2022 Mumme Poll, Week 12

Turnout dropped this week, back down to 277 participants.  The average number of teams appearing on a ballot was 4.9.  Only 35 teams received votes.

This week’s top 22:

The gap between the top two and the rest of the field enlarged slightly.  The gap between four and five actually decreased a little bit, but it’s pretty clear who belongs in our playoff field.

Speaking of which, here’s the selection committee’s top 22:

The interesting difference between the two is which team comes in at number five.  The selection committee went with two-loss LSU, while we voted one-loss Southern Cal into the spot.

Might be a little recency bias in our vote this week, with Vandy at 11th and Tennessee at 15th (tied with South Carolina, to boot).

As has been the case, time wasn’t a factor in choosing.

It probably took the CFP more time to book the hotel reservations.

Conference affiliation continues to favor the Big ten.

Ballots from Georgia voters declined to 60% of the total pool this week.

And here’s how our SEC Coach of the Year voting played out.

Congrats, Coach Smart!

(I’d love to see the Venn diagram of the folks who cast votes for Jimbo and those who had Michigan State on their ballots.  But I digress.)

Brackets comin’

In the end, this is the choice presented by the next round of playoff expansion.  What we have now, as evidenced by last weekend,

All in all, it was the kind of day that makes college football unique among American sports: Almost every week, but particularly at this point in the season, the stakes are so high that one unexpected slip-up can change everything. Watching teams navigate that pressure — whether they overcome it like Michigan and TCU or implode like the Vols — is arguably the most exciting part of the season.

And make no mistake, when the Playoff expands to 12, it is going to be different. In some ways, it won’t be for the better.

If we could transport last weekend’s games to, let’s say, 2026, there is no possible world in which they would feel as important or filled with tension.

… compared what we’re about to have.

Over the long haul, that will be good for college football. Though the universe of teams that can actually win national titles probably won’t look much different — the Alabamas, Georgias and Ohio States of the world are going to be hard to unseat as long as they get the bulk of the blue-chip talent — it will be a good thing for more fan bases and administrations to feel like they’re part of the action.

Importance and tension, versus fucking participation trophies.  Can’t wait!

Rainy, with a chance of manball

Between the weather on Saturday and this…

… Overall, Georgia Tech is 0-4 when allowing over 200 rushing yards and 1-5 when giving up 150 or more – the North Carolina win last week was the outlier.

Tennessee and Oregon were the only two teams other than Samford – Georgia didn’t exactly go full force in that – to keep the Dawgs to under 150.

… it’s looking like another day of We Run This State for the Dawgs.

Today, in help a Vol out

Someone has a question.

What needs to happen for the Tennessee Vols to make the College Football Playoff after loss to South Carolina https://t.co/iNNQ3XnVxr

— zach ragan (@zachtnt) November 22, 2022

Off the top of my head, the best thing I can come up with is the NCAA announcing multiple serious recruiting violations by South Carolina, resulting in the death penalty being imposed and their 2022 wins being voided.

Please feel free to suggest a happy path for Tennessee in the comments.

“Anthony Richardson and the Gators plan to finish strong”

Anthony Richardson calling his shot🐊👀 pic.twitter.com/2fbJpRFxEz

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 22, 2022

“When“.

Anthony, you know what Mike Tyson said about plans.  Just ask Vandy.

TFW nobody said there’d be math

Sure, you could read line after line of numbers about Georgia’s superiority over Tech…

On paper, Georgia should win this game 100-0 https://t.co/208WwJG1h5

— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) November 22, 2022

… but why bother, when the tl;dr version is so much more eloquent?

Somehow, yes, Georgia is projected by FEI to hold Georgia Tech to negative 2.5 points. https://t.co/BLGkyoUBBe

— Brian Fremeau (@bcfremeau) November 22, 2022

Boy, when Herbie turns against you…

Greg McElroy comments on Tennessee being #10 in Playoff poll, thinks they should be rated higher for bowl selection's sake.

Kirk Herbstreit:

"After Vandy beats Tennessee this weekend, you won't have to worry about that."

👀

— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) November 23, 2022

… he really turns against you.