The question is what if PSU and OSU win out? PSU has Rutgers and MSU at home. If OSU and PSU win out, PSU goes to the B10 title game.
Will the committee put a team in the playoffs that did not win their own division let alone conference, especially if both the division and conference winner do not make the playoffs? Has not happened yet but if they do it will set a precedent. That is why conference winners should get auto bids to the playoffs, take it out of the hands of humans and let them decide it on the field.
Yes but you cannot hide from your conf schedule. It is something the schools cannot control unlike the nonconf schedule. Not saying OSU played a weak nonconf schedule but some schools and coaches are known for hiding from tough competition in their nonconf schedule.
Also, I don't have a problem if a team makes the payoff if the winner does also. For example, if A and M went 11-1 and their only loss was to an undefeated Bama team and there are no other undefeated, then I think A&M should be considered. However, if PSU wins the division/conference and lost to OSU, I have a hard time justifying putting OSU in the playoff over PSU. The same thing could happen over in the ACC, especially if Clemson wins out and loses the ACC title game.
The problem is that you still can hide from a conference schedule without trying. Teams do not play the same teams anymore so you are not getting a true winner. Just by pure Luck Penn st conference schedule compared to Osu's isn't even close so you may not be getting the best teams in championship game. I guess things like this yr may force them to a 8 team system
I do agree, unbalanced conf schedules can mess things up in a particular year however they are based on a model so over a ten year period every team should play each other home and home. There is no hiding for that school. Not true for non conf. How many nonconf true road games has Bama played in the past 5 years?
I do hope this forces the playoff to go to 8 teams with five, automatic conference bids and three at large. That way you would have very few complaints. Just win your conference and your in, no excuses. It will be interesting to see what the committee would do with OSU and Louisville if they finished 11-1 and did not win their division because it looks like there could be the possibility of the B12, B10 and PAC 12 champs having 2 losses.
They will if it's Ohio State with one loss and the way they have turned it on. The conference winner getting an auto-bid works if the teams all play a balanced schedule. Otherwise, I think the committee realizes that some teams have a tougher go at it. I can add a variable to your hypothetical. There is still an outside chance that Wisconsin can lose a game and Nebraska slips into the title game to play PSU. Could you give Nebraska an auto-bid over OSU? When OSU won head to head by 59 and has one less loss?
BTW, I think the scheduling is lopsided this way on purpose. It's a shot at getting a double-dip.
