sup_rbeast

Both teams had injuries. An Auburn injury sustained in the Bama game is a big part of the reason UGA beat Auburn last Saturday. Auburn's entire game plan is predicated on running the football, and both of their top 2 RBs were banged up...one hasn't played in nearly 2 months.

If Auburn is healthy they are as good as anyone. I'm sure UCF will be fired up for that, but not to the extent as if they were in the Playoff. So, I don't think the Peach Bowl will be any indication of how UCF would've played vs. another opponent.

That's not how it works in any level of football. Granted, at the high school and Pro level you can lose the last week and get in...but the difference is that in high school, over half the teams make it and roughly 1/3 of the pro teams do. In college, it's 4 out of 125...and with the importance put on the final weeks by the committee, no one should be able to lose their final game and back in to the CFP...I don't care who it is, what the money is, or anything else. It's apparent that the CFP is all about appeasement and ratings...a sham.

Exactly...and we saw what happened to them. Shoulda been Oregon.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me the last team is to lose their final game before either the CFP seedings, or the BCS Selection, or just a bid to a regular 'ol Bowl with a possibility to win a national championship. Until that is answered, Bama's inclusion is a sham IMO, and nothing you guys can argue or say will change that. If you lose your last game, you don't deserve inclusion..period. You should have to win under pressure to get in...not lose and get in anyway.

Have you even watched UCF this year? I have. They could compete with any of the top 4. As for teams who could beat Clemson, we know Syracuse can beat Clemson...so, I think nearly anyone in the Top 25 would have a puncher's chance of beating them as well. IMO, the best team in it is Oklahoma.

There are a few teams with a chance to beat Clemson. Tell me again who all the other teams are who lost their last game before being selected for the CFP...or to play for the National Championship in any scenario. Bama shouldn't be there, period. The CFP has proven to be just artificial contrived drama for the sake of TV ratings...and fans just lap it up. It's no better than the BCS was.

Bama's best win was a 3 loss team...and their second best was a 4 loss team. Their schedule looked good on paper, but they went 1-1 in the only 2 legit challenges they faced. they weren't good enough to even get to the SEC Championship, but were deemed a week later to be somehow better than the team that beat them to knock them out of even going. People can say what they want about FSU, but even with the QB they aren't that great. Seeding Bama this year is a joke...bottom line. Like I said earlier, no P5 team had a legit argument if they were left out of the 4 seed...committee should have seeded UCF.

Without a serviceable RB, that’s quite possible. But, regardless of where the games happened, it’s quite possible none of us live to see a team knock off two #1’s in a 3 week span again. Still doesn’t change the fact that there was no team with a clear argument for the 4 seed. Committee shoulda proved to the world that they mean what claim to be true and seed a non P5 considering the mess we had at the end of the season. Here’s some food for thought: since they went to the CFP format, how many teams have made the playoff after losing the last game they played prior to the seeding? Only one...Bama. I’m sorry, they just don’t deserve the bid. If they wanted a one loss team that lost their last game, they could’ve taken Wisconsin. At least their loss came in a conference championship game and was closer than Bama’s loss. Lol...the Bama bias is simply pathetic.

The play happened right in front of me. The blocker had his right hand grabbing the neckline of 82's shoulder pads, and his left was on the shoulder full of jersey. From the home side, the hold was more than obvious.

Folks said the same thing about the 2006 Boise State team, and we all saw what happened there. For what it is worth, UCF's opponents have a better combined winning percentage this year than Boise's did in 2006, as well. So, under what circumstance would a non P5 school belong? None of them play really tough schedules. I've watched UCF play 3 games this year, and they could give any of the teams in the CFP fits. IMO, VT would find a way to lose at least 1 of the games on UCF's schedule...possibly 2. The UCF score vs ECU is surprisingly similar to Tech's.. All I am saying is that there is no clear #4 this year, and the CFP committee claims that there is a way for non P5 schools to get in, and this was their chance to prove it with no P5 really having a legit argument as to why they would be left as the #4 seed. The committee failed to do so.

In the situation we have this year, since the PAC 12 and Big 10 Champs both had 30 point losses or worse, I'd have seeded UCF. Here is my thinking. Fact is, Bama is fresh off their worst loss in years, PAC 12 and Big 10 Champs were obviously out, that left Auburn, Bama, and Wisconsin in that order. Auburn had 3 losses (2 regular season, one in the SEC Championship), Bama has no wins over a team with less than 3 losses AND lost to Auburn a week and a half ago proving they shouldn't be ranked above them as it was proven on the field that Auburn is the superior team. IMO had Bama in fact made the SEC Championship game, they would be sitting with 2 losses today. So, they, in effect, benefitted from not even being capable of winning the SEC West. So, eliminating those 2, that leaves Wisconsin, and UCF as undefeated or 1 loss teams. My choice between those two would be UCF...an undefeated conference champ with a lot to prove, and a stage needed to try to prove it on.

Auburn may not have beaten LSU, but they sure whipped Bama...and that is the elephant in the room. Wanna talk about injuries? With a healthy K Johnson and Pettway, we aren’t having this convo cuz they wouldn’t have lost to UGA...but injuries are part of it. I’m not saying Auburn should be in, they should be 5 or 6 with Bama sitting right behind them.

I'm sure seeds 5 and 6 wouldn't mind playing the extra game.

So, in your estimation, Bama beating 2 top 25 teams and not winning their division, and losing head to head against Auburn trumps Auburn beating several top 25 teams, including 2 number 1's, winning the division, and beating Bama head to head worse than they had been beaten in nearly 3 years? If that's your position, you have your head buried in the sand. Auburn doesn't really deserve to be in, and Bama deserves to be next in line behind Auburn...lol. As far as Auburn having 3 losses, one of 'em came in a game Bama wasn't even eligible to play in due to Auburn proving on the field they were better than Bama. Seriously, give a team like UCF the chance in a situation like we have this year. That way, America has someone to pull for at least.

8 is too many. Take the P5 champs and the best non-P5 champ. Rank 'em 1-6. The week of Army-Navy, pit 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5, place the winners in the CFP with seeds 1&2 and send the losers to bowl games. It's not that complicated and could be done.

Regardless, they beat no one, lost to Auburn who went into the SEC Championship at #2, and failed to win the West. Alabama should have been able to finish no higher than 1 spot behind Auburn in the final rankings. No gain should be made from being idle on Championship Saturday because you couldn't get there. It's not like Bama suddenly got better than Auburn in a week just because UGA beat Auburn...that's ridiculous.

If wins and losses don't matter, and championships don't matter, explain to me how Alabama is better than Auburn. There's a reason Auburn was playing in Atlanta Saturday and Bama wasn't. With a healthy back, Auburn is better than UGA or Bama and that was proven. By the time of the CFP games, Auburn would have both Johnson and Pettway healthy and be better than UGA or Bama...so that argument holds no water. Going by that logic, Auburn deserved the 4 seed over Bama...after all they had better wins, and won head to head. 'Nuff said.

Only thing they nailed is the notion of a non Power 5 team getting in the CFP. UCF and USC both had a better claim than Alabama or OSU. Both not only won their divisions but also won their Conferences (Alabama did neither..and 3 loss Auburn beat them). Plus, neither had an embarrassing loss, which is more than OSU can say. UCF may play in a crappy conference, but still, they are undefeated. Truth is, no one had really had a legit claim to get in over UCF or USC either one. If a non Power 5 were ever going to get put in, this was the year to do it.

Thing is, if the final isn't the two best teams, then one of the perceived best teams didn't live up to their end of the bargain. But still, the 2 best teams get in to begin with. If they meet along the way to the final, local fans get a treat in that they don't have to travel across the state to witness a showdown (usually). Who cares if they both don't reach the final? Life isn't perfect and life isn't fair...just how it is.

Where does everyone get that the Championship game has to be the 2 best teams in the state? In no sport is the focus on determining who is second best...the focus is on determining a champion. If you really want to watch something where first runner up matters, I'd suggest beauty pageants. East vs West is fine...I would like to see the alternating of sites the semis between C&D and A&B, though.

The initial call was on Appomattox. Then, they had a conference and penalized Union. There was no simulation of the snap whatsoever...just the line flexing out...same as you have seen in the past.

I hate cross-bracketing. In tournament style play, there is never a guarantee you will get the two perceived best teams in the final...no need for it. The purpose is to declare a champion, that’s it.

If calls on those 2 plays were split one per team, the outcome would’ve been affected...that was a total of 13 points either gained or set up on those 2 calls alone. The punt following the procedure penalty was bad, but with the offsides penalty, Union gets the first down and goes to the locker room no worse than 14 down...not 20.

It was right in front of me, too. A bad situation in the game for an inept call.