The Primary Hypocrisy of the CFB Playoff Committee

Over the past few weeks, I’ve commented on various flaws and inconsistencies of the first-ever CFB Playoff Committee. There’s been no shortage of opportunities, to be certain, especially with undefeated FSU being relegated to the third seed in this year’s inaugural playoff. But there’s one glaring — and inarguable — hypocrisy regarding the seeding and the playoff itself: the importance placed on winning.

This is the problem with having a committee comprised of humans — and, therefore, inherently fallible — decide how good teams are, while completely dispatching of computers that don’t absorb ESPN’s profit-driven motives and severely flawed New York Times articles.

Remember that part in The Big Lebowski when John Goodman’s character, Walter Sobchak, comments, regarding nihilism: “Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.” That sort of applies here, too. Whatever your thoughts were about the formulas Jeff Sagarin cooked up, they were objective, and they applied the same criteria to each team, week in and week out.

The only part of that quotation that doesn’t accurately fit our situation is comparing the CFB Playoff Committee to nihilists. After all, it’s not that the committee doesn’t believe in anything– it’s that they believe in something different every week. Game control. Where a team was ranked when it upset another. The eye test. As far as the committee is concerned, nihilism is far too consistent.

And here’s why.

The committee actually got off to a good start. When its first ranking were released after Week 10 in late October, there were just two undefeated teams from a power-five conference, Mississippi State and Florida State, and they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Great. After the ‘Noles and Bulldogs came a slew of one-loss teams, all the way down through Utah at No. 17. Made sense. It was a bit brow-raising that teams 18-22 had two losses yet were ahead of one-loss squads East Carolina and Duke at 23 and 24, but this elicited very little attention, as ECU is not in a P5 conference, Duke is Duke, and, well, they were toward the bottom of the rankings anyway.

Mississippi State and FSU remained 1 and 2 in the Week 11 poll, and, again, were followed by a number of one-loss teams. But by this point, teams with a lone blemish were losing respect to those with multiple losses. Two-loss Ole Miss checked in at No. 11, ahead of one-loss Baylor, Nebraska, and Ohio State, and one-loss Duke remained mired in the 20s behind eight two-loss teams.

Week 12 is when the committee really showed that winning and losing meant very little– at least for the time being. While undefeated Mississippi State retained the top spot, one-loss Oregon jumped still-perfect Florida State, and the ‘Noles assumed the third spot. Next came five one-loss teams, then seven two-loss teams, all of whom were deemed more deserving than one-loss Nebraska, which found itself at No. 16. The real injustice befell Duke, still with just one loss, which came in at No. 21 behind a total of 10 two-loss teams and — you can’t make this up — three-loss LSU, which was No. 17.

This is when you knew that the committee was no longer just approaching stupid. They were in downtown stupid.

After Alabama topped Mississippi State, the Tide vaulted to the top spot, Oregon remained at No. 2, and 10-0 FSU fell to third behind a pair of one-loss teams. Duke lost its second game, and was promptly — and predictably — booted from the rankings altogether, while three other two-loss teams remained– in the top ten. In fact, seven three-loss teams remained ranked.

The lunacy found new depths when Florida State finished the regular season, for the second-straight season, undefeated. Its reward? A drop in the polls to No. 4 behind TCU, one of three one-loss teams in front of the ‘Noles. FSU would wind up at third, still behind one-loss Alabama and Oregon, in the final rankings.

I bring all of this up to underscore the fact, per the committee’s own admission, that winning isn’t everything. That is, until now.

No more eye test. No more game control. Suddenly, the fashion show is over, and we’re back to, you know, sports, in which the only thing that matters is winning. Consider this regarding the playoff: what if Team A dominates Team B for three quarters and change? They look better. They play better. And then Team B hits a few big plays, recovers an onside kick, and snags a Hail Mary to win the game.

Throughout the entire year, the team that hasn’t always dominated — but nevertheless always won — has been penalized (it’s called Florida State). Yet now, when it means the most, that team is rewarded. And the team that passed the eye test? They’re done. And heading home. Frankly, if FSU continues to play like it has, this favors the ‘Noles, who would finally get credit for something they haven’t all year: winning.

More from Chop Chat

You can claim, as I have, that it’s preferable for the Seminoles to draw the match-up they did, getting weeks to prepare for Oregon’s high-tempo offense. But you can also argue that if this committee placed the same importance on winning in the regular season that is required in the playoff, then thousands of FSU fans who have declined a return trip to Pasadena would have definitely made the quick six-hour drive west on I-10 from Tallahassee to New Orleans to see the ‘Noles essentially host Ohio State, without a doubt the playoff’s weakest contender.

Again: humans are flawed. And the principle hypocrisy of the CFB Playoff Committee demonstrates this to a fault, costing Florida State a de facto home-field advantage in front of legions of fans. It’s just a shame that the committee didn’t place the same emphasis on consistency that it now, suddenly, places on winning.

Home/FSU Football