I don't think anyone is saying they should be in no matter what. If they beat MSU they certainly deserve to be in. I don't think that is going to happen, but if it does, how could you say they shouldn't be in? Who would you put in over them? Ohio State and Stanford are both probably better teams, but OSU lost and Stanford has 2 losses and 1 to a team Iowa beat. I don't see what the problem is. If ND won, I could see the argument of putting them in over Iowa, although I would personally disagree with it. But there is no one behind Iowa (besides MSU) that deserves to be in more than them.

 

I am totally against rewarding a team for going undefeated for the season due to a poor schedule and THEN giving them ONE game to win to get into the playoffs.

 

We can't use the number of losses as the measuring stick in and of itself.

 

I'd put OSU, Northwestern, and ND in way before I'd put Iowa in regardless of what they do against MSU. Again, any team can win ONE game. Beating MSU does not prove they belong in the playoffs.

 

We keep saying we want the best teams and then we let teams in that don't play anyone until the conference championship game. That's not how it should work.

I am totally against rewarding a team for going undefeated for the season due to a poor schedule and THEN giving them ONE game to win to get into the playoffs.

 

We can't use the number of losses as the measuring stick in and of itself.

 

I'd put OSU, Northwestern, and ND in way before I'd put Iowa in regardless of what they do against MSU. Again, any team can win ONE game. Beating MSU does not prove they belong in the playoffs.

 

We keep saying we want the best teams and then we let teams in that don't play anyone until the conference championship game. That's not how it should work.

Any team can win one game. You're right. But nobody has beaten Iowa in ONE of their 12 games. They haven't played a lot of good teams, you're right, but if they beat MSU thus winning the B1G. They more than deserve to be there. I'm assuming by saying Iowa shouldn't be in because they haven't played anyone, you would also put Ohio State in over UNC if they beat Clemson. Correct? Obviously I think Ohio State is clearly one of the 4 best teams, but it doesn't seem to be the trend on here that people think they should get in over UNC. If Iowa wins, they would be the undefeated champion of arguably the best conference this year, they deserve to get in as much as anyone.

They haven't played a lot of good teams, you're right, but if they beat MSU thus winning the B1G. They more than deserve to be there.

 

 

Incongruent

Any team can win one game. You're right. But nobody has beaten Iowa in ONE of their 12 games. They haven't played a lot of good teams, you're right, but if they beat MSU thus winning the B1G. They more than deserve to be there. I'm assuming by saying Iowa shouldn't be in because they haven't played anyone, you would also put Ohio State in over UNC if they beat Clemson. Correct? Obviously I think Ohio State is clearly one of the 4 best teams, but it doesn't seem to be the trend on here that people think they should get in over UNC. If Iowa wins, they would be the undefeated champion of arguably the best conference this year, they deserve to get in as much as anyone.

 

My criteria would be simple. Pick the four best teams regardless of record or conference or winning a conference championship. Yes, you use some of those as data points for your calculation but to use W/L only is getting you Iowa potentially whose schedule has been dreadful.

 

If you made me pick today before the conference championships I'm taking Bama/Oklahoma/MichState as the definites. I am then picking from Ohio State, Clemson, and Notre Dame.

My criteria would be simple. Pick the four best teams regardless of record or conference or winning a conference championship. Yes, you use some of those as data points for your calculation but to use W/L only is getting you Iowa potentially whose schedule has been dreadful.

 

If you made me pick today before the conference championships I'm taking Bama/Oklahoma/MichState as the definites. I am then picking from Ohio State, Clemson, and Notre Dame.

Ok so right now the 4 best teams in the country IMO are: Bama, OU, Ohio St and Oregon. Would you be alright with those 4 teams? I would love to simply have the 4 best teams there, but you have to make it within reason. There is no real way to tell who is better than who. It's 100% opinion. You can't pick a final four based off opinion. The only way to do it is record, conference champs, and common opponents. By that you have to give the nod to Iowa no matter what if they beat MSU.

Ok so right now the 4 best teams in the country IMO are: Bama, OU, Ohio St and Oregon. Would you be alright with those 4 teams? I would love to simply have the 4 best teams there, but you have to make it within reason. There is no real way to tell who is better than who. It's 100% opinion. You can't pick a final four based off opinion. The only way to do it is record, conference champs, and common opponents. By that you have to give the nod to Iowa no matter what if they beat MSU.

 

If a MAC school went undefeated without beating any non-conference powers are they one of the final 4?

There is no real way to tell who is better than who. It's 100% opinion. You can't pick a final four based off opinion.

 

That's exactly how the teams are picked. Committee members opinions are reflected in how they each vote. That's an "opinion."

If a MAC school went undefeated without beating any non-conference powers are they one of the final 4?

But Iowa isn't in the MAC. They're in the Big Ten! 10 out of the 14 teams in the Big Ten would go through the MAC undefeated and the other 4 would still be the favorites to win the MAC. I don't see how you can compare Iowa winning the Big Ten to winning the MAC.

That's exactly how the teams are picked. Committee members opinions are reflected in how they each vote. That's an "opinion."

Yeah but they're opinions are based on facts. What you're proposing, or at least what I'm getting from you, is that you want it to be 100% eye test to determine who the best 4 teams are. Nothing else matters. The committee clearly values conference champs and record, so while they are still using opinions, they're opinions are based 90% on facts and 10% eye test.

But Iowa isn't in the MAC. They're in the Big Ten! 10 out of the 14 teams in the Big Ten would go through the MAC undefeated and the other 4 would still be the favorites to win the MAC. I don't see how you can compare Iowa winning the Big Ten to winning the MAC.

 

So what you just old me is the schedule matters. Iowa didn't "go through the Big 10." They went through the "Mid-sized 10."

Yeah but they're opinions are based on facts. What you're proposing, or at least what I'm getting from you, is that you want it to be 100% eye test to determine who the best 4 teams are. Nothing else matters. The committee clearly values conference champs and record, so while they are still using opinions, they're opinions are based 90% on facts and 10% eye test.

 

Eye test is the same as opinion which is ALWAYS based on inputs/data points. Basing it on "conference championship" is an opinion based on that and other points. No different than any other educated opinion.

So what you just old me is the schedule matters. Iowa didn't "go through the Big 10." They went through the "Mid-sized 10."

They didn't play a bunch of FCS schools. They played decent college football teams, not great but decent. IMO Bama has played a bunch of good teams but I don't think they've played a great team yet either. If Iowa beats MSU they have 1 win over a great team on their schedule thats 1 more than Bama has. But you wouldn't dare leave Bama out. Iowa to me has as good of a case if not better to be number 1 than Clemson has. Undefeated, in a better conference, I don't care what anyone says the teams Iowa has beat are WAY better than the every team Clemson has beat outside of FSU and ND, they would also have 1 win over a great team. What else do you want from them?

They didn't play a bunch of FCS schools. They played decent college football teams, not great but decent. IMO Bama has played a bunch of good teams but I don't think they've played a great team yet either. If Iowa beats MSU they have 1 win over a great team on their schedule thats 1 more than Bama has. But you wouldn't dare leave Bama out. Iowa to me has as good of a case if not better to be number 1 than Clemson has. Undefeated, in a better conference, I don't care what anyone says the teams Iowa has beat are WAY better than the every team Clemson has beat outside of FSU and ND, they would also have 1 win over a great team. What else do you want from them?

 

I don't leave Bama out because of the same reason I don't put Iowa in. I'm not basing something on ONE GAME. You are. SOS supports Bama and tells me their schedule is better and not close. SOS helps form my belief which is the same as my opinion.

 

You can't say "other than ND and FSU" when talking about Iowa vs Clemson. Iowa hasn't played ONE of those teams much less two of them. They took the risk of playing those two. Iowa, partly no fault of their own, did not.

 

If we want the best four you want teams that have proven it. Iowa hasn't.

I don't leave Bama out because of the same reason I don't put Iowa in. I'm not basing something on ONE GAME. You are. SOS supports Bama and tells me their schedule is better and not close. SOS helps form my belief which is the same as my opinion.

 

You can't say "other than ND and FSU" when talking about Iowa vs Clemson. Iowa hasn't played ONE of those teams much less two of them. They took the risk of playing those two. Iowa, partly no fault of their own, did not.

 

If we want the best four you want teams that have proven it. Iowa hasn't.

I just don't see how beating a top 5 team wouldn't prove something. Couple that with not having a loss and I just don't see not putting them in. But agree to disagree.