First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

There’s a path for Cincinnati.

Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame all win out. A&M loses to Auburn. Wouldn’t hurt for Oregon to lose either.

Would leave two loss Clemson, two loss Florida, two loss A&M, one loss Oregon, one loss northwestern, and undefeated Cincinnati.

I think Cincinnati gets in in that scenario

Oklahoma even has a shot without a train wreck ahead of them.

Assuming Alabama and Ohio St. win their conferences, that knocks Florida and Northwestern down. OU could pass Georgia and Miami if they win out by virtue of the conference championship.

They need A&M to lose only one and Cincinnati to lose or look unimpressive in their remaining games.

The only big help they need is with Clemson or Notre Dame losing another game or Notre Dame dominating Clemson in the ccg.

(11-24-2020 08:17 PM)Crayton Wrote:  First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

I get the 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3 matchups.

But are the other matchups just guesswork, or definitely-would-happen based on the current rankings

(11-24-2020 09:52 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 08:17 PM)Crayton Wrote:  First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

I get the 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3 matchups.

But are the other matchups just guesswork, or definitely-would-happen based on the current rankings

The Orange is definite based on current rankings. Top remaining ACC team vs. top of Big 10/SEC/ND. Alabama/Ohio St. would be in the Sugar and Notre Dame/Clemson would be in the Rose. Top team gets the closest venue.

Not sure what the rules are on the other matchups.

Lots of interesting decisions that make sense.

There is a big difference between the undefeated non-P5 schools. Cincinnati has a shot at the playoffs. BYU is rewarded for playing well, but doesn’t really have a plausible path to the playoffs. Coastal Carolina gets recognition for their record.

Ohio State and Northwestern suffer only slightly from the BIG’s late start. They’re both well positioned to make the playoffs if they keep playing and winning.

It’s going to be real tough for PAC schools. They really need to play more games to be properly evaluated.

The better schools from the ACC and SEC are the beneficiaries of this first ranking.

(11-24-2020 09:55 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 09:52 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 08:17 PM)Crayton Wrote:  First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

I get the 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3 matchups.

But are the other matchups just guesswork, or definitely-would-happen based on the current rankings

The Orange is definite based on current rankings. Top remaining ACC team vs. top of Big 10/SEC/ND. Alabama/Ohio St. would be in the Sugar and Notre Dame/Clemson would be in the Rose. Top team gets the closest venue.

Not sure what the rules are on the other matchups.

No rules. In the old BCS there was no central committee and the individual bowl committees rotated draft picks each year for the at-large teams. The particular pairings above in the Cotton, Fiesta, and Peach are my picks.

You can keep the same teams and scramble those 6 around to find more appealing matchups. I kept Florida out of Atlanta and Oklahoma out of Arlington, kept Oregon "close", avoided rematches, put the low ranked P5 champs together, and then gave the Gators the P5 opponent because of their win over Georgia.

(11-24-2020 10:01 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Regardless of rankings, would the SEC really be allowed 4 of the 12 NY6 slots? Is that actually permissible?

I believe both the SEC and Big Ten have already done it. The rules just say to take the top teams based on the committee rankings. Again, no more byzantine BCS rules limiting teams per conference.

(11-24-2020 10:09 PM)Crayton Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 10:01 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Regardless of rankings, would the SEC really be allowed 4 of the 12 NY6 slots? Is that actually permissible?

I believe both the SEC and Big Ten have already done it. The rules just say to take the top teams based on the committee rankings. Again, no more byzantine BCS rules limiting teams per conference.

Yes — i did some quick research and confirmed that it’s been done before so I deleted my question. But thanks for your time!

Suppose that Texas A&M really did finish #5, and Florida really did finish #6. It would be a shame to send the Aggies to Miami and the Gators to Dallas, when there’s “nothing” at stake (in terms of the N.C. or additional games to be played).

(11-24-2020 10:25 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  Suppose that Texas A&M really did finish #5, and Florida really did finish #6. It would be a shame to send the Aggies to Miami and the Gators to Dallas, when there’s “nothing” at stake (in terms of the N.C. or additional games to be played).

Its not unprecedented for the committee to switch the order of 2 teams in the rankings for the simple reason to get them to play in the "right" bowl.

It’s crazy how Iowa State is ranked so high with multiple losses, while ULL who beat them and has one loss to ranked Coastal Carolina is unranked.

I think 2020 is the year I give up on cfb until a better, much expanded playoff bracket presents. I know Ohio State might be good, but you simply can’t reward 4-0 with wins against the dumpster fires at Penn State, Nebraska, and Rutgers. The version of the game will always be about the name. 2020 is so different and it should reflect in the playoff. But, I guess not. Cincy is going to be hosed big time. And the observation about ULL and ISU is spot on.

(11-24-2020 09:05 PM)bullet Wrote:  They need A&M to lose only one and Cincinnati to lose or look unimpressive in their remaining games.

LSU is a dangerous game for Texas AM this weekend. It's a rivalry game, and while LSU has been dreadful at times, they have also been pretty good at times, and with their talent they have a "puncher's chance" in the game.

(11-24-2020 09:55 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 09:52 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(11-24-2020 08:17 PM)Crayton Wrote:  First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

I get the 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3 matchups.

But are the other matchups just guesswork, or definitely-would-happen based on the current rankings

The Orange is definite based on current rankings. Top remaining ACC team vs. top of Big 10/SEC/ND. Alabama/Ohio St. would be in the Sugar and Notre Dame/Clemson would be in the Rose. Top team gets the closest venue.

Not sure what the rules are on the other matchups.

With the playoff games, the OP is assuming Alabama would rather play Ohio State in the Rose Bowl rather than the Sugar Bowl (the #1 seed gets its choice of where to play). I would imagine the opposite is true, so Clemson vs Notre Dame would be in the Rose Bowl.

As you say, the Orange is correct based on its ACC vs SEC/B1G/ND contract.

The only rules for the Fiesta, Peach and Cotton Bowls is that a space has to go to the Big 12 and PAC 12 champs and to the top G5 team, but where they play is at the discretion of the committee. Also, the three at-large go to the highest ranked available teams. Ideally, this means the top 12 all play in the NY6, but in this case, because a P5 champ, Oregon, is outside the top 12, that knocks #12 Indiana out.

So the OP has all the "knowns" correct, his scenario meets all the rules and includes the correct teams, so his scenario is plausible, but also it is not "for sure" either as there are many other matchups that would meet all the rules as well.

(11-24-2020 08:17 PM)Crayton Wrote:  First CFP Rankings:

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/ranki...?year=2020

If the season ended today:
ROSE: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State
SUGAR: #2 Norte Dame vs. #3 Clemson
ORANGE: #5 Texas A&M vs. #10 Miami
COTTON: #6 Florida vs. #8 Northwestern
PEACH: #7 Cincinnati vs. #9 Georgia
FIESTA: #11 Oklahoma vs. #15 Oregon

Wouldn’t it make more sense to send TAMU to the Cotton to face Cincinnati and let Florida play Miami in the Orange?

(11-25-2020 08:35 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I think 2020 is the year I give up on cfb until a better, much expanded playoff bracket presents. I know Ohio State might be good, but you simply can’t reward 4-0 with wins against the dumpster fires at Penn State, Nebraska, and Rutgers. The version of the game will always be about the name. 2020 is so different and it should reflect in the playoff. But, I guess not. Cincy is going to be hosed big time. And the observation about ULL and ISU is spot on.

I think the last few years has to play into OSU getting benefit of the doubt. They should have beat Clemson last year. They are returning the QB. You can't pass up on an 8-0 OSU. What I don't feel happy about are the prospects of both Clemson/ND getting in this year especially with NDs atypical schedule (won't play Miami no less). I feel they shouldn't get in unless they win out. If it came down to A&M and ND at one loss, it will be a tough call for the committee, but I feel ND should be kicked out barring them keeping it really, really close against a Lawrence-led Clemson. Clearly, ND and A&M have to be the odds on favorite over Cincy should everyone hold serve. You can't put two Ohio schools in there.

(11-25-2020 01:34 AM)EagleNationRising Wrote:  It’s crazy how Iowa State is ranked so high with multiple losses, while ULL who beat them and has one loss to ranked Coastal Carolina is unranked.

Iowa St (2 losses) loses by 17 to Louisiana, BYU (undefeated) beats down a similar team to Louisiana in Boise St 51-14, yet Iowa St is ranked above BYU.

Also, Louisiana (7-1) with a top-20 loss and a top-15 win being left out so the committee could put in the chairman's Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2) with an unranked loss and 3 wins over a 3-11 trio is exactly why a committee of socially-influenced old men makes a mockery of the sport.

(11-25-2020 09:40 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Also, Louisiana (7-1) with a top-20 loss and a top-15 win being left out so the committee could put in the chairman's Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2) with an unranked loss and 3 wins over a 3-11 trio is exactly why a committee of socially-influenced old men makes a mockery of the sport.

Yeah, it makes me miss the days of the poll formula. Much more heads (including actual coaches) making the decision. I wish they would just use the BCS formula to create the playoff, and expand it to eight while they're at it.

(11-25-2020 01:34 AM)EagleNationRising Wrote:  It’s crazy how Iowa State is ranked so high with multiple losses, while ULL who beat them and has one loss to ranked Coastal Carolina is unranked.

You are correct, good sir.