I hate the CFP committee

[indianmustang]

You know this idea has a weird merit. But let's add a little more gasoline. We will opt out of the Championship unless Clemson drops their lawsuit against the ACC with prejudice. The Conference will lose a ton of money from ESPN if we do that and Clemson would get blamed. Or better yet, we opt out unless we get our TV rights back.

so much freaking narrative ,hope all SEC teams gets crushed

[highlander]

I remember hearing this kind of talk 20 years ago with UT in the Big 12. UT was in the same position that SMU finds itself in today: a CCG can only hurt you or do nothing -- it cannot help you.

One problem is we now have these massive conferences with 16 - 18 teams, but we're still playing only 8 conference games. So strength of schedule can vary greatly, common opponents can be few and far between, and you can go for several years without playing a particular team in your conference (we don't play UNC until 2028!).

A good solution to this problem might be to expand the college football season to 14 games and add 2 more conference games, and just do away with the CCG. Of course there will still be some teams who won't play the eventual champion and they will gripe about it, but at least the body of work will be bigger and there will be more common opponents. This would also have the added benefit of more money for the schools and the conference, but I know that's hardly worth mentioning.

It’s different though. If SMU weren’t playing in a CCG we’d be locked in as a last-four seed playing a first-round road game. Win Saturday, and we’re the 3 seed with a bye into a neutral-site QF.

I understand this situation is not EXACTLY like UT 20 years ago. But we are only playing for the 3 seed because a CCG exists to play in. If we were already declared champion by the ACC, then we would be in the 3 slot already.

[highlander]

If I may borrow some logic widely used by the SEC: Clemson has no business even having a chance at the playoffs because they are not in the top 12.

[highlander]

This is all academic. I'm back to where we started: we just need to win. For so many reasons.

[HubbaHubba]

We win and we are in, no doubt. Still doesn't explain why Notre Dame with only 1 win over a current top 25 team (Army?!?) and Pedophile State with best win being over Illinois are locks. Notre Dame had horrible loss. Penn State had a loss to mediocre Ohio State (why are they a sure thing?) and played a weak schedule.

Other than Oregon, who deserves the top spot for being undefeated, the rest of the rankings appear to have very little to do with actual performance and everything to with with brand. Tenn lost to the pigs! ut was curb stomped at home by Georgia. Georgia lost to miss st and was given a win by horrible defensive play calling by GT in the 4th quarter.

IF we lose to Clemson, we don't deserve home field in the first round but, since conference championship games don't count , our resume is as good as, and arguably better than, everyone from #2 on down.

[Dukie]

This is all academic. I'm back to where we started: we just need to win. For so many reasons.

Yeah, this is the answer. And there's zero chance of the ACC declaring us champions after we refuse to show up, or of Clemson getting in after not playing this Saturday.

By the way, Hubba Hubba makes some really good points as well. And can someone explain to me (other than SEC bias, and/or preseason poll bias) why Mizzou--not a "brand"--continues to coast along at #19 with ZERO quality wins but Louisville and Duke continue to be "unranked"? That allows blowhards like Paul Finebaum to breezily observe how many "Top 25" wins Alabama and South Carolina have, while claiming SMU doesn't have any. There is no world where Mizzou should be ranked and Louisville and Duke aren't. (And frankly, even Syracuse leaping into the rankings at #19 feels like shenanigans because sure, they outlasted Miami, but they aren't a threat to the SEC teams getting into the playoff because neither SMU nor Clemson played them. So they let in another ACC team but it's just window dressing.)

[Charleston Pony]

Not to be an Ohio State apologist because I don't like them but as far as playing a weak schedule it's a tough call. SMU beat an 8-4 TCU team but lost at home to a 2 loss BYU. OSU handled their opponents easily but 9-3 Marshall was by far their toughest non-conference opponent. In conference play, OSU beat 3 teams (Penn State, Indiana & Iowa) who had winning records. SMU beat Louisville and Duke, our only conference opponents who had winning records. It's fun to compare but ultimately brand names will prevail on "close calls". Hopefully SMU can sustain this current success and return to what we were when the Pony Express was running wild and WE were a brand name.

[highlander]

By the way, Hubba Hubba makes some really good points as well. And can someone explain to me (other than SEC bias, and/or preseason poll bias) why Mizzou--not a "brand"--continues to coast along at #19 with ZERO quality wins but Louisville and Duke continue to be "unranked"? That allows blowhards like Paul Finebaum to breezily observe how many "Top 25" wins Alabama and South Carolina have, while claiming SMU doesn't have any. There is no world where Mizzou should be ranked and Louisville and Duke aren't. (And frankly, even Syracuse leaping into the rankings at #19 feels like shenanigans because sure, they outlasted Miami, but they aren't a threat to the SEC teams getting into the playoff because neither SMU nor Clemson played them. So they let in another ACC team but it's just window dressing.)

Duke - you’re probably right. Though they didn’t have the greatest non-conf schedule.
Lou - that loss to Stanford was a killer.

To your point about currently ranked teams: I find it interesting that the term “ranked win” used to mean “a win over a ranked team.” But the definition seems to have morphed recently into “a win over a team currently ranked”. This also just happens to help the SEC cause.

[ponyte]

Anything competition that depends on a committee or judges isn't a sport, it's a beauty contest. Sexy high TV rating teams will always get the votes.

[EastStang]

As I've said all year. This will come down to what the suits at ESPN/ABC want. The only way they'd want us is if we kick the door in. Imagine the total chaos that might occur this weekend if PSU beats OR, if GA beats the Whorns, if Clemson beats us, if UNLV beats Boise, ISU beats ASU ,and Army beating Tulane. Suddenly who is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th seed and who's the 5th conference champion. Is it GA, PSU, UNLV, Army, ISU, Clemson? Then where do you put SMU, AL, UT, OR. We really need to win this game!!! Let's also not forget, if we win we also are the ACC Champions which means something to this program and flips a big bird at Clemson, FSU and UNC.

[peruna81]

As I've said all year. This will come down to what the suits at ESPN/ABC want. The only way they'd want us is if we kick the door in. Imagine the total chaos that might occur this weekend if PSU beats OR, if GA beats the Whorns, if Clemson beats us, if UNLV beats Boise, ISU beats ASU ,and Army beating Tulane. Suddenly who is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th seed and who's the 5th conference champion. Is it GA, PSU, UNLV, Army, ISU, Clemson? Then where do you put SMU, AL, UT, OR. We really need to win this game!!! Let's also not forget, if we win we also are the ACC Champions which means something to this program and flips a big bird at Clemson, FSU and UNC.

Regardless, Alabama would get in...(sarcasm alert)

[ponyte]

As I've said all year. This will come down to what the suits at ESPN/ABC want. The only way they'd want us is if we kick the door in. Imagine the total chaos that might occur this weekend if PSU beats OR, if GA beats the Whorns, if Clemson beats us, if UNLV beats Boise, ISU beats ASU ,and Army beating Tulane. Suddenly who is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th seed and who's the 5th conference champion. Is it GA, PSU, UNLV, Army, ISU, Clemson? Then where do you put SMU, AL, UT, OR. We really need to win this game!!! Let's also not forget, if we win we also are the ACC Champions which means something to this program and flips a big bird at Clemson, FSU and UNC.

Regardless, Alabama would get in...(sarcasm alert)

Nay, not sarcasm, its the truth!