So, it’s Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and …

Georgia.

#1 Alabama and #4 Cincinnati will square off in the semi-finals, while #2 Michigan will have its hands full with #3 Georgia. It’s not inconceivable that the championship game will be a Georgia-Alabama rematch. Georgia is favored by 7 1/2 over Michigan, and Alabama is favored by about a thousand over Cincinnati. (The opening line is actually 13 1/2)

Notre Dame did not get an invitation to the big event. As the #5 team, the Irish ended up with their faces pressed up against the outside of the window, listening to the laughter, admiring the party decorations, and wondering whether the revelers are really having fun – something I call “a Scoopy Christmas.”

UPDATE: All the Bowl Game match-ups have been announced, and almost all of the opening lines have been set.

8 thoughts on “So, it’s Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and …

  1. Any scenario that eliminates Notre Dame, or ostracizes NBC, is as realistic as creating a delicious chocolate cake that builds muscle.

  2. 1. Alabama
    2. Michigan
    3. Georgia
    4. Cincinnati

    Alabama Vs. Cincinnati
    Michigan Vs. Georgia

    Alabama Vs. Georgia in the championship game. Easy.

  3. The THE plastered by the Up Theres, the Browns an injury-riddled disappointment and Zinzinatti in the CFP. Doesn’t get much worse for an NE Ohioan.

  4. I think the committee should be limited to conference champions and undefeated teams only when selecting the playoffs. Hey Notre Dame you want to play in the championship, go undefeated or go join a conference and win.

    1. I guess I’d be OK with that, but it might cause some teams to leave the SEC or the Big Ten, since only one team can be conference champion, so your system might keep the second-best team in the country out of the playoffs. If Ohio State or Georgia were in the playoffs this year, they’d have a good chance to win the whole magillah if the ball bounced in their favor, but they would be eliminated automatically under your system.

      If we apply your recommendation to this year’s group, the top eligible teams would be

      1. Alabama
      2. Michigan
      3. Cincinnati
      4. Baylor

      There would be absolutely no other possibilities because Notre Dame, Georgia and THE Ohio State University would be eliminated, as would both Oklahomas and Ole Miss, so the next strongest team would probably be Pitt, which is a level lower than those four.

      Looking at your suggestion versus the present system, you replace Georgia with Baylor. That doesn’t seem better, but I could live with it.

      1. Real simple way to solve it said for years win conference you are in and we are talking six main conferences and two with best record and seeded by record. This year it would be:
        1.Cincy
        2.Ala
        3.Mich
        4.Utah
        5.Baylor
        6.Pitt
        7.Ga
        8.Ohio St

        Too bad Notre Dame join the ACC for real you may have won. Start Playoff next week there is no off period and you could still have some bowls this is so simple NCAA doesn’t do it because of money

      2. But in theory we already “know” Alabama > Georgia, from their championship game. The way things are now, Alabama has to beat Georgia twice to win the national championship, but Georgia will only need to win once.

        1. I think that’s a concomitant of any single-elimination tournament following a regular season. It’s much worse in basketball because conference teams play each other twice, plus a conference tournament.

          Let’s assume Kentucky is the best team in the country (32-0 before the NCAA tournament), and LSU is the second best (29-3, just hypothetical). Kentucky wins both match-ups in the regular season, plus the finals of the conference tournament, with every game a total blow-out, but LSU totally blows out every other opponent. Since they are the two best teams in the country, they meet again in the finals of the NCAA. LSU needs to win only 1 of 4 match-ups to become national champs, while Kentucky must win all 4. If LSU wins that final game by one point, they are declared national champs, with their single one-point victory worth more than Kentucky’s three 40-point victories.

          Sure, that’s awkward, but it’s better than having inferior teams make the playoffs because they are in a shitty conference or play an easy schedule.

          Back to football, I’d rather see Georgia get a chance at that rematch than to see some team like Cincinnati or Notre Dame make it with a pansy schedule, then lose by 4 touchdowns in the post-season.

          Notre Dame’s last three appearances:

          2012 finals – lost 42-14
          2018 semi-finals – lost 30-3
          2020 semi-finals – lost 31-14

          To make matters worse, that 2012 team, the one that lost by four touchdowns, was caught cheating, so they would undoubtedly have lost by even more if they had used only eligible players! (Because of the NCAA rulings in their case, which stripped them of their wins, they have the unusual distinction of the only team in history to have finished the regular season rated first in the nation with no wins!)

          Or to word it another way, I’d rather see Georgia in the play-off than Baylor simply because they seem to be a much better team, and I’d like to see the best teams compete.

          Having noted that, I’ll add that I’m not really that passionate on the subject. I’d be fine with a tournament involving only conference champs, but I think a lot of teams would soon be trying to figure out ways to leave the SEC. A Team like Texas A&M has to start thinking about the fact that they will never win the SEC, but would win the American Conference almost every year, and thus always be within shouting distance of the national title.

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