Blame it on the Badgers

Indeed - if Wisconsin had beat Ohio state there would likely not be much of a controversy today. But they didn't, so there is.

Who is this CFP committee anyway? Currently it is made up of 13 members consisting of former head coaches (5), current or former athletic directors (5), a university president (1),  a former sports reporter (1), and a former NCAA executive (1). A good mix although I'd prefer more former head coaches. Most played college football at some time and most have recusals (not allowed to vote for certain teams due to alma mater or family playing for the team).

Did they get it right?
Probably. A good argument could have been made for Wisconsin, Bama, USC and even Ohio State (yes - in that order). All things considered I imagine that the margins between those teams were micro-thin. I wish I knew by how many votes Bama got in, though.
Was Alabama included because of history or brand?
Probably. They may not be considered by everyone as one of the top four teams, but their coach is. My guess is that is what carried them into that #4 slot.
Why not Wisconsin?
Indeed, why not? They can make just as good a case as Bama (except the coach). A weak schedule, one loss to a ranked team, no conference champ.
Why not Ohio State?
Because they are inconsistent. My guess is that the primary reason was by HOW MUCH (31 points) and WHEN (in November) they lost to un-ranked Iowa. Yes, they did beat 12-0 Wisconsin. But remember all the fuss about Wisconsin not "beating anybody" and that was what kept them from climbing the polls until the final week? So Ohio State beat the team that didn't "beat anybody", and that, coupled with their inconsistency, just didn't carry enough weight.
Did the committee just not want the Big10 to embarrass the system - again? Maybe, but we'll never know. (2015 semi-final Alabama over Michigan State 39 - 0; 2016 semi-final Clemson over Ohio State 31 - 0).
What about the top three?
Probably right and in the right order. But one should note (and this is my UGA bias coming out and looking only at the W-L column), that Clemson's 1-loss was to still un-ranked Syracuse, Oklahoma's 1-loss was to still un-ranked Iowa State, but Georgia's 1-loss was to Auburn, who finished #7, and that loss was avenged.

I'll be the first to say that the current system is the best we've had and a stepping stone in the right direction. Still flawed, but what would college football be like without the ranking controversy?

ENDZONE
To BYU: Was Ty Detmer really the best choice for the scapegoat? Second year as a college coach, using a 4th string QB the last three games and whatever string RB. All the while designing and redesigning plays for guys that were not supposed to see much playing time (if any at all). Was OC play calling really the root cause of the terrible season? Just asking...

That One Game

I imagine as each team winds down its regular season they all think of "that one game" they wish they could re-do or take back. Especially your 1-loss teams like Georgia, Miami, Bama and Oklahoma. But I'd bet even the multiple loss teams reflect on the "one that got away" that may not have changed the season or gotten them to a bowl game but it would have made the losing season a little more bearable.

If Alabama had beat Auburn: Yet another perfect regular season.
If Georgia had beat Auburn: Perfect regular season for the first time since 1982.
If Miami had beat Pitt: Perfect regular season for the first time since 2002.
If Oklahoma had beat Iowa State: Perfect regular season for the first time since 2004.
If BYU had held on to beat Utah: The worst season since 1955 would not feel so bad (plus their rival would feel really bad losing to the worst Cougars since 1955).

And I'm sure each player carries in his pocket a memory of "If I had just ________" then we would have scored and won. As does as every coach, trainer, and athletic director. Even the fans think if they had just worn their lucky undies like last time then the team might have won.

One game. A lifetime memory. Just part of the greatest game around and the way the ball bounces sometimes. Don't let it ruin your day or season or life. Learn from it, let it go, move on. There's always next year.

Humble Pie

We all have to eat it at times and it's good for the soul. It's not always tasty, in fact it doesn't taste good at all. But it does improve our "health".

Auburn was prepared for Georgia. They watched more tape, had a better game plan, had a backup plan, and maintained the momentum. Georgia went into that game a little too high on their laurels and were humbled by a team that wanted it more. Kudos to War Eagle and hopefully the humble pie the Dawgs had to eat made them a healthier team going forward.

Ohio State ate it losing to Iowa. Oklahoma has nibbled at it in various close games. Syracuse fed a slice to Clemson. And there have been others and many more will be served up some humble pie. And BYU? Well, they've been eating it all season. Even game 1, which they won, was humbling because they almost lost to an FCS school. And every time we think they've hit bottom, they find a new bottom. A loss to Hawaii next week would ice the cake for the worst season since the 40's. Yikes!

Couple of other rants:
1. Again, why do voters and commentators want to give Ohio State a shot at the playoff? Do they deserve it after two losses, one of which was to an un-ranked team? They are unpredictable in a so-so conference. Remember the playoff loss a year ago, 33 to 0?
2. Baker Mayfield - hold your fire for Pet's sake. You are really, really, good but that temper and emotion will cost you at some point. Apologizing is the right thing to do but that gets old when you have to apologize multiple times for your flare ups. You may have just cost yourself the Heisman trophy and continued unchecked it could cost your team a shot at the championship. 

Relying on Your Opponent

First off, let me just say, again, that Ohio State is more pretender than contender. No doubt they have talented players and coaches, but I've always felt they were more lucky than good. Their inconsistency validates that (even though they have way more W than L). But somehow, voters just love to keep ranking them high, like a favorite blanket they just cant let go of.

Along those lines, each team in the college football ranking system relies somewhat on their opponents. If they beat up on all their opponents but their opposition has a bad season, suddenly you don't look so good. Case in point - Ohio State losing to un-ranked Iowa (now 6 - 3) looks bad, but now last weeks win over Penn State, who lost again, makes it worse. And now Oklahoma's win over Ohio State doesn't look as good, either. Voters see that and react accordingly.

You know you're doing something right
when the opposing coach makes this face.

Georgia has a similar problem. They are the only ranked team in the SEC-East. They have dominated their biggest division rivals, Florida and Tennessee, only to see those two teams continue to lose to lesser opponents (now 3 - 5 and 4 - 5, respectively). Of course, as a Dawg fan, I'll take the undefeated season and high rankings as long as they will last!

Is Georgia overrated? Probably not. They look and play like a complete team with talent, depth, and a smart coaching staff. But we'll have a much better idea after they face Auburn next week in the South's Oldest Rival. Auburn's two losses were by a touchdown to Clemson and LSU and this will give the Bulldogs a chance to make a statement if they can hang with the SEC-West team.

That's How I Like It

For Georgia fans: It has been a great ride this season and gets better each week. But let's get past Florida and then talk. The Dawgs have marched into the World's Largest Cocktail Party undefeated twice in the last 10 years only to humbled by their nemesis.

For BYU fans: This headline from Sports Illustrated "Best and Worst of MidSeason" article says it all (and this was before losing, again, to 1 - 6 East Carolina). But give 'em some credit - four of their losses were to teams that are currently ranked or "receiving votes". Nonetheless, they are having their worst season in 48 years. I'm glad Lavell is not around to see it.

"BIGGEST MYSTERY: WHAT HAPPENED TO BYU? The 1–6 Cougars are anemic on offense and have been blown out by at least 16 points in five of their six losses, only one of which came against a team now ranked in the Top 25 (Wisconsin rolled to a 40–6 win in Provo)."

=====================
In math, if A > B > C then A > C and that always works. But college football isn't math. And that is why we like it so much. Sometimes, and maybe even most of the time A > C but every once in a while C surprises both B and A.

That's what we've seen the last few weeks and that keeps it all interesting. We're not talking as much about FSU and Clemson as we were in August. We're starting to think that Penn State and Georgia might really have a shot at Bama. We've seen Clemson, Oklahoma, Auburn, and Washington State all lose to un-ranked teams. We watched Oklahoma come within a few seconds of doing it again and OSU within a few seconds of their second loss.

From Eric Single of SI:
"Six weeks into the season, it seemed like Clemson and Alabama sat on their own separate tier, ... never [to] stoop to the level of the mere mortals that populated their respective conferences. Now that the cracks in Clemson’s armor have been exposed, are we back to Alabama vs. the field? ... it would be hard not to make the Tide prohibitive favorites. But if Friday night taught us anything, it’s not to throw around that type of label lightly, no matter how strong the top teams look."

Give Bama credit but right now they remind of Rocky in Rocky III. They simply have not played anyone of significance. TA&M  maybe, and that was their closest game, but they might jsut be getting lulled into a easy run before having to actually work for a win as they come up on LSU, Auburn and likely Georgia. Do they have the coaching, talent and depth to handle it? Of course, but those areas may be just rusty enough to allow another team to expose them.

Others are possibly in the same boat: Wisconsin has not really been tested. Penn State has been tested but will have their hands full with Ohio State next week. TCU is marching through an average Big 12 slate. And we're also seeing the clearing of others who were probably not worthy of their ranking (USC, Utah, M State) which is usually what October exposes.