The more I hear about the playoff selection committee, the less impressed I grow. Oliver Luck, the West Virginia AD and member of the committee, admits that he and his colleagues probably won’t be able to watch everything they need to make an informed decision. But don’t worry, peeps, Luck thinks they’ve got that covered.
Luck admitted it would be impossible for every committee member to watch every game of college football this season. That’s why Luck said the committee also would be leaning heavily on analytics and technology to help differentiate teams.
“I’m not sure this committee could do this without the technology that exists today,” he said. “All the stuff these analytics guys are going to provide us is going to be extraordinarily helpful. We’ll be able to call up any game, in whatever sequence we’d like. For example, all third downs for Missouri when they were playing Texas A&M. We’ll have all that access, which will be really helpful.
“But we’re also going to use our eyeballs. Everyone also has their friends, their former teammates or former coaches or whatever. We’ll all use our support systems a little bit differently. But ultimately, with only one goal: to make the best decision we can.”
Support systems? Is that like Phone-a-Friend?
Get The Picture 
The more I hear about the selection committee, the less I like about this whole playoff idea. Every system has its flaws, but this method is going to fall flat on its face. Why don’t they come out and say that the suits at the WWL are going to make the decision for what’s best for ratings and then send Long out to announce the decision?
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+1.
~~~
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Phone a friend, that’s exactly what it sounds like. Tell me this thing won’t be biased now, at least in appearance if not also in reality.
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Of course it will be biased. It always has been and always will be. Expand to eight and at least the sting of the bias is some what softened.
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True, insuring a pass to the obviously qualified lessens the impact of a mistake down the line. While that becomes more true the further you take it, getting the best six in is all that is needed, the last two are bonus picks to make sure there are no obvious misses, and to preclude the need for byes. Like the old TV show, “Eight is Enough”.
Unlike others, I find no fault with someone saying they cannot see every single play, who exactly expected that anyway? I have no doubt he committee will do a good job, they just aren’t being allowed to invite enough teams to the party so there will be some legitimate complaints.
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Jeopardy “Selection Committee Famous Last Words” for $10:
Answer Question: “I have no doubt the committee will do a good job, they just aren’t being allowed to invite enough teams to the party so there will be some legitimate complaints.”
Question Answer: “What kind of show do you put on to distract from legitimate complaints when No. 5 becomes No. 9?”
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Hence the declining size of the concern both reipar and I mentioned, Bad example but how significant are the arguments over #65 in the college BB playoff? Are there arguments in some local pubs in a couple of towns in America? Sure, how long do people stay interested in them? Just give the conference champs a spot and fill out the brackets up to eight, minimal issue. Also, just how good was the BCS with SIDs and computer geeks making the decisions? The Committee will be fine.
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Pretty damned significant to number 66.
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…and pretty damned significant to ESPN and all others in today’s 24 hour sports media market. Reams of columns and hours of TV time are dedicated to the argument. Gotta fill that space and time between the conference tournaments and the start of the big tournament, ya know.
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Senator, I could hold a pity party that size at my place….and have the bar open all night just on current stock levels.
We all know some folks will bitch regardless, but there will not be a significant, or meaningful outcry. There have been some damn good arguments about being bypassed over the years, strong cases to be made. But when we get the Power 5 champions, along with the next three highest rated, everyone will have had their shot at being included, mid-majors, independents, a runner-up, or two, with impressive credentials. It will be “look in the mirror time” for the others, and there will be little sympathy.
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You keep thinking it’s about making strong cases, Mac. It’s not. It’s about the money.
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“The Committee will be fine.”
This time they’re not going to allow cameras
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I don’t mean to pick on you particularly, reipar. Honestly, I don’t. But your comment just serves to remind me why I think the whole notion of a playoff will take us down a bad road. In three sentences, you managed to illustrate both of my major problems with pursuing a playoff. You said you don’t trust the system of picking the teams, and you continued by saying the solution is expanding the field.
My contention is that those two problems will feed each other and will exist no matter how large the field becomes. There will always be arguments about the selection process, and there will always be dissatisfaction because teams got left out. Whining about teams being left out of the 68 team (!) basketball tournament field is a cottage industry.
In all honesty, I do prefer the four team field to the old BCS system. But I’m already resigned to the fact that it won’t be four teams for long.
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Shouldn’t you be off some where picking nits? 🙂
I said there is always bias (Past, present, and future). That means I have never trusted any system and never will. That leaves me with two choices. Go back to no championship or have a playoff large enough to be as certain as possible you can get the best teams in it. Personally I think eight is enough. As mentioned above who cares about the 9 v 8 argument of getting in. Quick name the 69th basketball team that got left out. No one can as the bubble teams that far down make it one 24 hour news cycle and then everyone moves on as the vast majority of fans do not care.
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Hey! I can pick nits with Bluto and cordially disagree with you at the same time. 🙂
I hear your argument, and I understand it. I just don’t agree with your conclusion. To compare the uproar over the plight of the 9th football team and the 69th basketball team is…well…stretching things quite a bit.
To you, the greater evil is having the 8th team left out of the playoff. To me, the greater evil is INCLUDING the 8th team or (more accurately) the 12th or 16th team – wherever this ends up before I die. I’m one of those dinosaurs who enjoys agonizing over every single game during the regular season. If the playoff field ends up where I fear it will, two or three losses won’t be a big deal.
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I agree they do not equate exactly. However, the 9th and 10th team that get left out will have a very small number of people who are in anguish when compared to the number of the rest of CFB fans still excited about the playoff. It will basically be a news cycle of who got left out and why and then on to talking about the exciting upcoming playoff.
As far as your two loss fear I am sure it will happen in any playoff. As a matter of fact it has already happened. Twice a two loss team was invited to the BCS championship game and both times it walked out as the MNC. Unless you have already decided every regular season game does not matter I am going to guess you did not notice this bug/feature.
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Oh, I know a two loss team has been in the game and won it, but that doesn’t mean I liked it. That old “any given day” line applies here. Any Top 25 team can beat any other Top 25 team on any given day. I’m just of the opinion that the 16th team in the country which happens to have three losses has forfeited its right to appear in the game. I don’t expect you to agree with me, but that’s my opinion.
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To help you understand my point further, a wildcard team has won the World Series several times, but that doesn’t mean I liked it. MLB is a very different case from college football, obviously. Even the best teams will lose over 50 games a year. But the respect for the regular season is still the same to me. If a team can’t win its division over a mere four other teams in a 30 team system (in 162 effin’ games!), it doesn’t have any business being in the playoffs, in my opinion.
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I am unclear how you like any sport based on your criteria for who should be allowed in the post season? Of course I do not keep up with cricket.
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If you are making the point that all the major US sports are trending toward more and more teams in the playoffs and that I don’t care for that trend, you are certainly correct. But I am still capable of enjoying the sight of Craig Kimbrell overmatching a $25M hitter or the sight of Todd Gurley bulldozing two tacklers and outrunning five more to the end zone. I try my best to not let the bigger picture affect my enjoyment of the GAME. Although I have to admit that is harder to do than it used to be.
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I am making the point that every sport (not just the major ones) are already there…..not trending! I wish you luck as you try to find something you can enjoy in the future (really the now since you cannot like any major sport based on your playoff criteria. May I suggest the American Ninja Warrior. I think that might be your speed. Not sure how hard it is to get tickets, but best of luck. 🙂
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In the NCAA tourney…an unpicked “bubble” team probably doesn’t stand a chance at winning and they know it. So they grumble and go off and forget it. In NCAA Football…the “bubble” teams may very well be as good as the #1 or #2 teams and the grumbling will be loud and justified. Four teams is a ridiculous number. It is going to suck…Things are going to get very, very, very, very ugly very quickly. I’m already pissed because I believe in my heart Georgia will have to be worthy of #1 to get placed at #4.
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or even worse #5…
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No one needs them to watch every single game, but this makes it sound like someone is going to put together highlight packages that they will review on the flight.
They should at least be watching big chunks of the games that the top teams are playing.
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I think this means style points will factor in more than ever.
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No mention of a dart board or a Ouija board, I am sadly disappointed. Why not just do it in a bar full of half drunk arm chair quarterbacks from around the country every Tuesday evening?
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Sure, why not? This is scary, scary stuff, potentially. Sooner or later this committee design will screw some well-deserving team, maybe the best team in the country, out of everything it worked for.
Hope it’s not Georgia, but it usually is. Last summer, after reading the insane targeting rule (the total insanity was the implementation of the 15-yard penalty after it was ruled there was no penalty), I predicted it would cost some SEC team a ballgame, and it would most likely be us. Sure enough.
That’s great. Only 4 members of the committee have former teammates and coaches. That leaves family, friends and acquaintances. Super. I suppose Condi Rice could call George Bush, or maybe Laura would be better. We couldn’t possibly be lucky enough that she would call Billy Payne.
What a joke. The only people in the country who are qualified to serve on this committee are those who know how to analyze both players and game film. And almost all of those played the game, to a relevant extent. So 69% of them aren’t really qualified.
Mike Slive is very good at looking out for us. But this may be too much to overcome, even for him.
~~~
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How many “friends” will have a Las Vegas area code? Or Bristol, CT?
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