They’ve now unveiled the “Because” metric of the College Football Playoff selection committee, a place we all should have known we’d eventually arrive.
Why is No. 3 TCU, which lost to Baylor, three spots ahead of the No. 6 Bears and their public relations firm? “Because” we think they’re better.
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Why did Florida State, the only FBS unbeaten, slip to No. 4 — a whiff away from its nose pressed against the CFP glass — and behind three one-loss teams? “Because” we think they’re not playing well.
Think about that as the final week of the college football season wraps up with four championship games in the Power 5 conferences and the outlier One True Nightmare tries to figure out which team to present to the CFP.
The reality is, this is what the selection committee was supposed to be all about, anyway. Last year, when the committee idea was formally approved, the framers of the system said there would be multiple metrics to decide the four teams in the playoff.
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But when this season finally arrived, it was clear there were no metrics, just concepts. Among them: game control, a hot team, good losses, and more than anything, the eye test.
That’s where this season begins and ends. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
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Even if that’s the only metric the committee uses, I’m fine with it. Just don’t ever start talking about the importance of head-to-head wins, or conference championships or a critical injury or a team that’s playing better than anyone else in the nation despite its body of work.
Because if we’re going to use the eye test, say it. Stand up for what you think and explain that FSU isn’t worthy of one of the top four spots because it has played poorly against a bad schedule.
Say that TCU is better than Baylor because it has dominated opponents since the loss to the Bears (with the exception of Kansas), and Baylor has been uneven for the last month.
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Say that if Arizona beats Oregon on Friday, the Wildcats are getting in the playoff because no one will have two better wins: at Oregon, and vs. Oregon on a neutral field.
Say that if Ohio State plays well with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones and beats a strong Wisconsin team, the Buckeyes are in the playoff because they’re playing well and coach Urban Meyer has proven twice this season that it doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback.
But to talk about some nonsensical metric called “game control” or completely ignore head to head (how is Mississippi State ranked ahead of Ole Miss?) is laughable.
Why? Because I said so, that’s why.