Other than as broadcast fodder for Mickey, these weekly CFP rankings are a complete waste. Worse, they’re an opportunity for someone to do a bang up job of sticking their foot in their mouth.
Enter the CFP chair and current Iowa AD, Gary Barta, who did a masterful job of insertion with this:
Oy. As Bruce Feldman put it,
And before any of you go, “Senator, I thought you were big on statistical data…”, I am, but I’m even bigger on consistency. And there’s the rub. If stats are your reason for ranking Michigan ahead of Michigan State, fine, but explain why stats don’t apply so much in the case of Oregon. Here’s why I say that:
I’ll wait.
Get The Picture 
Hence the problem with that whole “eye-test” thing: it can used to explain away a head-to-head win on the field (at least in the case of Michigan-MSU).
I don’t understand at all how this is allowable, ever.
Honestly they need a set of tie-breakers– like every other league has–and to follow it. (What is always #1, you say? HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD.) And it stop them from allowing themselves all this flightiness that has to be explained away.
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There are two really easy ways to solve this:
1) The committee only meets on championship weekend
2) Use a BCS type of formula to name the 4 teams
In the 2nd scenario, ESPN still gets to have their hour-long chattering show. In the 1st, the committee lets the season play out and come out with their rankings.
Mickey considers all of this to be a feature rather than a bug.
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The real problem is the committee knows the identities of the teams. The BCS computers did it based on nameless teams analyzing their won-loss records, the won-loss records of opponents, statistical data, etc. The committee is biased, particularly in favor of the B1G and most particularly in favor of historical leaders tOSU and Michigan. The truth is if tOSU and Michigan had to play an SEC West schedule they’d be 9-3 teams….or worse.
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Worse.
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It’s always been a battle b/t Best and Deserving and right now the committee is using both and contridicting themselves by doing so.
eg. Oregon over Ohio State is deserving. (see also: head to head)
Michigan over Michigan State is best. (see also: eye test)
if they would commit to one or the other, or at least pubically prioritize which one is more important and then be CONSISTENT with it, i think a lot more ppl could stomach the rankings.
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Remember kids, controversy is a feature of the CFP rankings, not a bug.
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Blutarsky, wooden consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Dontcha know that! 🙂
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Not that anyone should care because agreed, these rankings shows are beyond unnecessary. But I guess I’d want to know the context of what he’s talking about before attacking a quote like that. His next sentence could’ve been “So that’s why stats are only part of what we look at because actual results matter the most….” It’s worse with politics but so much of Twitter is someone pulling a quote that sounds ridiculous on its own and posting it for outrage reactions when many times people are a lot more sensible. The committee has gotten it right with their end of year selections in the past, so Ignore them or take them with an eye roll until after the season has played out.
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Totally agree…just like video killed the radio star…I think social media (and the media in general) killed context…which is why I try not to get too bent out of shape these days
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Yeah, that beauty pageant committee sure got it right putting Notre Dame in after the 2018 season. They should be honest and say “this is ESPN’s invitational tournament, they really get to decide who they want in and the television draw is the driving force”.
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Something tells me our bar is going to be even higher after the next 2 games
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It sure is nice to fly above all this debate this year. When they get to the top 4 reveal every week they (TV guys) seem pretty bored with the #1 choice.
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Head to head mattered for Oregon vs Ohio State
Head to head did not matter for Michigan vs Michigan State
Each team has the same number of losses.
I would not have a (huge) problem if they discounted the head to head and just went with statistics. I have no problem with them using head to head as the tie breaker in equal records. I do have a MAJOR problem with them using one standard for one team and another standard for the next team. Sounds like SEC officiating crews have taken over the CFP rankings.
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Mickey’s view of the committee=we pick who we want, which means there is no standard, only “a view to a kill”…
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I am so glad that we’re doing it the way we are. Kirby has put us in a place by winning where there is “NO” argument about our status. If we were in the same place as Michigan or Michigan St there is no doubt that the committee would put the screws to us no matter what we did.
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Especially since we “have not played anybody”.
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“PAAAAAAWWWWWL!”
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I always thought the most important statistic was “who won”? Wins and Losses should rank above… yards, per se. Right Dan MuLLLLen?
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they give the trophy to the winner, not the one who passes the eye test.
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Well actually, until 1998 they gave the trophy to the eye test winner. I’d say fully half of ND’s nattys were undeserved.
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I think stats in football are meaningless. When they teach probability, they start out using a coin toss as an example. You flip the same coin lots of times and see that p(H)= .5. You use the same coin or one exactly like it for all the tests. Football players, coaches, and stadiums are not identical. There are too many variables to compare teams. Even an actual game might not be sufficient to determine who is best (see regular season BAMA-LSU in 2011 and Ga-Aub in 2017).
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Y’all are discussing this topic as if the CFP is a bona fide championship tournament. It is a reality show for television.
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Yup. It’s an “invitational”. I’ll be watching throughout the rest of the season but I am leaning towards the fact that the SEC champ will actually be the best team in CFB. Whatever happens in the playoff will just be extra entertainment and I’m fine with that.
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Senator nailed it. Just feeding the Mouse…
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Is nobody talking about road games versus home games here? I’m not saying I agree with the rankings, but if you insist on the current order where the game is played has to be a part of the discussion. Oregon beat Ohio State by 17 in Columbus whereas Michigan State won by four against Michigan in East Lansing.
It would make a lot more sense if the committee said they felt Michigan would beat Michigan State on a neutral field. Maybe they already said this. I don’t know. I don’t pay attention to the CFP committee.
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You beat me to it. While Barta eventually made that distinction last night, it should have been the first words out of his mouth when asked for an explanation.
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Wow, that bar chart really skewers his argument. I had not realized Oregon wasn’t the yardage monster of the past (or maybe their defense is even worse…). Michigan/Michigan State will work itself out as far as the CFP goes, but still complete BS to rank Michigan in front of Sparty.
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aOSU looks like the only team that can really give us a run right now.
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Never thought I’d see the day when we’d be looking past Alabama. 😀
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It doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. Ohio state is going to beat both of them making this discussion completely asinine.
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i agree a lot of it will wash out, but the bigger concern is that year after year the public has no idea how or why the committe is ranking the way it does. even w/in a single season they seem to be using different metrics to judge some of the sets of rankings (O/OSU and UM/MSU).
so, for teams who are on the bubble, it makes fans nervous to know what, exactly, it is the commitee will be looking for come years end. it’s a total crapshoot! it’s all about P5! godfrey hates my team!
it all makes for great fodder, clicks, eyeballs and all that =$. but good lord could there at least be some type of consistancy.
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UGA wins out.
OSU wins out.
OR wins out.
CIN wins out.
UGA beats CIN
OSU beats OR (rematch of the ages, y’all!)
UGA beats OSU.
DawgsOnTop.
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I think that analysis is spot on. I hope anyway.
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