College Football Playoff & Bowl Thread

[RenoZag]

The selection show airs at Noon ET this morning. We'll find out if the Huskies are in the Final Four, which teams are left out, and who gets the lesser bowl bids. One Power 5 conference champ is not going to be in the Final Four and I'm guessing it will be Penn State.

Looking forward to hearing from the CBB afficionados on this forum.

LINK TO LISTING OF BOWL GAME DATES, PARTICIPANTS

[mtzaga]

The selection show is 4 hours long.

[LongIslandZagFan]

4 hours... for what exactly. Listen, I could really really care less about college football. Honestly, it is so meaningless to me. The whole system is so rigged that really only 4-5 teams get the best players... everyone else could go undefeated and it won't matter. Not to mention, If Nick Saban shows up... the kid is going to Bama... period. Almost as bad as women's hoops and UConn. No parity... and no chance for just about anyone else.

That being said, I have watched enough talking heads to say that I'd bet on these 4:

Alabama (who will destroy everyone)
Clemson
UW... because conference championships matter
Penn State... because conference championships matter... and they beat Ohio State.

[RenoZag]

ESPN has revealed the matchups for the third annual College Football Playoff.

No. 1 Alabama will face No. 4 Washington, and No. 2 Clemson has No. 3 Ohio State. Both games will be played on December 31, with the final on January 9 in Tampa.

Penn State # 5
Michigan # 6

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18199933/alabama-crimson-tide-clemson-tigers-ohio-state-buckeyes-washington-huskies-selected-college-football-playoff

Alabama (13-0) completed its rampage through the regular season by crushing Florida 54-16 on Saturday in a game the Tide probably didn't even need to win to gain the top seed.

Clemson (12-1) won the ACC championship by beating Virginia Tech 42-35 in a game that was a lot more exciting than Tigers fans probably had hoped. Deshaun Watson added to his Heisman Trophy résumé, and Clemson needed every one of the five touchdowns he accounted for to hold off the Hokies.

Ohio State, who lost the Big Ten East tiebreaker to Penn State and was off this weekend, became the first team to reach the playoff in its three-year history without winning its conference.

[seacatfan]

Penn State... because conference championships matter... and they beat Ohio State.

Or maybe conference championships don't matter that much after all.

A 4 team playoff is kind of a joke. It's hardly any better than when they picked 2 teams to play in a Championship Game. You can't expand exponentially to 16 or 32 or whatever, but to call something a "playoff" when so few teams get to participate. 8 seems like a better number.

Anyway really glad the Huskies made the cut. Playing Alabama is gonna be tough, but whatever happens this season has been great for reestablishing UW among the nations elite. It's been a long, long time.

[LongIslandZagFan]

Funny... picking a team that LOST to a conference champ over that conference champ. The system is a joke.

[RenoZag]

I would like to see six teams make the cut; give the # 1 and # 2 teams a bye the first round, where 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5, winners take on the # 1 and # 2 in a semi-final. . .

It wouldn't surprise me if they end up with an 8 team tournament within the next 5 years. So much money to be made. . .

[sittingon50]

They can have a bigger bracket. The lower Divisions have been doing it forever.

Their excuse is it takes the kids out of class too much. Bogus! Div II, III, NAIA kids have just as rigorous class work (probably more, actually) & their system has worked.

[LongIslandZagFan]

I would like to see six teams make the cut; give the # 1 and # 2 teams a bye the first round, where 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5, winners take on the # 1 and # 2 in a semi-final. . .

It wouldn't surprise me if they end up with an 8 team tournament within the next 5 years. So much money to be made. . .

All other NCAA divisions have 16 teams... it is about bowl money... pure and simple and keeping that bowl money out of the hands of any non-Power 5 conference.

[TexasZagFan]

Funny... picking a team that LOST to a conference champ over that conference champ. The system is a joke.

But, but, but...TCU was told two years ago that the lack of a conference championship game is what knocked them out. Using that logic, shouldn't Penn State be in over THE Ohio State University?

[TexasZagFan]

I would like to see six teams make the cut; give the # 1 and # 2 teams a bye the first round, where 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5, winners take on the # 1 and # 2 in a semi-final. . .

It wouldn't surprise me if they end up with an 8 team tournament within the next 5 years. So much money to be made. . .

Wouldn't that harm the bowl system? Probably not, fans like to travel to bowl games in sunny climes.

[LongIslandZagFan]

But, but, but...TCU was told two years ago that the lack of a conference championship game is what knocked them out. Using that logic, shouldn't Penn State be in over THE Ohio State University?

Ummm, yep. Especially when PSU beat THE Ohio State University. Guessing this is a sore spot in your family.

[gu03alum]

The 4 best teams made it in my opinion. Penn State won a fluky game against Ohio State. Penn State also lost to Pitt and was destroyed by Michigan.

[bartruff1]

The 4 best teams made it in my opinion. Penn State won a fluky game against Ohio State. Penn State also lost to Pitt and was destroyed by Michigan.

Yes, I think they got it right and it was not a easy thing to do.... I will be watching the Huskies...in the first Rose Bowl I attended, I saw UW
just beat the piss out of Wisconsin when Jim Owens was the coach and had a quarterback that had one good eye, Bob Schloredt .

Also caught a pretty good basketball game between Darrall Imhof and California the defending National Champions playing West Virginia and a skinny kid from Cabin Creek named Jerry West.

[webspinnre]

The 4 best teams made it in my opinion. Penn State won a fluky game against Ohio State. Penn State also lost to Pitt and was destroyed by Michigan.

This is my thought. It isn't just who you beat and how you beat them, but also who you lost to, and how you lost to them.