Taking over the trigger for Alabama and the SEC appears like going to bat for Apple or Amazon. It’s combating for a tax break for Elon Musk or Warren Buffet. It’s dashing to the protection of the largest bully on the block the one time someone will get in a shot that knocks him to his knees.
But right here I’m, making the case for the Crimson Tide because the crew the Faculty Soccer Playoff choice snubbed from the primary 12-team area.
I do like having an ally within the biggest coach of all time. ESPN’s Nick Saban, wearing a crimson jacket on the choice present, tried to keep away from sounding like a shill for this system he spent 17 years operating, however his stance got here via loud and clear.
“All wins usually are not the identical as different wins,” Saban mentioned throughout ESPN’s excruciatingly lengthy lead-in to revealing the bracket Sunday. “In different phrases, what we’ve at all times accomplished publicly in faculty is have a look at file. We don’t have a look at energy of schedule. We don’t have a look at all these sorts of issues.”
This can be a left-brain (analytical considering), right-brain (emotional processing) deal.
If the committee really had checked out “these sorts of issues,” if this was extra of a data-driven course of, Alabama could be within the Playoff as a substitute of SMU.
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Energy of schedule metrics range, however most come to an analogous conclusion about Alabama and SMU. The Crimson Tide’s schedule was extra rigorous. ESPN’s FPI has Alabama taking part in the 18th hardest schedule and SMU the 57th hardest.
Most energy rankings, that are forward-looking analytics, have Alabama forward of SMU. The Athletic’s personal modeler, Austin Mock, would have Alabama as a six-point favourite on a impartial area towards SMU.
Years of recruiting rankings will let you know Alabama has one of the crucial gifted rosters within the nation and that the SEC is the place probably the most good soccer gamers could be discovered. The SEC bought three groups (Georgia, Texas, Tennessee) within the bracket, one fewer than the Large Ten and another than the ACC.
“As somebody with entry to school tape and workers of 11 former NFL scouts that logged tons of of hours evaluating this CFB season, it’s simple to see why SEC coaches are upset with the ultimate playoff bracket,” Senior Bowl govt director Jim Nagy posted on X. “Primarily based strictly off future NFL expertise, Alabama, South Carolina, & Ole Miss (and you may even throw in Florida, Texas A&M, and LSU for that matter) are all simply in Prime-12.”
I get it. Alabama at all times appears to get the nod from the choice committee. When unsure, go together with the crew that made the CFP eight occasions in 10 years when it was a four-team format — and received it 3 times.
Even final 12 months, the committee bypassed unbeaten Florida State — as a result of it misplaced star quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending damage — in favor of one-loss Alabama.
Do we actually want to offer the good thing about the doubt to the worst Alabama crew in virtually twenty years, one which misplaced video games to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, each of which might not have been bowl-eligible in the event that they hadn’t crushed the Tide? Most Alabama followers don’t even suppose their crew had 12 months.
Left mind or proper mind?
How a lot did rallying round SMU must do with the Mustangs’ story — a four-decade climb again from the NCAA dying penalty — greater than their resume? It positive would have felt terrible to maintain them out of the Playoff after they misplaced the ACC Championship Recreation on what is going to go down as one of many biggest, clutchest kicks within the historical past of faculty soccer by Clemson’s Nolan Hauser.
“When the announcement occurred, actually, I bought emotional, simply because I’m so completely happy for our youngsters,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee mentioned on ESPN. “They’ve labored so exhausting. They’ve received 22 video games within the final two years. They laid all of it on the road final night time. We misplaced heartbreaking on the finish to a fantastic opponent.”
The Mustangs put the committee in a tough place and uncovered a obvious flaw within the system, including to the explanations the CFP must cast off its weekly in-season rankings in the course of the season’s ultimate month.
A lot speak heading into convention championship weekend was about how a lot a crew ought to be penalized for shedding a title recreation. The committee’s reply was resounding: not a lot. Texas, Penn State and SMU all misplaced their convention title video games. All have been very aggressive. None dropped greater than two spots from final week’s rankings.
The rankings present is simply that: a present. Content material that helps get folks speaking in regards to the Playoff in November. There may be worth to that. It’s comprehensible that the convention commissioners who run the CFP would need to management the method as a substitute of letting followers use the AP Prime 25 to take a position about what the Playoff race appears to be like like down the stretch.
“I do imagine it’s good for us to launch our rating, as a result of our rating is on the market and competes with two others, the AP and the coaches,” committee chairman Warde Manuel mentioned. “So I believe it’s necessary, since they launch a weekly rating, that on the applicable time within the season … that we launch how we’re considering so individuals are not shocked in analyzing and making an attempt to determine how the committee is considering issues.”
The chairman has a speaking level that the committee begins every week with a clean sheet of paper when it begins rating groups.
However Manuel additionally mentioned final week that groups not taking part in on championship weekend have been accomplished being evaluated. They may transfer round based mostly on the motion of different groups that have been taking part in for league titles, however the order of groups corresponding to Alabama, Miami, South Carolina, and so forth., was set.
Saban identified the issue with SMU and Alabama was SMU coming into the weekend forward within the first place, and possibly he’s proper. SMU ought to have been taking part in its method into the sphere as a substitute of taking part in its method out within the ACC Championship Recreation, he mentioned.
“Enjoying in (the SEC), and I performed on this convention for over 20 years, and when it’s important to go play Tennessee, then it’s important to go play LSU, then that crew that you just play subsequent, now you may be extra weak to,” Saban mentioned.
Saban, Greg Sankey, the SEC and Alabama don’t make for probably the most sympathetic victims, nor ought to they be considered that method.
Defending all of them appears like demanding that the spoiled child who appears to have all of the toys additionally will get a pony — or on this case, the Ponies’ spot within the Playoff.
Nevertheless it’s exhausting to not admit that once you crunch the numbers, they’ve a degree.
(Picture: Todd Kirkland / Getty Photos)