(11-12-2013 07:30 PM)AngryAphid Wrote:  

(11-12-2013 07:16 PM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(11-12-2013 10:26 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(11-12-2013 07:31 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  

(11-12-2013 03:19 AM)allthatyoucantleavebehind Wrote:  You mean like when the 9-7 New York Giants won the Super Bowl a few years ago...they were DEFINITELY the best team in the NFL. A playoff proved it!!!

Yes, they had BECOME the best team in the NFL. They proved that by playing and beating the so called best teams ON THE FIELD where it matters. You think your opinion on their record matters more than the actual wins that they EARNED in the playoffs?

Wrong.

No, but his point, and one I've made before as well, is that a playoff is just as arbitrary a way to determine a champ as a poll. The Giants didn't become the best team in the NFL, they simply met the qualification standard that were set forth for the post season tourney, specifically via a wild card. How is the establishment of a 'wild card' any less random and fan driven than the BCS system?

We are talking about a game that is played on a field between actual human beings. How the hell can anything BUT on field performance be taken in equal measure? Polls and computers will NEVER be equivalent to on field performance. All they do is serve to fill in the gaps that cannot be illustrated by on field performance. When we actually have on field performance then there is no doubt. Even Alabama's 1-1 record against LSU makes better argument that they are the champions because they came to play for the championship game and both teams knew all the marbles were on the line.

The Giants came to play when it mattered most and showed what they were all about. They proved that records only mean so much.


I seriously cannot believe what I am reading. There is no stronger judgement than what happens on the field! That is what this is all about!!! Do people who think otherwise even watch games?

I don’t think anyone is arguing against what happens on the field,
it’s how the teams are selected to play on that field that is the problem.

Well, I can understand that. It is all about taking steps in the right direction though. There is a problem though for some people. The more we move from polls and computers to tournaments which are more inclusive then the more people are going to have to prepare themselves for a possible champion that isn't the one that polls or computers would have picked.

I watch the sport because it is our culture's gladiatorial event. What happens on the field is everything. I hated the fact that Alabama got a second chance against LSU instead of someone else but that is what happened and thus the result is what matters. They came to play when it mattered most. That is what Champions do. Champions can have off days during the regular season but when it matters MOST, they bring their best.

When we move to a 4 team event and eventually an 8 team event, people are going to have to allow themselves to accept any one of those teams as the champion. The same is to be said of every wild card team in the NFL playoffs. They are just as viable of a champion as the top ranked team with the best record. The Giants are an example of that very notion, they are not proof to the opposite that tournaments do not work when it comes to finding out who is the team playing the best football at the end of the season.

(11-10-2013 11:41 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  What if Alabama had lost last night to LSU? It's not like the idea of such is unfathomable. That would have Alabama with one loss and LSU with two. What then happens if Alabama loses to Auburn in their last game? The idea of Alabama losing to Auburn is also not so unfathomable, correct?

That is a two loss Alabama squad

In the other division we have Missouri with one loss. They play at Ole Miss and at home against A&M. Both games could be won or loss, neither are simple gimmie's. So what if Missouri loses one?

This is a very realistic scenario within the framework of what could have been this year. At best the SEC champ coming out has two losses. Does that get them in a 4 team playoff this year if we had one?

I don't think a two-loss SEC champion would have the strongest case for being in the CFP if its OOC wins included more FCS & recently FCS competition than P5 competition ... but of course I'd expect them to get a four seed at a minimum.

(11-12-2013 08:14 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(11-10-2013 11:41 AM)He1nousOne Wrote:  What if Alabama had lost last night to LSU? It's not like the idea of such is unfathomable. That would have Alabama with one loss and LSU with two. What then happens if Alabama loses to Auburn in their last game? The idea of Alabama losing to Auburn is also not so unfathomable, correct?

That is a two loss Alabama squad

In the other division we have Missouri with one loss. They play at Ole Miss and at home against A&M. Both games could be won or loss, neither are simple gimmie's. So what if Missouri loses one?

This is a very realistic scenario within the framework of what could have been this year. At best the SEC champ coming out has two losses. Does that get them in a 4 team playoff this year if we had one?

I don't think a two-loss SEC champion would have the strongest case for being in the CFP if its OOC wins included more FCS & recently FCS competition than P5 competition ... but of course I'd expect them to get a four seed at a minimum.

Not if we move forward with five major conferences. A two loss SEC team could potentially get left out.