# 2014 College Football General Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 30, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937 "2014-08-30T03:58:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/802 "2014-12-07T04:36:29Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Because the committee thinks TCU is a better team in general? Yet Baylor beat them. :dubious: Today TCU creamed Iowa State. What is Iowa State ranked? #246 or something? Baylor beat #11 Kansas State. If this system is to have any credibility then there is no way TCU should be in the top 4. The top 3 should no doubt be Alabama, Florida St. and Oregon. I can see an argument to be made for Ohio St. Maaaaaybe an argument for Baylor. But because of that 61-58 head to head there is no way TCU should be any higher than #5. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/803 "2014-12-07T04:37:26Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > I’m no FSU fan, but I don’t understand why that last GaTech TD wasn’t reviewed. Looked like his knee hit the one yard line before the ball hit the pylon. Ya, that one was pretty darn close, I couldn’t quite tell on the replays which hit first. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/804 "2014-12-07T04:45:15Z")
I think the Big 12 should lose out on the playoff, not becuase Baylor or TCU aren’t great teams, but because the conference marketing team are idiots. 1. They run commercials talking how awesome their conference is because they play a full round-robin, as if this is some proud tradition they have and not the situation they were stuck with after Mizzou and TAMU left them. And 1. They use the slogan “One true champion” … and they just named two teams as co-champions. Dipshits. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/805 "2014-12-07T04:45:38Z")
My Alma Mater gave Free Sneakers University a Scare. Pitiful on-side kick attempt though. I think I could have kicked it better with a few hours of practice. I wonder if this bickering betwen TCU and Baylor will cost them a spot in the playoff to tOSU. If it comes down to Quality Losses (whatever the heck that is) TCU gets the Nod. Interesting thing just mentioned on ESPN2 (not sure of the analyst name) Baylor’s coach Art Briles voted Oklahoma #1 and Texas #5 in the 2008 Coaches poll (identical record). Even though Oklahoma won the Red River Rivalry game. Texas had beat TTU and TTU had beat Oklahoma and they each had 11-1 records before the Big12 Championship Game Briles claims he let his assistants make the vote that year. Could Karma be biting Baylor in the ass? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/806 "2014-12-07T04:53:03Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > My 2 cents: > FSU: Undefeated in a power conference, especially one with a conf champ - that’s an automatic, even if they did squeak them out > > Alabama and Oregon: both with 1 loss and each handled their conf champ gam easily - these two should be in > > Ohio State - Dominated against a good team > > Both TCU and Baylor didn’t have to play a conf champ game and neither one did anything impressive - TCU beat a loser and Baylor beat but did not dominate a good team > I would give it to Ohio State This seems to be the consensus of the half-time guys for the Boise St. game. I agree as well. As far as the ranking? 😕 If it were up to _me_, I’d rig it so the Ducks and the Buckeyes played in the Rose Bowl, if for nothing else than tradition. Then my Pac-12 could beat my nephew’s SEC next for the championship and give me family bragging rights! 🆒 Free beer for everyone, too! Unfortunately, it ain’t up to me. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/807 "2014-12-07T04:54:09Z")
IMO: Baylor should be not be given a benefit of a doubt because of their non-conference schedule. SMU (1-11 in American Athletic Conference) Northwestern State (6-6 in FCS Southland Conference) Buffalo (5-6 in MAC) The statement that the committee should be sending to teams that if you schedule too many cupcakes, then you risk getting some spoiled frosting! ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/808 "2014-12-07T04:57:50Z")
Head to head doesn’t really say which team is better. Here’s a quick counter example: Team A: 11-1 Team B: 11-1 Team A avg win in conf by 20 points Team B avg win in conf by 3 points Team B beats team A but loses to some other team. From a conf rules standpoint, head to head to makes sense, the rules are black and white and aren’t designed to say who is the “best”, but rather what place you get based on the rules. From a national ranking perspective, half of that goes out the window because there is no firm set of rules, it’s a big mish-mash combination of what was achieved (record) and perception of how good the team is (very subjective). ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/809 "2014-12-07T04:59:19Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > If it were up to _me_, I’d rig it so the Ducks and the Buckeyes played in the Rose Bowl, if for nothing else than tradition. Then my Pac-12 could beat my nephew’s SEC next for the championship and give me family bragging rights! 🆒 Free beer for everyone, too! I asked the question below in one of the other thread. But I didn’t see an answer. Why is a B1G/PAC12 matchup in the Rose Bowl considered sacrosanct among some people? Tradition? :dubious: The Rose Bowl certainly did not start that way. It always had a West Coast team in it, but it was not always a Midwest/B1G team on the other side of the ball. Harvard played in it. Ga Tech and Alabama played plus several other teams. Heck during WWII, it was played in Durham North Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/810 "2014-12-07T05:02:53Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Interesting thing just mentioned on ESPN2 (not sure of the analyst name) It was [Robert Smith](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Smith_%28American_football%29). ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/811 "2014-12-07T05:05:33Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I asked the question below in one of the other thread. But I didn’t see an answer. > > Why is a B1G/PAC12 matchup in the Rose Bowl considered sacrosanct among some people? > > Tradition? :dubious: The Rose Bowl certainly did not start that way. It always had a West Coast team in it, but it was not always a Midwest/B1G team on the other side of the ball. Harvard played in it. Ga Tech and Alabama played plus several other teams. > > Heck during WWII, it was played in Durham North Carolina. Ok, so it’s only been that way for 60 years? That’s long enough for a few generations to get used to it. I don’t really know what my great great grandpa watched, but since I was little and my dad had the game on that’s what I’ve been familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/812 "2014-12-07T05:08:15Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Yet Baylor beat them. :dubious: By 3 at home. Regardless, it matters not since the committee likes TCU more. Perhaps because TCU’s only loss was by 3 away to the #6 team in the country and Baylor’s only loss was by 14 to an unranked school (West Virginia. > [@](#): > > Today TCU creamed Iowa State. What is Iowa State ranked? #246 or something? > Baylor beat #11 Kansas State. I don’t know if you realize this, but in the Big 12 everyone plays each other. TCU beat Kansas State as well - 41-20 a month ago. Baylor also played Iowa State (and won, 49-28) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/813 "2014-12-07T05:17:27Z")
So I know this has been answered about a half a dogzillion times, but what is the seniiii-marjuana-leaf-looking symbol on the kills stickers on the Ohio State helmets? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/814 "2014-12-07T05:19:44Z")
A buckeye (to be more specific the leaves of a buckeye) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/815 "2014-12-07T05:20:25Z")
[QUOTE=ISiddiqui;17956040I don’t know if you realize this, but in the Big 12 everyone plays each other. [/QUOTE] Thanks, but yeah, I get that. > [@furt](#): > > I think the Big 12 should lose out on the playoff, not becuase Baylor or TCU aren’t great teams, but because the conference marketing team are idiots. > > 1. They run commercials talking how awesome their conference is because they play a full round-robin, as if this is some proud tradition they have and not the situation they were stuck with after Mizzou and TAMU left them. > > And > > 1. They use the slogan “One true champion” … and they just named two teams as co-champions. > > Dipshits. This^^^. I still think the head to head matters. You don’t. My gripe is that without a playoff TCU shouldn’t get in just because “the judges like them”. Given the situation I’ll be perfectly happy if Ohio State ends up in the 4th spot. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/816 "2014-12-07T05:35:43Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Thanks, but yeah, I get that. > > This^^^. I still think the head to head matters. You don’t. Remember that this national process is not the same as a conference process. Conferences have clear rules about tie breakers (mostly) and that’s that. It doesn’t mean one team is better, it just means one team get’s place X and another team gets place Y. In this national fake-quasi-beauty contest, head to head can matter sometimes when the conditions are right. In this case, it clearly doesn’t mean much because the game was so close, it becomes a wash. So people look at other information, common opponents, margin of victory, strength of schedule, did they lose early or late, which teams did they lose to, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/817 "2014-12-07T05:43:12Z")
Speakin’ of this Boise game, with some of those “top of the Stadium shots”, you can’t really make out the players in their blue uniforms against that blue field! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/818 "2014-12-07T05:44:49Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Why is a B1G/PAC12 matchup in the Rose Bowl considered sacrosanct among some people? That’s the way Touchdown Jesus wants it. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/819 "2014-12-07T05:50:08Z")
ESPN listed a bunch of peoples picks for the 4 spots. One stands out - KC Joyner, leaves Oregon and FSU out and includes both TCU and Baylor, that’s pretty funny. I don’t have any idea who this joker is but clearly this was the wrong week for him to quit sniffing glue. > **[Who's in? Playoff predictions](https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/11991216/college-football-playoff-experts-predictions)** > > The games have been played. Which four teams deserve a spot in the college football playoff? Our experts make their picks. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/820 "2014-12-07T06:54:18Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Remember that this national process is not the same as a conference process. Conferences have clear rules about tie breakers (mostly) and that’s that. It doesn’t mean one team is better, it just means one team get’s place X and another team gets place Y. > > In this national fake-quasi-beauty contest, head to head can matter sometimes when the conditions are right. > > In this case, it clearly doesn’t mean much because the game was so close, it becomes a wash. So people look at other information, common opponents, margin of victory, strength of schedule, did they lose early or late, which teams did they lose to, etc. Yep. All those are things to look at. When you put the two next to each other and look at their stats, they look pretty evenly matched. I’d still give the edge to the Bears. [Baylor stats](http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/239/baylor-bears) [TCU stats](http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/2628/tcu-horned-frogs) > [@RaftPeople](#): > > ESPN listed a bunch of peoples picks for the 4 spots. One stands out - KC Joyner, leaves Oregon and FSU out and includes both TCU and Baylor, that’s pretty funny. I don’t have any idea who this joker is but clearly this was the wrong week for him to quit sniffing glue. > > [Alabama Crimson Tide, Oregon Ducks among College Football Playoff favorites - ESPN](http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11991216/college-football-playoff-experts-predictions) I think he remembers what an amazing game the Baylor vs. TCU game was and wishes he could see them play now, instead of back in October. It was a real barn burner. Perhaps you missed it? 😛 Seriously, the more I reflect on this, the more I wish the Big 12 didn’t do the round robin schedule. A championship game between these two teams would be one exciting game. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937/821 "2014-12-07T08:23:31Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > A championship game between these two teams would be one exciting game. Who’s to say they wouldn’t be in the same Division and one would have been left out. > [@notfrommensa](#): > > Why is a B1G/PAC12 matchup in the Rose Bowl considered sacrosanct among some people? About 1/6 of all FBS teams were in one of those conferences when it was the reward for a conference championship. They game where their team locked up the trip saw players celebrating on the field with Roses in their teeth. The link was less direct during the BCS era but it wasn’t completely dead. For the majority of people living today, in most years, winning the conference championship meant roses. It’s like a traditional rivalry game being important to 2 teams and their fans even when nobody else gets it. In this case 20 teams and their fans all bought in to the tradition for decades. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2014-college-football-general-thread/696937.md?page=42)