longtimebear said:

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Regardless of the Indiana schedule, What the Hoosiers accomplished was down right remarkable for that program. In the best of times in their history they have always been a cup cake in the Big 10 and I think it's time for a reward. To hell with Alabama and Miami.

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To this end, Indiana's SOR was above Boise State's, anyone in the Big 12, anyone in the ACC, Alabama, Ole Miss, Army or South Carolina. Given that they only had one loss, it would be difficult to justify excluding them for either 2 or 3 loss P4 team or a one loss Army with a weaker record.

longtimebear said:

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Regardless of the Indiana schedule, What the Hoosiers accomplished was down right remarkable for that program. In the best of times in their history they have always been a cup cake in the Big 10 and I think it's time for a reward. To hell with Alabama and Miami.

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Agreed. It's not Indiana's fault Michigan and Washington fell off a cliff. All they could do is win the games on their schedule, and they did all but one.

A strong schedule should increase your margin for error by one loss and a weak schedule should lessen it by a loss. But there aren't enough 11-1 teams in the country to exclude any 11-1 power conference team from a 12-team playoff. If winning that many games was easy, more teams would do it.

My basic CFP formula for power conference teams would be ...

12-0 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
11-1 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
10-2 -- automatically in with a strong schedule; out with a poor schedule
9-3 -- only in if there aren't enough teams above and you better have played a top-15 schedule nationally

Nah. This isn't a lifetime achievement award. Or about rewarding a team for a remarkable turnaround after stinking it up for decades.

If we're trying to reward a team for turning it around, then Baylor should be in the CFP, as we are one of the hottest teams in the country. Put us against Indy right now, and I would like our chances.

The fact remains, not all schedules are created equally.

Yes, Bama's got three losses - most notably the ugly loss against OU that can't be overlooked. However, they also have wins over the following teams:

SEC Champion Georgia (11-2) - Ranked #2 when they played (Currently Ranked #5)
South Carolina (9-3) - Not Ranked when they played (But Currently Ranked #14)
Missouri (9-3) - Ranked #21 when they played (Currently Ranked # 19)
@LSU (8-4) - Ranked #15 when they played (Currently Not Ranked)
@Wisconsin (Absolutely Throttled This Same Wisconsin Team That Battled #1 Oregon down to the Wire - Both teams played Wisconsin on the road)

If we're being honest, ain't no way Indiana is beating Georgia, and most likely would have an additional 'L' (or two) against LSU, Missouri or South Carolina.

So that 11-1 record is definitely fool's gold. Especially when you consider they got to relax this past weekend and not risk another loss in a conference title game.

And even if you want to punish Bama, Miami is sitting at 10-2, with one-possession road losses against the following:

Georgia Tech (7-5) who battled Georgia on the road in 8 OT's
#22 Syracuse (9-3)

I'll say it again, Indiana got SMOKED when they played the one team on their schedule with a pulse (Ohio State).

Bottom Line: If Indiana missed out, it would be totally understandable, and justified.

Indiana would most likely blow out Missouri and LSU. Missouri beat absolutely nobody with a pulse. LSU lost to a lackluster 6-6 Southern California team.

Remember that two of the three teams that beat Alabama would have a losing record if not for beating Alabama.

Indiana deserves to be in over Alabama. As does Southern Methodist.

So you're saying Indiana beats Georgia? I think most rational folks on here would say that's not happening. So that's loss #2 right there.

And it's not far-fetched to believe that one of South Carolina, Missouri, or LSU snuffs em out, especially when you consider that the LSU game would have been at Death Valley (LSU's lone home loss this year was to Bama).

Given this realization, Indiana doesn't seem so big and bad and deserving anymore, does it.

The problem is making assumptions outside of what happens on the field. Your post assumes that Indiana automatically would lose to Alabama, but most people would say Bama should crush OU as well. That's why they play the games. Alabama doesn't get a free pass based on how college football is setup today.

bear2be2 said:

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My basic CFP formula for power conference teams would be ...

12-0 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
11-1 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
10-2 -- automatically in with a strong schedule; out with a poor schedule
9-3 -- only in if there aren't enough teams above and you better have played a top-15 schedule nationally

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Can't really disagree with this. Ultimately you play to win the game.

So do you think SMU should be out based on schedule?

One thing that isn't an assumption:

Ohio State 38
Indiana 15

If you can't even hang close with the ONLY good opponent on your schedule, then there should be no guarantee that you get a seat at the CFP table.

GoldenBear007 said:

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bear2be2 said:

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My basic CFP formula for power conference teams would be ...

12-0 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
11-1 -- automatically in regardless of schedule
10-2 -- automatically in with a strong schedule; out with a poor schedule
9-3 -- only in if there aren't enough teams above and you better have played a top-15 schedule nationally

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Can't really disagree with this. Ultimately you play to win the game.

So do you think SMU should be out based on schedule?

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In. I wouldn't punish anyone for making a conference championship game unless they got absolutely embarrassed.

So the standard above is regular season only.

BaylorGrad09 said:

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The problem is making assumptions outside of what happens on the field. Your post assumes that Indiana automatically would lose to Alabama, but most people would say Bama should crush OU as well. That's why they play the games. Alabama doesn't get a free pass based on how college football is setup today.

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SEC remains undefeated in hypotheticals

I think it's funny that a P12 team ran the table in it's first year in the Big 10.

LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

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Let's talk about UT while we are at it.

They beat 1 ranked team all year. Those *****es should be left out, too.

LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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Same is true for UT.

LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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The problem with their schedule is FIU, Charlotte, and Western Illinois. You can control your non-conference schedule.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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Same is true for UT.

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Same with Tennessee or Texas.

jsstewar said:

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LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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The problem with their schedule is FIU, Charlotte, and Western Illinois. You can control your non-conference schedule.

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But those games are scheduled so far out, you really don't have a whole lot of control of those in a given year either, especially if you're a new coach or AD.

Indiana is a lot better than Georgia Tech and Georgia Tech took Georgia to eight overtimes on Georgia's home field. So yes, I think Indiana could beat Georgia in Bloomington.

That is 100% subjective.

What we do know is that they got stomped out by the only good team they faced.

At least GA Tech hung with Georgia on their home field.

Army/USMA went 11-1 (12-1 once they stomp Navy) and won their conference...their only loss to the #4 team in the country...they got shafted too.

JeremiahJT said:

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Indiana is a lot better than Georgia Tech and Georgia Tech took Georgia to eight overtimes on Georgia's home field. So yes, I think Indiana could beat Georgia in Bloomington.

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The transitive property does not work in sports.

At least the committee got at least one thing correct: Bama has not earned a playoff berth.

jsstewar said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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Same is true for UT.

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Same with Tennessee or Texas.

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SEC is too heavy and masks their weakness. Typically, they open with a big game week 1. Then they throw citadel and Georgia southern in late.

And they win championships by excluding participants.

Ohio State gets Tennessee then Oregon

Penn State gets SMU then Boise State

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) December 8, 2024

OUCH

Aliceinbubbleland said:

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Ohio State gets Tennessee then Oregon

Penn State gets SMU then Boise State

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) December 8, 2024

OUCH

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Penn State and James Franklin will find.a way to lose to SMU... Guy is horrid against ranked teams.

Aliceinbubbleland said:

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Ohio State gets Tennessee then Oregon

Penn State gets SMU then Boise State

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) December 8, 2024

OUCH

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Beat Michigan and it would matter. One team played in the big 10 championship and the other didnt

We will see ... my gut is Indiana could not be one team in the playoff.

Indiana beats Notre Dame…book it!

It seems like we need to start having some conversations that the Big 10 shouldn't really be considered as a top tier conference with the SEC like they are currently.

Top heavy as always.

LTBear19 said:

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With all this talk about whether SMU or Miami deserve to be in over Alabama, the real conversation should revolve around Indiana's credentials.

They have beaten ZERO ranked teams.

And when they did play against a ranked opponent (Ohio State) they were absolutely drilled (38-15).

Their best win was against a 7-5 Michigan team (which they barely beat at home, mind you - 20-15). In fact, that is their only victory against a team with a winning record.

Even Boise State can claim a better resume than the Hoosiers.

Here is a breakdown of their schedule (and opponent records):

FIU (4-8)
Western Illinois (4-8)
UCLA (5-7)
Charlotte (5-7)
Maryland (4-8)
Northwestern (4-8)
Nebraska (6-6)
Washington (6-6)
Michigan State (5-7)
Michigan (7-5)
OSU (10-2)
Purdue (1-11)

Look, I understand that you can only play the teams in front of you, and had they at least battled OSU down to the wire, I could possibly overlook this 'weak sauce' schedule.

But if we're comparing resumes, I'd absolutely put SMU, Miami, and probably even a 3-loss Bama Team in over the Hoosiers.

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B10 got 5 in of 12. That is BS. SEC's argument is with B10, not ACC.
Oregon
Texas
OSU
All belong. You can make an argument for PSU. Ind? No way, if any slot should go to SEC it is IN.

I can go B10 and SEC 4 each to get a playoff. But part of the fun of the playoff is to give the have nots a Cinderella shot. More blue bloods, with 3 losses? Who wants to see that?
For those that are saying Cinderella can't win, Vandy beat Bama