Should you really improve your non-conference schedule and add championship game?

I feel like there is a knee jerk reaction from the media today, Kirk Herbstreit, etc that Baylor and TCU didn't get in either because they didn't have a good non-conference schedule or because they didn't play in a conference championship game.

For the sake of this argument, let's assume that the above is true and these teams really did actually get left out because of their non-conference schedule and not playing a conference championship.

Even though the Big 12 lost out here, I would contend that not playing a good non-conference schedule and not playing a conference championship COULD still be preferable to them.

Here are the positives and negatives of each choice:

Having a conference championship and good non-conference schedule - It allows you to control your own destiny, but, at the same time, it increases the chances that you will lose.

Not having a conference championship or good non-conference schedule - It doesn't allow you to control you own destiny but decreases the chances you will lose.


My point is that the Big 12 is looking bad right now, not because they chose the wrong route, but because everyone won out. If Ohio State, FSU, Oregon, or Alabama lose one game, then the Big 12 gets in the playoff, if two of them lose, then the Big 12 gets 2 teams.

I would contend that the Big 12 wasn't a very good conference this year, and that Ole Miss may very well show us that the Big 12 wasn't good at all in their bowl game. However, due to playing a poor non-conference schedule and not playing a championship game, the Big 12 was on the cusp of getting 2 teams in the playoff, which is much closer than the SEC was. On average, teams are going to lose, but it didn't happen this year, and the Big 12 should make decision on what will happen on average and not what seems to be an outlier year. Every year in the BCS someone lost.

As far as it concerns MSU, the SEC has put in a power 5 rule, so it's a moot point to us.

With all due respect to your post, which has good points, if State would have beaten Ole Miss, putting us at 11 - 1, the national media wanted Ohio State in the final four. We would have been jumped by Ohio State, mainly because ratings and name brand matters. Ohio State brings a much bigger audience to the game, the national media can pump up the Big 10, and so it goes. Dan Mullen was right when he said that even if we did beat Ole Miss, we'd probably be left out. As it turned out, it was TCU and Baylor who got the screws.

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Originally Posted by rabbitthedawg

With all due respect to your post, which has good points, if State would have beaten Ole Miss, putting us at 11 - 1, the national media wanted Ohio State in the final four. We would have been jumped by Ohio State, mainly because ratings and name brand matters. Ohio State brings a much bigger audience to the game, the national media can pump up the Big 10, and so it goes. Dan Mullen was right when he said that even if we did beat Ole Miss, we'd probably be left out. As it turned out, it was TCU and Baylor who got the screws.

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We don't KNOW that, Dan Mullen doesn't KNOW that and none of us will ever KNOW that. It was a cop out for Mullen to say that to take some of the sting out of the OM loss but if you put that road win on our resume there is every reason to believe we could have stayed in over OSU. We made the committee's job very easy to take only conference champions this year. I'm sure they thank us very much.

The highest ranked one loss team is from the SEC West. The highest ranked two loss team is from the SEC West. The highest ranked three loss team is from the SEC West. The highest ranked four loss team is from the SEC West.

The committee certainly showed respect for our division of our conference. I believe it was win and into the playoffs. We will nevver know for sure.

I agree with OP on the Big 12.

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Originally Posted by maroonmania

We don't KNOW that, Dan Mullen doesn't KNOW that and none of us will ever KNOW that. It was a cop out for Mullen to say that to take some of the sting out of the OM loss but if you put that road win on our resume there is every reason to believe we could have stayed in over OSU. We made the committee's job very easy to take only conference champions this year. I'm sure they thank us very much.

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Forget what Dan said. We were not getting in. This is a conference champions playoff. If you guys couldn't see that OSU was getting in then I don't know what to tell you. All they had to do was win their championship game.

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Originally Posted by DownwardDawg

Forget what Dan said. We were not getting in. This is a conference champions playoff. If you guys couldn't see that OSU was getting in then I don't know what to tell you. All they had to do was win their championship game.

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That's possible, but it's also possible that they were basically tracking what the BCS would have done, in which case we would have been in. We'll never know. Even if the committee stays in place and precedent is developed over a several years, we still won't know whether the Committee would have let politics trump resume. While I think Baylor got screwed, it's not a no brainer for them to be in over OSU the way it would have been if we had beaten Ole Miss.

I just hope they hurry up and go to 8 teams like it should have been to start with. Also, use the BCS to pick the top 8 teams.

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Originally Posted by DownwardDawg

Forget what Dan said. We were not getting in. This is a conference champions playoff. If you guys couldn't see that OSU was getting in then I don't know what to tell you. All they had to do was win their championship game.

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Spout whatever you want buts its still just your opinion. We failed to do what we needed to do to force the committee into deciding. The reason its a conference champions playoff THIS YEAR is because conference champions are the only teams out there with one loss so no others were deserving. Nobody KNOWS what would have happened had we been at 11-1 with nothing but a 5 point road loss in Tuscaloosa. I personally feel pretty confident we would have been in but you and Dan can believe what you want. Its all conjucture at this point anyway.

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Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg

I feel like there is a knee jerk reaction from the media today, Kirk Herbstreit, etc that Baylor and TCU didn't get in either because they didn't have a good non-conference schedule or because they didn't play in a conference championship game.

For the sake of this argument, let's assume that the above is true and these teams really did actually get left out because of their non-conference schedule and not playing a conference championship.

Even though the Big 12 lost out here, I would contend that not playing a good non-conference schedule and not playing a conference championship COULD still be preferable to them.

Here are the positives and negatives of each choice:

Having a conference championship and good non-conference schedule - It allows you to control your own destiny, but, at the same time, it increases the chances that you will lose.

Not having a conference championship or good non-conference schedule - It doesn't allow you to control you own destiny but decreases the chances you will lose.


My point is that the Big 12 is looking bad right now, not because they chose the wrong route, but because everyone won out. If Ohio State, FSU, Oregon, or Alabama lose one game, then the Big 12 gets in the playoff, if two of them lose, then the Big 12 gets 2 teams.

I would contend that the Big 12 wasn't a very good conference this year, and that Ole Miss may very well show us that the Big 12 wasn't good at all in their bowl game. However, due to playing a poor non-conference schedule and not playing a championship game, the Big 12 was on the cusp of getting 2 teams in the playoff, which is much closer than the SEC was. On average, teams are going to lose, but it didn't happen this year, and the Big 12 should make decision on what will happen on average and not what seems to be an outlier year. Every year in the BCS someone lost.

As far as it concerns MSU, the SEC has put in a power 5 rule, so it's a moot point to us.

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The difference between MSU playing a manageable OOC schedule and TCU playing a manageable OOC schedule is we play in the SEC West. TCU plays Iowa State, Kansas, etc. meaning that they only have to get up for 2-3 games a year. We have to be ready to play at least seven times if we play Vandy and most seasons eight in the SEC.

If we were in the Big 12, I would be a strong advocate of us scheduling someone like Oregon or whoever for that reason.

IMO, had we beaten Ole Miss which would have been another top 20 win on the road we would have had a better resume than Ohio State, and had we been left out we would have had a much better argument than TCU or Baylor right now. That said there is a big time flaw in a playoff where at least one of the top five conferences champion doesn't get in. And what's going to happen when there is an upset in the SEC Championship Game when 9-3 Georgia upsets 12-0 Alabama? Do you leave Alabama out in that scenario? They need to go to eight to protect against upsets like that and also to make sure that they at least give the conference champs a shot.

As far as MSU, it's pretty clear to me that if we win all of our games we're going to get in. They voted us number one for awhile- meaning they don't have the "it's Mississippi" bias. I can't see them leaving out the SEC in the final four as long as there is a SEC team with no more than one loss.

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Originally Posted by DownwardDawg

Forget what Dan said. We were not getting in. This is a conference champions playoff. If you guys couldn't see that OSU was getting in then I don't know what to tell you. All they had to do was win their championship game.

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That extra win seemed to be the difference. What people are taking into account is we would have a win over a UM team that would probably be around 20th. We would have then sat idle while osu won 1 more game than us over a high ranked team.