CFB - It's time we talk about the reality of both OSU and UM in
Nothing I want more than to beat the Bucks next weekend, ruing their playoff chances, and win the B1G.
That said, with the UT loss, the reality of just 1 SEC team in the playoff has become much more realistic. Crazy enough, and I hate to say it, there is actually a path for Bama to get in here as a 2 loss SEC team.
I could easily see USC, TCU or both losing a game going forward.
If UGA beats LSU, we're looking at 3 spots left for
UM, OSU, Pac12 champion, Big 12 champion, Clemson.
Things are getting nutty. Today's win may end up being more important than we could have ever expected.
November 20th, 2022 at 5:57 AM ^
How about we keep going to the playoffs. That’s a great place to start..
November 20th, 2022 at 12:32 AM ^
UGa didn't look unbeatable today.
There are only a few more years where only 4 teams are selected. My opinion is you take a spot at the table and be thrilled about it, no matter who is sitting across from you.
November 20th, 2022 at 1:33 AM ^
UGa focused for a big game with a couple weeks to prepare with that coaching staff is pretty unbeatable. UK/MIzzou, ain't no big games.
November 20th, 2022 at 12:50 AM ^
Lol nice media narrative. A "crushing loss" in the playoffs means jack shit to the program. This isn't a soap opera or a bad movie. Every team loses; every legendary coach suffers dong punches and none of that has anything to do with the overall health of the program.
November 20th, 2022 at 7:34 AM ^
GA is really good, but this is not last year's GA team that put 5 dudes into the first round of the draft from its defense.
November 20th, 2022 at 8:08 AM ^
I’d much rather end up in the CFP, even if it means we get crushed by Georgia, then end up in the Rose Bowl. Even if it means we beat Oregon. At least then you’re in a position to play for it all instead of playing for a glorified consolation prize. And you can bet your bottom dollar that no member of this team would sit out a game of the CFP. Same can’t be said for the Rose Bowl.
In today’s game, if you want to lure in the best recruits, they need to know that you can get into a position to play for it all. It’ll be an easy sell to those recruits when you can say “Look, we’ve gotten to the CFP. We’ve proved we’re good enough to get there. We didn’t achieve our ultimate goal, but we are close. You are the missing piece and here is why.”
That is much easier to sell to recruits than coming at it from a place of never having gotten there. Momentum last year was not killed because we lost to Georgia. It was because of Harbaugh’s flirtation with the NFL.
November 20th, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
Due to the CFP, the Rose Bowl is now a consolation prize, and not a bowl game teams purposely aim for.
Not many pay attention to the Rose Bowl anymore. It no longer can help decide the NC. Completely lost it's luster. I'd prefer UM lose in the CFP than win the Rose Bowl.
#GoBlue
November 20th, 2022 at 12:20 AM ^
All this talk makes me think of 2006 with all the talk of a rematch and the complaining about the SEC bias of ESPN etc. only for OSU to get dunked on by Florida and us looking pretty hopeless against USC in the Rose Bowl.
It feels like all too often we talk a good game in the regular season but then the team craps the bed in January.
November 20th, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^
It feels like all too often we talk a good game in the regular season but then the team craps the bed in January.
We definitely crap the bed in January (and late December). We're 3-12 in our last 15 bowl games, with Harbaugh sitting at 1-5. Part of it seems like a lack of motivation. They at least came to play against Bama a few years ago before running out of steam in the second half, but the letdown from crushing losses to OSU in 2006, 2016 and 2018 was palpable. Those teams had their eyes on the national championship, and once that was out of reach, they came out flat in the bowl games.
November 20th, 2022 at 12:25 AM ^
USC has a garbage defense. I don't care how many takeaways they have on the season. ND could easily beat them next week. Oregon could easily beat them to win the Pac 12. Clemson is on upset alert against S. Carolina next week. And then a pretty good UNC team gets a crack at them in the ACC CG. TCU has been on the cusp of losing for most of the year. Iowa St could be a loss next week, and if not then it's a tough Big 12 CG for them. If Michigan stays competitive next week then I think there is a very real possibility that we could be in the CFP even with a loss to OSU.
November 20th, 2022 at 1:06 AM ^
Exactly. Tennessee losing (getting blown out) today was huge for this scenario. If M is a 1-loss team with that loss coming to #2 OSU on the road, in think it’s hard to make a case that we aren’t #4 is the loss is close. My reasoning:
Georgia and OSU are auto bids, leaving 2 spots.
Take out the 2-loss teams. Those teams are not jumping a 1-loss M with our loss being to OSU.
That leave us in a pool with Clemson, TCU, USC, and us for the final 2 spots. Both Clemson and USC could easily lose, as both still have tough games to play. USC almost lost today. If both of them lose, we are in as long as we stay close with OSU. As for TCU, I am just not sold on them. I could still see them dropping a game.
basically, we need any 2 of USC, Clemson or TCU to lose a game and I think we would be in under the close loss scenario.
November 20th, 2022 at 8:38 AM ^
If OSU blows us out of the stadium Clemson gets in. If we lose by a TD or less then we would most likely be in. There’s still UsC who will no doubt get knob slobbed if they only have 1 loss.
November 20th, 2022 at 1:03 AM ^
Georgia will lose to LSU on purpose so LSU c!an make the play offs
November 20th, 2022 at 3:12 AM ^
Mike Slive will appear in a dream rattling some chains and demand that Kirby Smart throw the game (again)
November 20th, 2022 at 1:30 AM ^
Remember we're living in a teens playstation career mode, We'll beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, beat TCU in round one only to lose to 4th seed Ohio State in the National Championship game by 37.
Because that is the way of this universe.
November 20th, 2022 at 2:57 AM ^
But we didnt play what would now be a 4 loss UCLA. How can we have nice things without beating a 4 loss team? Watch out for teams with 2 losses that beat Austin Peay though. No schedule complaints there.
November 20th, 2022 at 9:00 AM ^
Yes, Alabama beat Utah St., UL Monroe, and Austin Peay but I haven't heard their OOC schedule mentioned once.
November 20th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
Well just not mentioning Texas was a convenient omission. An average team + 3 horrible teams is significantly greater than just 3 horrible teams in my book.
In the end, I think the OOC conversation was overblown with how many ended up with 2 losses this year (a list that will grow still). But Bama playing at Texas is roughly equivalent to us playing at UCLA, so there's no case to gripe their schedule vs ours.
November 21st, 2022 at 2:33 AM ^
Counter texas as their 4th OOC with any team you want on our schedule. Illinois, Maryland, Iowa. All hovering close enough to what would be a 4 loss UCLA. Texas is trash just like the 9th SEC they wouldve put on their schedule. Unless it wouldve been Georgia then im in.
You people work so hard to support other programs. Does this happen on other boards or are we just really cutting edge?
November 20th, 2022 at 3:07 PM ^
And you wont because 1/3 of our fans do the SECs heavy lifting for them.
”No way a one loss UM gets in”
All day every day from these fans.
November 20th, 2022 at 5:39 AM ^
It is starting to look like if the UM vs OSU game is close, the loser may end up in the 4th spot. If TCU loses to KSU in the big 12 championship game and USC stumbles. I don't see any 2 loss SEC getting in. Unless LSU defeats GA.
November 20th, 2022 at 5:53 AM ^
Down goes Tennessee, up goes an 11-1 B1G East runner-up…..
November 20th, 2022 at 6:46 AM ^
Just beat ohio and let the chips fall where they may. Honestly we are not good enough to win the CFP, but it would be nice to get in again and remain in the conversation.
November 20th, 2022 at 7:52 AM ^
There’s probably still too many chips that need to fall into the right place.
USC still needs to fall again, which conceivably they could as they’ve got ND and the PAC-12 title game left, neither of which are gimmes. Clemson needs to lose again, which is possible, and then The Game needs to be close, assuming it doesn’t go Michigan’s way.
If Michigan gets blown out, I’m not sure it’ll matter what else happens around us. I think our goose will be cooked at that point, and the committee is just waiting for us to lose so they can remove us from the equation, which given our SOS and performance yesterday I almost don’t blame them.
I’m not sure who they’d take if Michigan, USC and Clemson all lose. Dare I say they’d just roll the dice on a two loss Alabama? I almost think they’d get the benefit of the doubt. Ugh….
November 20th, 2022 at 8:07 AM ^
Everything except the USC game broke in our favor yesterday.
Tennessee is out with the curb stomping to give them a 2nd loss
Ole Miss lost which devalues Bamas best win
UNC loss which means Clemson won’t get a bump if they beat them
Assuming Georgia and TCU win out the fourth playoff spot will be between
Mich/OSU loser
Clemson if wins ACC
PAC 12 champ
outside of USC winning the PAC 12, this sets up pretty ideally for the Mich/OSU loser to get in if it’s a very close game
November 20th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
Not everything. TCU barely won. Had they lost, we would have been in really good shape. We need them to lose bc that opens a spot for us.
November 20th, 2022 at 8:21 AM ^
Can we all agree: if Michigan wins the game, we’re rooting for Iowa to win the West. If OSU wins, we want Illinois or Purdue to win the west. Regardless, I don’t want Michigan to see Illinois again this year.
November 20th, 2022 at 8:44 AM ^
I do agree with that. Granted we weren’t at full strength and the game was about as vanilla as could be, but our guys are feeling that game today. Illinois is who they were advertised to be. Stout O and D lines and a terrific running back, plus Witherspoon who isn’t afraid to light your ass up. Berts one of the biggest dbags in college, but he’s got a dam tough well coached team.
November 20th, 2022 at 9:12 AM ^
The cfp committee will do everything it can to prop up a 2 loss Bama, so that may all come down to how far they drop Ohio State after next Saturday. We'll likely need either USC or TCU to lose to get a second B1G team in.
November 20th, 2022 at 9:34 AM ^
Talked with a few Buckeye tribe inbreds. Does anyone have any intel on the overall consensus down there? The few without horns in there heads and tails don't see any problems.
Thank you,
November 20th, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
Win the “Game”
November 20th, 2022 at 11:59 AM ^
They have to win to get in IMO. Just win. They will need all hands on deck and playing especially corum Edward’s and schoonmaker. I believe Edward’s will need a big game to win. And honestly JJ needs to get it together. He can not miss wide open receivers in this one. I thought the play calling this past game was atrocious as well.