from the GoVols247 pod
Wes: I'm not shocked but I am disappointed. I don't agree with what they've done.
Ben: It doesn't make sense. Obviously nothing against TCU. I think TCU is deserving of the 4th spot and Oregon is deserving of the 6th spot. But Tennessee is better than either team and has a better resume than both. And for all the people that are supposed to know, and supposed to do this for a living, and spend all this time on this. They continue putting out reasons that they rank the teams this way that don't make sense. The criteria and reasoning change week to week. No greater example than this - they cited SIX wins for TCU against teams that are .500 or better. When Tennessee's overall opponent record is 50-31, the best in the country, or the best in the top 20 teams. TCU's? 41-40. Not really sure why they would cite that. Tennessee has 3 wins over teams in the playoff rankings. Tennessee is even better by this made up criteria. He said TCU has been better overall in the second half of the season A WEEK AFTER he dinged TCU for how they have performed in the FIRST HALF of the season. Last Tuesday he diminished TCU, with all these holes they've dug and had to come from behind to win. Just a week later he's all about what TCU has done in the 2nd half of the season. He was asked why they're ahead of Tennessee, and he cited what the TCU QB has done, which is really weird considering who Tennessee's QB is. When you look at it, everything I"m complaining about has nothing to do with TCU, but with the logic. Rece Davis is supposed to be this guy that knows everything better than everyone, and his logic. All these guys are supposed to know the sport better than everyone and their logic makes no sense.
Ryan: I'm not as worried about this. What I would say to the Tennessee fans is "welcome to the conversation you've been missing out on for the last 10 years." The logic DOES tend to change one week to the next. Tennessee fans have just been joyfully ignorant of that because they haven't had to worry about it for 8 years. You don't know what these guys will say from one week to the next. They are always trying to REVERSE ENGINEER the OUTCOME they want. Last week they were setting it up for Bama to make the playoff and possibly be ranked high, so they're ahead of TCU. This week, the Tennessee team that had the #1 overall resume last week, is not ranked ahead of TCU the way that Alabama was last week. The inconsistency is problematic. They probably did this to avoid an SEC-bias controversy. The committee is planning on getting bailed out by TCU losing at some point. I think they're reverse engineering the outcome, so it make sense in early December. Which has been the problem with this committee from day one. It's a subjective process. Looking back, I can't figure out why Alabama was ahead of TCU last week. But in a vacuum, these rankings this week are fine. Let's see if TCU can earn their way in there. I don't know that they will, but if they go undefeated they might deserve a shot. I think Tennessee is in a good spot, with a manageable path. I don't think the committee wanted to deal with the blowback. Style points are starting to matter.
Wes: [against Georgia] Tennessee had the ball with 5 minutes left and the opportunity to make it a one score game. That is not an absolute blowout. It is not. It is not a blowout.
Ryan: it is not what happened to Oregon.
Wes: They are not the same thing AT ALL.
Ryan: Rece Davis, I love him, but I thought that was a BAFFLING take.
Wes: And people agreed with him! It was [grrr]
Ryan: you've got to think that's going to start the discussion and framing. Is there a situation where Tennessee gets backdoored out of the playoff? I think we're starting to hear the foundation of that argument and that case.
Wes: YEs, yes, yes, yes. I have 2 major complaints. They've been alluded to. If you were to say last week that TCU's resume was not as good as Alabama, then TCU rallies to get a win over Texas Tech at home. And THAT GAME makes their resume better than Tennessee's this week? That's ludicrous. There's not rationale there. It's ridiculous. It is so fundamentally dishonest that it is a problem. ANd now we have this conversation, that anything having to do with the Oregon-Georgia game, which by the way was NOT in Athens. That's not the same thing in Atlanta. It is not the same as on campus. We've covered neutral site games, even with Tennessee representing the majority of the fans, it's still not the same. And to sit there with a straight face and say that Tennessee-Georgia and Oregon-Georgia were both one-sided, and a one-sided game is a one-sided game... Did they not watch the Tennessee-Florida game? Because we did. The end of the Tennessee-Georgia game could have been very similar to the Tennessee-Florida game. If Tennessee scores and gets an onside. You can't tell me that a 40 whatever to 3 game is even REMOTELY similar to Tennessee losing to Georgia. It is a STUPID thought.
Ryan: I can understand saying it was a dominant performance, ok maybe. but to call it the same thing as getting blown out like oregon did...
Wes: I can't support that. Here's the reason that matters. Now Oregon has the chance to impress the committee, and Tennessee does not. Unless Georgia loses twice and Tennessee gets to play in the SEC Championship. Oregon and TCU still have opportunities to impress people. I don't know how this is a hard concept for people to understand. Who are the four best teams with the best resumes? And now you're flirting with putting Oregon in front of Tennessee.
Ryan: we still have games to play. this will sort itself out. but i do worry about oregon. and what about LSU?
Wes: another stupid stupid argument
Ryan: if they win the SEC, they are starting to build that argument for them
Ben: I disagree with the logic that there's a month left and it will all get sorted out. That's the difference between being ranked 4 and 5. I don't think the logic applies that simply for Tennessee - they play terrible teams. If Tennessee was 4 in the rankings then ok, they win out and they're in. They wouldn't move Tennessee for winning out. Now that they're number 5, they have to win out AND get help. I realize there's a month left, but I see a path where Tennessee can get left out because they don't have an opportunity to make a statement and Oregon and TCU do. If Oregon runs the table, they're getting in over Tennessee because Tennessee doesn't have another chance for a statement win. It is critical, quite frankly, that Tennessee was 5 instead of 4. It doesn't make sense. It seems like the committee is saying TCU is undefeated, Tennessee is not. This month really shows how much the CFP needs expansion. TCU's resume is not better than Tennessee's. Just because Tennessee lost to the number one team in the nation on the road, you don't fall from 1 to 5.
Wes: they got embarrassed last week when they put TCU where they did and now they're making up for it. I think it's dumb and spineless.
Ryan: What happens if LSU runs the table and is the 2 loss SEC champion?
Wes: the argument is already being set up for them to be in over tennessee if that happens. I COMPLETELY disagree with that argument. Tennessee beat LSU by 27 points at LSU. If they take LSU over Tennessee it would be horrible.
Ryan: they're setting it up where that discussion is a real possibility with the most recent rankings. I don't see a case for 2 loss LSU making the playoff. This is what I'm worried about if I'm a Tennessee fan. The only team that made it into the playoff without winning their division is the 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide, which made it in and won it all. You could certainly make the case that they deserved that spot, but you could also make the case that that was a unique case. So now the committee will have to ask is this Tennessee team as unique and special as that 2017 Alabama team?
Wes: Tennessee's ONLY LOSS is on the road to the NUMBER ONE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION. I'm pretty sure that that's still a top 4 resume.
Ryan: I'm just saying it may end up behing what the debate is. So now you really do need some things to happen. I feel there will be more infuriating weeks ahead for Tennessee. Oregon has a chance to improve. TCU is already in over Tennessee if they win out according to the rankings now. LSU has a chance to improve. Now Tennessee needs a lot of things to happen outside of their control.
Ben: Their only loss is to the number one team in their house, the team that's probably going to win the national championship. So what is going on if teams are going to get in if they don't have the better resume?
Ryan: it's all subjective... I do disagree that Tennessee CAN STILL impress. Georgia struggled with Missouri for instance. If Tennessee comes out and DOMINATES their opponents. Not give up 17 points, put up a lot of points. Suddenly the resume starts looking better. Tennessee CAN strengthen their case. Maybe not as much as the others, but they can put some style points up. This will be an interesting debate though
Wes: there's something about this that does not sit fundamentally well with me. It's worth mentioning though. Most years, by the time the final 4 teams are set, there's been very few times that we've said "woah this is TOTALLY wrong." [mentions 2020 TAMU, 2017 PSU] Most of the time the 4 teams that get in. If not clear cut, it's at least supportable. Sometimes all of this chaos does end up right where it's stupposed to be .
