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And now Herbstreit is backing off on his UM over Psu statement..

I think that Alabama, tOSU, and Clemson are all in, and it will be interesting to see who takes the 4th spot. I have a guy feeling that it will be Penn State, but that could just be my diverticulitis acting up again. lol

I think that having 4 B1G teams in the top 10 could sway things their way over Washington.

If by some chance Penn State gets into the playoff and OSU is not there, I say best of luck to them. They better represent the Big Ten and not wuss out and play like weak crap though.

In the first 2 seasons no team that did not win their conference made the playoffs. Winning the conference title does hold quite a bit of weight.

Alabama - Is in - Only undefeated Conference Champion
Clemson - Is in - Conference Champion with possible Heisman winner.
Washington is in. - No way they keep a 1 loss Pac 12 Champion out.

Penn State - East Division Champion, Big Ten Champion, head to head win vs OSU.

Ohio State - Only 1 loss, better SOS.

It will be close.

I think the Big Ten is the new SEC. Hell, Indiana is good now. Who woulda thunk that?

I actually think Washington does NOT belong. I think they play in the weakest division in the country.

Where is the big 12 in that?

I'd take our quality road wins - Oklahoma on the road and Wisconsin on the road, . Michigan only played 4 road games and lost 1/2 of them

Also, our 1 loss was Penn State during a night game.. Penn State had that early loss to Pitt on the road as well. Since I can't look at this objectively, Buckeyes have the strongest case

On another note, my YSU Penguins are heading to the FCS quarterfinals, hosting a home game next Saturday against Wofford.

Go Penguins!

There's no way Washington is gonna get left out.

It's Alabama, Washington, and Clemson.

The entire debate is does OSU get in over Penn State.

I got a feeling it's no. People like to talk about the best team. Well the reality is that the team that just won the conference also beat the #2 ranked OSU, their lone loss.

So Penn state has a valid argument that they are the best team.

Eleven Warriors

Fans freaking out about Ohio State need to remember...
* 11–1
* 3–1 vs top 10 teams
* Only loss: No. 4 or No. 5 team, on road, on a FG block

Valid for sure...their loss vs. Pitt and they matched Wisconsin only tonight - came down to pretty much the last drive...had they blown them out by 17+ points, I think they are in ... precedent will be set based upon this decision - since the whole issue with the Big 12 was that they did not have a conference championship a year or so ago...I think they want an Alabama vs. OSU rematch potential so you have "Bama, OSU, Clemson, Penn ST, Washington, Michigan and site SOS for Washington not making it, although by destroying #9 Colorado, they actually make a better case although the Pac-12 is down this year. Clemson, by keeping it close, didn't help themselves either...should be interesting for sure!

Regardless of what happens, people will discuss it.

And that's what they want.

BREATHE EASY, OHIO STATE FANS – HERE ARE OUR COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS HEADING INTO SELECTION SUNDAY

By 11W Staff on December 4, 2016 at 12:44a

link


Conference championship weekend saw favorites Alabama, Clemson and Washington all claim victories with varying degrees of dominance.

With Alabama's crushing defeat of Florida the Crimson Tide is your clear-cut No. 1 seed and probably the only seed nobody will argue. Ohio State fans should breathe easy, too as the Buckeyes are most assuredly in the field.

Here's how we see it:

BOWL DATE LOCATION MATCHUP PREDICTION
Fiesta Bowl Dec. 31 Glendale, Ariz. Semifinal #3 Clemson vs. #2 Ohio State
Peach Bowl Dec. 31 Atlanta, Ga. Semifinal #1 Alabama vs. #4 Washington
Championship Bowl Jan. 9 Tampa, Fla. Semifinal winners TBD
Was Penn State's win over Wisconsin enough to overcome a No. 7 ranking from a week ago and a 39-point loss to Michigan way back in late September? We won't know that answer until just after noon Sunday.

Clemson did just enough to turn back Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game and while the win wasn't overly impressive, it's hard to see Clemson falling any further than No. 3. Where things get foggy centers on how the committee feels about Washington's decisive win in the Pac-12 championship game over a Colorado squad forced to employ a backup quarterback along with their less-than-impressive non-conference slate.

Could the fourth and final playoff spot come down to a battle of resumes between Washington and Penn State? It certainly feels like it if you're in the camp that Ohio State is in based on their body of work featuring a 3-1 record versus top-10 teams as part of an overall 11-1 mark and the fact their only blemish can on a field goal block on the road against a team coming off a bye.

Washington believers will cite its 31-point destruction of then-No. 8 Colorado, a 44-6 spanking of Stanford, a tight win at Utah and a thumping of Washington State.

Meanwhile, Penn Staters have a case in that the Nittany Lions won not only the toughest division in college football but also the toughest conference headlined by their 24-21 win over Ohio State and of course last night's defeat of No. 6 Wisconsin.

Back to the Buckeyes, a few talking heads such as Gary Danielson are playing the "didn't win your conference" card but we've already heard the committee tell us that isn't part of the primary criteria. Additionally, the committee has gone out of its way to tout the separation between Ohio State and Penn State and frankly, if the committee had designs on pushing out Ohio State in the final rankings it seems like they would've taken the opportunity to drop Ohio State a spot or two following its unimpressive 17-16 win at Michigan State instead of doubling down on the Buckeyes.

Jc

So the Browns sent scouts to the Clemson game for Watson.

j/c

Buffalo (2-10) should be in the playoffs.

Buffalo beat Army
Army beat Wake
Wake beat Duke
Duke beat UNC
UNC beat Pitt
Pitt beat Penn St
Penn St beat Ohio State

So clearly Buffalo is better than #2 ranked OSU and therefore deserves to be in the playoffs

Now that, sir, is analytics at its finest! Well done!

That is awesome! Congrats!

I just started a video game dynasty with Youngstown State on NCAA 14 football.

I was really happy when we hired Bo Pellini. I didn't think that he was necessarily cut out for a B1G team, but I figured that he would be a good choice for YSU.

If Michigan doesn't lose to Iowa.

OSU beats Wisconsin and is in at #2.

And then you're comparing Washington to Michigan who's only loss is to #2..

I hate Iowa.

j/c...

It's pretty obvious Alabama, OSU and Clemson are in. I'm going to stick with my earlier prediction and say PSU gets told to take a hike and Washington maintains the 4th playoff spot.

The championship game between Alabama and OSU should be a classic.

Washington was 3 spots ahead of PSU, and blew out #9.

There's no logical reason for them to then move Washington down and PSU ahead of them..

I think it's going to be very close for OSU. JMO, but Alabama, Clemson, and Washington are in (regardless of what we all think about Washington). So it comes down to OSU/PSU ... tough call (from the committee's perspective on how to justify)

Washington is 12-1 and PAC 12 Champs. No way they aren't in.

PSU 11 - 2 Big Ten Champs and beat OSU head to head

OSU 11 - 1 lost to Big Ten Champs head to head.

Who in their right mind puts OSU head of their conference champ that beat them head to head? In what world does that work?

I'm not a fan of Humpy Valley U but down 21-7 and come back to win that one, great game.

i'm as big of an oSU fan as there is, but I agree. Our resume tops PSU's ... until now. I'm hoping we're both in, but PSU probably gets the nod, as does Wash

PSU was down 28-7 by the way

Yesterday was a lot of fun.

Like a full day of Bowl Games.

I love this time of year.

quote above by Tulsa:

"Who in their right mind puts OSU head of their conference champ that beat them head to head? In what world does that work?"

I think the NCAA Championship Series Committee chooses the top 4 teams to play. Right?

Ohio State is beyond anyone's shadow of a doubt one of the top 4 teams. Most would agree #2.

Of course, let us not presuppose that the NCAA Championship Series Committee is in their right mind.

Despite having a pretty underwhelming offense, I think Alabama has to be the favorite just by virtue of that defense. Their QB appears to be substandard in terms of size and athleticism (plus what's with his hair? is that a man-bun or a mullet?), but their D pretty much handed them that first half lead. The trouble I see with OSU beating them is that I don't think we have a RB who can run between the tackles, and I don't think we can outrun them to the outside. They're just too fast. That means JT would have to beat them with his arm, but throwing to who? I don't see a go-to WR on the team (yet). I think the only team that can beat Bama might be Clemson, and that's only if DeShaun Watson has a monster game.

Alright.......here is who I think the Committee will pick.

1. Alabama---at this point in time, they are the clear-cut number 1 team.

2. Ohio State---Despite what some posters are saying on here, they are in. There is NO doubt. The committee already said that they have a substantial lead on the rest of the group.

3. Clemson---I don't think they are a great team and I would not rank them ahead of TTUN, but they've lost one game, are a conference champion, and were in the NC last year. They are in.

4. This is where it gets tricky. There are 3 teams who can make a legitimate claim.

Washington owned the 4 spot heading in. They blew out a ranked team in the championship.

TTUN is probably the best, most complete team of the three. The committee has said that their main goal is to get the four best teams in.

Penn State beat the number 2 team in the country, won a conference championship, have improved tremendously, and have been a very resilient team.

It's close, but I think the worst team of the three is going to get in...........and that team is Washington. I think the politics of it gets them in. I don't agree w/this pick, but I think it is the way it will go down.

I will add that Penn State has an outside chance of sneaking in. Last nights game was like a microcosm of their season. Start slow and look bad in doing so. Improve. Fight. Demonstrate great resiliency. I don't think TTUN has a shot after what went down last weekend, but I do think they are the best team of the three, and even better than Clemson.

Good points, Dave. The one thing to keep in mind is that Ohio State's defense has the ability to turn teams over and score on defense. That could be a huge factor considering who the QBs are for 'Bama and Clemson.

You're right, I hadn't thought of the fact that OSU's defense can put up points with the best of them. Plus, despite not being a big JT fan, I do think he's much better than Jalen Hurts - especially in warm weather. If they do play, it could be a 17-14 or 20-17 type game, with the kicker deciding it. (To make it even more dramatic, their PK is injured and ours has the yips.)

I think they pick Wash to cover people west of St. Louis, 2 south 1 midwest 1 west

http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...berville-resign

Cincinnati Bearcats coach Tommy Tuberville is resigning, a source told ESPN's Brett McMurphy.

Tuberville was 29-22 in four seasons at Cincinnati, including 4-8 this season. There was speculation that Tuberville could be fired on Dec. 7, the day his buyout reduces by $900,000 from $2.4 million to $1.5 million.
Coach Tommy Tuberville went 29-22 in four seasons at Cincinnati, including 4-8 this season. Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire

Tuberville was 159-99 in 21 seasons as a head coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

Leading candidates to replace Tuberville include Western Kentucky's Jeff Brohm, Western Michigan's PJ Fleck and Troy's Neal Brown, sources said.

Stewart Mandel Verified account
‏@slmandel

Final records vs. committee's most recent Top 25:

Alabama 5-0
Clemson 4-1
Ohio State 3-1
Washington 3-1
Penn State 2-2



that's a stat the committee always refers to

In the world where the entire season is evaluated and there isn't an overemphasis on one game, even a head-to-head game. Do you just forget that Penn State lost to Pitt, while Ohio State had a convincing win over Big 12 champion Oklahoma? Do you ignore that Ohio State beat Michigan, while Penn State got blown out by the same team?

I personally think that the rightful Big Ten championship game should have been a rematch of Penn State vs Ohio State. Compared to Wisconsin, Ohio State had the tougher conference schedule, better conference and overall record, and won head-to-head, but because of the goofy division setup, Wisconsin played in the title game anyway.

I also think too much emphasis is given to head-to-head games, because it is used as a criteria at several different levels. First of all, head-to-head games are already reflected in the standings. Really, they are reflected doubly, because the game affects both teams (e.g. if Ohio State had beaten Penn State, Ohio State would have won the Big Ten East by two games, instead of tying.)

For this reason, head-to-head is reflected in the rankings without ever even considering head-to-head matchups. Then they are used as the key tie-breaker within the conference, and conference standings are one of the criteria the selection committee uses.... in addition to head-to-head play as well. It builds to a point where too much emphasis is given to one game.

Look at the discussions we are having. Over the past week, there have been arguments between who deserves to be in the playoffs-- Michigan or Penn State at the same time there are arguments over who deserves to be in between Ohio State and Penn State. Yet, when you compare Ohio State and Michigan, it's a complete no brainer.

Note: I'm not saying head-to-head shouldn't matter; it obviously matters a lot. I just think there's too much placed on it because it's baked in at several different levels. This is especially true when there are many common games between the teams. It's more useful when there are little or no common games between the opponents.

Anyway, I still think Alabama, Clemson, Washington, and Ohio State will get in, with a small but realistic chance that Penn State replaces Ohio State there.

Buckeyes are in!

j/c...

The college playoff reveal was rather uneventful. It seemed pretty clear who was going to get in and who was not.

Other than Clemson and Ohio State switching spots, I think I called that accurately.

Glad we got in.

There's a whole bunch of pissed off people right now.