All that would have had to happen for this to have taken place is if Louisville wasn't picked up by the ACC & thus ECU would have remained in C-USA. Hypothetically speaking, I think that based on the absolute chaos sweeping the college football world right now that Marshall would at least be in the discussion for the playoff right now. If Marshall played and beat a #24 Louisville early in the season Marshall would likely be ranked about #20 right now. Then if say a #8 ECU & a #9 Marshall faced off in Greenville in the last game of the regular season & Marshall prevailed & subsequently crushed the C-USA West team in the championship game it could make things really interesting. All of the top P5 teams are playing in their championship games & favorites could thus be knocked out of the discussion during the last week of the season.

What would additionally help Marshall's cause in the above scenario is that the Committee has explained ad nauseam that they will give heavy credence to conference champions and there is an extremely likely chance that there will be a 2 or even 3 loss SEC, B1G, and PAC 12 champ this season. Yes, I know that the system is rigged in favor of the big boys but there would be an uproar and a lot of pressure to take Marshall as the #4 team if they had played and beaten a top 25 team and a top 10 team and finished undefeated when everybody else had 2 or even 3 losses.

I'm an ECU fan that respects what Marshall is doing. I truly wish ECU and Marshall were playing at the end of this season in Greenville. I wish we had an opportunity for redemption at home this year but at the same time I know it would be a hell of a battle. If ECU had a potential top 10 Marshall on our schedule at the end of this season then maybe we could be in the playoff discussion as well. It's just a shame that we have to wait a few years to resume such a great CFB rivalry because this could have been the year that the nation took notice of it.

No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

I AGREE 100%. Wish we played. Top 10 matchup. College GAMEDAY?

Here's an article that at least doesn't completely dismiss the possibility this season notwithstanding ECU's & Louisville's absence on the schedule. I guess anything is possible the way the favorites are all dropping like flies.

Will there be an undefeated team in this year's College Football Playoff?

http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/head-h...ll-playoff

"I must admit there is one team out there that can very well go undefeated. Marshall is the class of Conference USA and if the Thundering Herd can get through the next two weeks against Middle Tennessee and FIU, its chances look pretty good although it remains to be seen if it will be enough to crash the CFP party."

(10-08-2014 10:41 AM)Niner National Wrote:  No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

I thought they had to take the top rated g-5?


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(10-08-2014 12:16 PM)DragonLair Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 10:41 AM)Niner National Wrote:  No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

I thought they had to take the top rated g-5?


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That's for a big money bowl game, not the playoff.

There's absolutely no way. This is a joke right? The only way a G5 team is getting into the playoffs is if they go undefeated the year before, win the access bowl, and then go undefeated the following year all while having P5 OOC wins. Needless to say, the likelihood of it happening is near 0%.

(10-08-2014 01:41 PM)Insane_Baboon Wrote:  There's absolutely no way. This is a joke right? The only way a G5 team is getting into the playoffs is if they go undefeated the year before, win the access bowl, and then go undefeated the following year all while having P5 OOC wins. Needless to say, the likelihood of it happening is near 0%.

Yeah, Boise State probably would have made it, but those situations are few and far between

(10-08-2014 12:16 PM)DragonLair Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 10:41 AM)Niner National Wrote:  No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

I thought they had to take the top rated g-5?


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For the current equivalent of a BCS bowl, not for the playoff itself.

Marshall has "Playoff Moxie" right now, only problem is that exclusionary, political, bureaucratic bull(bleep) system they have in place to ordain who they think is worthy of consideration for their mytical national championship.

I wish we'd play each other every November, really love the rivalry and tradition.


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(10-08-2014 03:09 PM)Marshall#1 Wrote:  I wish we'd play each other every November, really love the rivalry and tradition.


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I'd rather play Marshall early in the season, specifically when it's an away game for obvious reasons. Btw, I know the CFP is a long shot for any G5 team but I don't see it as an impossible barrier like many on these boards do. If ECU was undefeated right now, we'd at least be in the discussion. I mean we're somehow #19 right now and there's a lot of season left. The P5 is really beating up on each other this year. I also think that if Marshall had 2 top 25 teams on the schedule including 1 top 10 team they would have an outside shot as well. Not likely but certainly not impossible particularly when it's a crazy season like this one's turning out to be.

(10-08-2014 04:23 PM)Indiana Bones Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 03:09 PM)Marshall#1 Wrote:  I wish we'd play each other every November, really love the rivalry and tradition.


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I'd rather play Marshall early in the season, specifically when it's an away game for obvious reasons. Btw, I know the CFP is a long shot for any G5 team but I don't see it as an impossible barrier like many on these boards do. If ECU was undefeated right now, we'd at least be in the discussion. I mean we're somehow #19 right now and there's a lot of season left. The P5 is really beating up on each other this year. I also think that if Marshall had 2 top 25 teams on the schedule including 1 top 10 team they would have an outside shot as well. Not likely but certainly not impossible particularly when it's a crazy season like this one's turning out to be.

An undefeated ECU wouldn't get in over any 1 loss P5 school or even 2 losses at least out of the SEC.

And what top ten school did ECU play? USC? Who with three losses already and Auburn and Clemson still on the schedule, very well may finish the season unranked?

(10-08-2014 10:27 AM)Indiana Bones Wrote:  All that would have had to happen for this to have taken place is if Louisville wasn't picked up by the ACC & thus ECU would have remained in C-USA. Hypothetically speaking, I think that based on the absolute chaos sweeping the college football world right now that Marshall would at least be in the discussion for the playoff right now. If Marshall played and beat a #24 Louisville early in the season Marshall would likely be ranked about #20 right now. Then if say a #8 ECU & a #9 Marshall faced off in Greenville in the last game of the regular season & Marshall prevailed & subsequently crushed the C-USA West team in the championship game it could make things really interesting. All of the top P5 teams are playing in their championship games & favorites could thus be knocked out of the discussion during the last week of the season.

What would additionally help Marshall's cause in the above scenario is that the Committee has explained ad nauseam that they will give heavy credence to conference champions and there is an extremely likely chance that there will be a 2 or even 3 loss SEC, B1G, and PAC 12 champ this season. Yes, I know that the system is rigged in favor of the big boys but there would be an uproar and a lot of pressure to take Marshall as the #4 team if they had played and beaten a top 25 team and a top 10 team and finished undefeated when everybody else had 2 or even 3 losses.

I'm an ECU fan that respects what Marshall is doing. I truly wish ECU and Marshall were playing at the end of this season in Greenville. I wish we had an opportunity for redemption at home this year but at the same time I know it would be a hell of a battle. If ECU had a potential top 10 Marshall on our schedule at the end of this season then maybe we could be in the playoff discussion as well. It's just a shame that we have to wait a few years to resume such a great CFB rivalry because this could have been the year that the nation took notice of it.

Marshall has the exact same access as ECU does and we can still go undefeated which will put us in a far better spot than ECU or any other team that isn't undefeated.

Thanks for coming to our board.

(10-08-2014 10:41 AM)Niner National Wrote:  No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

That is exactly right. The Roy Kramer types have gone above and beyond to segregate college football. The playoff will implode itself due to the 5 so called "power" conferences and only 4 spots. The whining from the conference left out will eventually be enough to expand it to more than 4 and every expansion will only help all of us out.

(10-08-2014 12:16 PM)DragonLair Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 10:41 AM)Niner National Wrote:  No. A non-cartel team will never be in the playoff unless it expands to more than 4 teams.

I thought they had to take the top rated g-5?


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That's for one of the bowl games. The Rose & Sugar Bowls are the playoff this year so that means the Fiesta, Orange, Cotton or Peach Bowls. It's also not the top rated school either its whomever the Commitee chooses.

(10-08-2014 04:23 PM)Indiana Bones Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 03:09 PM)Marshall#1 Wrote:  I wish we'd play each other every November, really love the rivalry and tradition.


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I'd rather play Marshall early in the season, specifically when it's an away game for obvious reasons. Btw, I know the CFP is a long shot for any G5 team but I don't see it as an impossible barrier like many on these boards do. If ECU was undefeated right now, we'd at least be in the discussion. I mean we're somehow #19 right now and there's a lot of season left. The P5 is really beating up on each other this year. I also think that if Marshall had 2 top 25 teams on the schedule including 1 top 10 team they would have an outside shot as well. Not likely but certainly not impossible particularly when it's a crazy season like this one's turning out to be.

I would love to have ECU on the schedule every single year, but with it being an OOC game going forward, it's going to lose some of its luster for me personally. The last few years, that game being the last game of the seasons got to be seriously interesting with solid bowl game and CUSA implications. Without CUSA implications in the mix, it's not going to be as exciting to me, but it's still a series that should be played every year or at least 6 years out of every decade or something like that.