CFP W11 Rankings: Cougs Stay at #8

[chipdouglas]

• CFP: #8 (=)
• AP: #10 (=)
• Coaches: #9 ( /\ 1)
• Top 4 in CFP are:
  • Bama
  • Clemson
  • Notre Dame
  • Michigan

Thoughts:

• LSU: not only stays in the Top 10 after Alabama humiliatingly blanks them on their home field, but drops only 4 spots to #7. They are now the only 2-loss team in the Top 10, ahead of 5 other Top 25 teams with fewer losses - including us. Sagarin has LSU at #1 SoS which is fine, but you also have to acquit yourself well, which LSU most certainly did not. They've lost to a now-unranked 3-loss UF team which has been outscored 74-34 at home in its last 2 games, as well as the humiliating home debacle this weekend vs Alabama.

• P12/WSU: sadly gets zero nat'l analysis or attention, which is hugely affecting rankings across the board. Every recap I've heard of Cal @ WSU makes it clear that person did not watch ("they only beat them by 6 in the final 30 seconds"). Meanwhile, lots of voters apparently feel better about LSU's fortunes after getting throttled at home a few days ago. We have an easier schedule, fine, BUT WE'RE ALSO 1 OFFICIATING SCANDAL AWAY FROM UNDEFEATED.

• tOSU: CFP & AP keep tOSU flat, and Coaches moves them up a spot, after nearly dropping a 2nd game to 2-6 Nebraska, who led at halftime on the Buckeyes' field. Weeks earlier, the Bucks were throttled by Purdue by nearly 30 points. tOSU has a notably easier schedule than even us.

• UK: after being wrecked at home by Georgia, Coaches has Kentucky flat, and the others have them down 1 or 2 spots. Feels like 8-0 UCF should slide into that spot instead...

• Overall: many readers right now will say "we just need to focus on winning out" as if that's an interesting or insightful thought, but the point remains that, clearly, being a prestigious program is good for a handful of spots in the rankings that you literally don't have to earn in any given year. Even Michigan's #4 ranking feels like an as-yet undeserved celebration of the return of a legacy program.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Great analysis.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Good writeup. I wouldn't sleep on Nebraska and make too big of a deal about their 2-6 start. WSU struggled in Leach's first year in 2012 as he dealt with players that weren't buying in. You can bet that Nebraska is dealing with the same thing. Their losses this year are to teams that are a combined 39-15. I'll say that I'm not impressed with tOSU this year and hope we get to make Grinch look bad in the Rose Bowl.

I just love that we are getting the attention on a Tuesday night and that our coaches can call up players and say, "You have the opportunity to get us into the Top 4".

 

[BiggsCoug]

If you want respect, win. Win for 100 years. I dont agree with the inflated rankings or rankings on past years either. However, that’s the game being played.

If WSU wants national respect it puts 10 touchdowns on Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Follows it up by doing it again the following year in the Rose Bowl.

 

[Black Bart the Pirate]

LSU’s ranking is just to make sure if Alabama stumbles, they still get in the Championship due to “strength of schedule”...

It’s all about tv money, a school like WSU or Texas Tech will only make it to the big games if by a chance combination of factors it will make very big tv money.

I don’t believe the results are predetermined, but I do believe the rules, ratings, referees, etc are strongly tilted to a predetermined outcome. Sorta like house odds at Vegas.

How else can you explain the selection committee not penalizing SEC teams for playing one less conference games then all the other power 5 conferences...

 

[CJBCoug]

They haven't punished them yet for the fourth non-conference game because they haven't played those games yet. Kind of hard to penalize a team for that when it hasn't even occurred yet. Also, only the ACC and SEC play 8 conference games.

 

[random soul]

I've thought about who I'd want in a semi if it got that far. Bama and Clemson are nightmare matchups, our talent can't hold up against that. Georgia would probably run us over. Michigan would be like the Cal game but tougher. After that I think we could make a game of it. Notre Dame seems average on the lines, especially offensively, and that would help us, though you know their receivers would target our corners. Oklahoma and us would have an over/under of like 120, and that might be conservative. West Virginia would also be a competitive shootout in all likelihood. I think we could take LSU on a neutral field, their offense is pretty pedestrian. I also think if Gawdner got hot we could outscore the Buckeyes. Their defense is pretty average

 

[BiggsCoug]

I've thought about who I'd want in a semi if it got that far. Bama and Clemson are nightmare matchups, our talent can't hold up against that. Georgia would probably run us over. Michigan would be like the Cal game but tougher. After that I think we could make a game of it. Notre Dame seems average on the lines, especially offensively, and that would help us, though you know their receivers would target our corners. Oklahoma and us would have an over/under of like 120, and that might be conservative. West Virginia would also be a competitive shootout in all likelihood. I think we could take LSU on a neutral field, their offense is pretty pedestrian. I also think if Gawdner got hot we could outscore the Buckeyes. Their defense is pretty average

Against Bama and Clemson they would have to crank the tempo on offense and get rid of the ball quick. Run the big defense ragged. Push them into dropping 8 and taking a DL off the field.