Obviously, it's early, but gives insight as to what's most important to the committee.

Top 4
#1 - Mississippi State
#2 - FSU
#3 - Auburn
#4 - Ole Miss

Just Out
#5 - Oregon
#6 - Bama

Others of Note
#7 - TCU
#8 - Michigan State
#10 - The Cheating Irish
#15- Nebrasksa
#16 - o$u

I can see the steam rising from South Bend and Columbus! Love it!

ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

(10-28-2014 07:30 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

For sure.

I also liked seeing TCU get the respect they did from the committee. What is yet to be determined is how much they're hurt by the B12 not having a championship game (if they were to run the table).

Also a six-spot difference from TCU and Baylor - who beat the Horned Frogs a couple weeks ago. At least the committee is thinking big picture and not just head-to-head.

(10-28-2014 07:30 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

And also non-power conference non-power conference non-power conference. Marshall's omission is to avoid any kind of discourse about their chances down the line. Granted Marshall does not deserve one of the top 4 spots, but they should certainly be in the top 25. Something just doesn't feel right about this way of doing it, to leave this to the whim of a few people, its not right. Bring back the BCS, at least allow some objectivity in the rankings.

(10-28-2014 07:30 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

How about -

Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, P5 Biased, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged!
¨Beginning of the end of a good thing¨ - Bill Schneider

If NIU finishes 11-2, and ECU and Marshall somehow stumble, and Boise stumbles is there a non-zero chance for NIU as in 0.000001% to be the top non-power team, or is it a 0.0.

(10-28-2014 07:34 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Also a six-spot difference from TCU and Baylor - who beat the Horned Frogs a couple weeks ago. At least the committee is thinking big picture and not just head-to-head.

Yep.

The committee showed they're about picking the best teams and that politics won't enter the discussion (at least so far). I'm impressed.

And, ***** about Marshall being out of the rankings all you want to, but I don't see them beating any of the teams in the Top-25. That's what the rankings should be about.

(10-28-2014 07:41 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:34 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Also a six-spot difference from TCU and Baylor - who beat the Horned Frogs a couple weeks ago. At least the committee is thinking big picture and not just head-to-head.

Yep.

The committee showed they're about picking the best teams and that politics won't enter the discussion (at least so far). I'm impressed.

If that was true though Marshall would be ranked.

(10-28-2014 07:37 PM)NIU_PSE Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:30 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

How about -

Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, P5 Biased, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged!
¨Beginning of the end of a good thing¨ - Bill Schneider

Not rigged. A non-P5 school will never make it into the final 4. SoS is a gigantic factor and should be when determining a National Champion.

In terms of Access Bowl ranking, ECU and Marshall are ranked perfectly.

(10-28-2014 07:42 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:41 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:34 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Also a six-spot difference from TCU and Baylor - who beat the Horned Frogs a couple weeks ago. At least the committee is thinking big picture and not just head-to-head.

Yep.

The committee showed they're about picking the best teams and that politics won't enter the discussion (at least so far). I'm impressed.

If that was true though Marshall would be ranked.

Schedule is a joke. They'll eventually be up there as they keep winning.
How long did it take NIU to crack the Top 25 in the Orange Bowl year?

(10-28-2014 07:46 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:42 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:41 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:34 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  Also a six-spot difference from TCU and Baylor - who beat the Horned Frogs a couple weeks ago. At least the committee is thinking big picture and not just head-to-head.

Yep.

The committee showed they're about picking the best teams and that politics won't enter the discussion (at least so far). I'm impressed.

If that was true though Marshall would be ranked.

Schedule is a joke. They'll eventually be up there as they keep winning.
How long did it take NIU to crack the Top 25 in the Orange Bowl year?

NIU lost their first game though. Granted Marshall schedule does not warrant them top 5 consideration, but they have pretty much obliterated everyone they played. I think their omission was just out of fear that some sort of national discussion would start about leaving an undefeated team out. Keeping Marshall out of sight, out of mind is probably being done on purpose.

(10-28-2014 07:49 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  NIU lost their first game though. Granted Marshall schedule does not warrant them top 5 consideration, but they have pretty much obliterated everyone they played. I think their omission was just out of fear that some sort of national discussion would start about leaving an undefeated team out. Keeping Marshall out of sight, out of mind is probably being done on purpose.

Why would this committee care whether or not there was national discussion about Marshall? Nobody in their right mind thinks they belong, so the discussion wouldn't go anywhere anyway. They're really good but nowhere near one of the top 4 teams in the country.

Marshalls' non-conference schedule:

Miami (Ohio)
Rhode Island
Ohio
Akron

3 MAC teams, two of them average, one of them bad and an FCS team. Not to mention how weak CUSA has become. That's why the Herd got no respect from the committee.

(10-28-2014 07:54 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  Marshalls' non-conference schedule:

Miami (Ohio)
Rhode Island
Ohio
Akron

3 MAC teams, two of them average, one of them bad and an FCS team. Not to mention how weak CUSA has become. That's why the Herd got no respect from the committee.

There is no question its one of the worst schedules an FBS team could play. I guess what caught my eye though is they have not struggled at all and pretty much hammered every opponent. With 2/3rds of their schedule out of their control, I think a top 25 omission is a bit on the absurd side given how they have dominated. But obviously even if undefeated they don't deserve a top 4 slot so I guess it doesn't really matter, just irks me a bit.

(10-28-2014 07:45 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:37 PM)NIU_PSE Wrote:  

(10-28-2014 07:30 PM)HuskieRak Wrote:  ECU - 23
Marshall - not ranked

Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule. Strength of schedule.

How about -

Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, P5 Biased, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged, Rigged!
¨Beginning of the end of a good thing¨ - Bill Schneider

Not rigged. A non-P5 school will never make it into the final 4. SoS is a gigantic factor and should be when determining a National Champion.

In terms of Access Bowl ranking, ECU and Marshall are ranked perfectly.

Until all teams play equal away/home and with equal academic standards, it's RIGGED. I am not saying a G5 is top 10 this year, but there should be ECU, Marshall and CSU in the top 25. This is the beginning of D1Aa. If you can't see that your one of the sheeple. All rankings have to be derived from some initial condition, that being the pre-season AP poll, which is heavily SEC biased based on previous years. All subsequent rankings are biased by that forward, apparently including this committee abortion. The BCS computer system had less bias. Good God, Ole Miss just lost to a barely ranked LSU (oh, I forgot they are SEC)!

Marshall is paying the price because they scheduled a cupcake non-conference schedule. That's why they're behind ECU for the Access Bowl. Lot of ADs and Head Coaches at G5 schools are going to sit up and take notice from now on.

This thread is actually a good example of why I don't think they should bother ranking beyond #8 or so. People are actually debating teams farther down the rankings...spots which are completely irrelevant in the larger scope of what the committee is actually trying to do (pick the 4 best teams). Basically, it's pointless to go that far.

The good thing the controversy over the rankings is that the pressure to expand the playoff (and the money to be made) will be irresistible. Forget what Bill Hancock said about the playoff not being expanded for at least 10 years. It will happen MUCH sooner.

(10-28-2014 08:06 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  The good thing the controversy over the rankings is that the pressure to expand the playoff (and the money to be made) will be irresistible. Forget what Bill Hancock said about the playoff not being expanded for at least 10 years. It will happen MUCH sooner.

Totally concur, especially about the money part, which is at the root of all of this. However, what is the lefty loon Kennedy Space Center photo? Belongs in S&N.