When the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee was instituted for the 2014-15 campaign, it set out to develop uniformity within its choices, unlike the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). In particular, college football fanatics were up in arms over USC’s denial from the national championship game despite finishing as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll at the end of the season.
Although the Trojans held an 11-1 record after a dominant 52-28 win over Oregon State in the Pac-12 Championship, Oklahoma (11-1), who was derailed by Kansas State 35-7 in the Big 12 title game, still snuck in to face LSU in the pinnacle contest. Hence, the computers provided an obvious flaw, which many thought would be fixed with a four-team tournament. If you wanted to capitalize on these matchups, you can find those games and look for college basketball betting lines here.
Instead, the board proved its mortality with the decision to leave Penn State out on the curb, undeservedly so. Albeit an impressive resume from each of the contestants (No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Washington), the Nittany Lions delivered what the CFP determined as necessary factors to receive a ticket to the New Year’s Eve extravaganza in the previous two campaigns.
Let’s travel back a couple of years ago, when the committee chose Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State as the inaugural teams to compete in the playoff. While those four schools might have elicited consideration as the nation’s best by numerous spectators as well, they all still accomplished a common feat: winning their conference championship games.
Plus, none of the programs faced a head-to-head conflict with closely ranked teams. No. 5 Baylor and No. 6 TCU, both residing in the Big 12, generated no in-conference debate between the four above programs, either. On top of that, the entrants’ strength of schedule appeared fairly well-built, presuming that would be the next go-to default to be employed.
Let’s give a round of applause for the committee, everybody!
Onto last season, its resolution was thought to set another vital precedent for years to come. Though three of the four squads (Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma) were deservedly handed a set of keys following a trio of wins in their respective conference title matchups, Iowa and Michigan State created a bit of controversy.
In a defensive slugfest, the Spartans outlasted the Hawkeyes 16-13, mostly thanks to a 22-play drive in the fourth quarter, in which then-freshman tailback L.J. Scott capped it off with a 3-yard score. Even with the victory, MSU, the two schools actually held identical records both overall and in Big Ten play (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten).
Yet, the committee clearly favored the head-to-head schedule and rightfully so, considering the affair took place on the big stage. Moreover, Ohio State, who lost to Michigan State in the regular season and, therefore, was denied a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game, too, fell short of the tourney.
Well, those guidelines seem reasonable and clear-cut. Thus, No. 5 Penn State (11-2, 8-1 Big Ten) was patently slapped with a double standard.
Sure, head coach James Franklin and his bunch owns two losses, including one to the Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) in early September. In that contest, the Nitany Lions actually trailed 28-7 late in the second quarter before roaring back in a 42-39 nail biting defeat. Two weeks later, the unit was absolutely throttled in “The Big House,” falling to the hands of then-ranked No. 4 Michigan 49-10.
However, applying the committee’s manifested formula, the final product is what counts, especially for Michigan State.
