't do that even if they wanted to). But if they had a playoff, and LSU were to lose to Alabama or someone else, that would be perfectly fine. It's happened before (see: 2007 New England Patriots, 1991 UNLV Runnin' Rebels). [b']But when college football tells us every week of the regular season is a playoff game, than this is just wrong[/b].

It is though. As has been stated in this thread, if any other one-loss team had handled their business, they'd be playing in New Orleans instead of Alabama. Every game DID matter.