Beginning in 2014, a playoff selection committee will determine which four college football teams play for the national title. Some are skeptical of the committee, so we -- the Elvii of college football -- have joined together to present our weekly playoff nominations. We call it the T.C.B. Poll. ...
College Football Playoffs
Projecting the Playoff Rankings: How Far Should Notre Dame Fall?
As I was watching Utah/Oregon to close out my college football Saturday, I kept looking at my playoff ranking breakdown spreadsheet and began to wonder just how far the Irish would fall after their loss to Arizona State. Once Oregon pulled away from Utah, I decided to go ahead and go for it. So, before the Elvii and CFB Playoff committee chime in, I wanted to get these projections on the record and see if my understanding of the committee's logic is really as good as I think it is. Again, ...
Notre Dame Remains #10; What We Learned from the College Football Playoff Committee
I mentioned on Monday that I would write a rebuttal to Bayou's hypothesis that playing Navy close would cost us playoff positioning. Thankfully, the College Football Playoff Committee saved me from loads of writing by making the argument for me by keeping the Fighting Irish ranked at #10. As I said during the ND Fan Radio Navy post game show, I felt that the narrow win against Navy would mean about as much to the committee as the blowout win against Rice did: nothing. Last week, I put ...
TCB Poll: Week 10 Reactions
Beginning in 2014, a playoff selection committee will determine which four college football teams play for the national title. Some are skeptical of the committee, so we -- the Elvii of college football -- have joined together to present our weekly playoff nominations. We call it the T.C.B. Poll. ...
College Football Playoff Rankings Released, What We Learned About Notre Dame’s Chances
Last night, the first College Football Playoff Rankings were released and Notre Dame landed, much to everyone's surprise, number 10 in the nation. Notre Dame wasn't the only oddity in the committee's top 25. The coveted spots in the top four raised many eyebrows when Ole Miss, fresh off their loss to LSU, landed in the #4 slot behind a top three of Mississippi State, Florida State, and Auburn respectively. That's right, three SEC West teams in the top four. The SEC is awesome ...
Friday Roundup: The “Something I’ve Never Had” Edition
In the fall of 1993, at just eight years old, my football obsession started in earnest. However, the college game remained off the radar. Like most kids in the DFW area, I lived and breathed Cowboys football. My grandfather, father, and uncle worked as ball boys on the Texas Stadium sidelines for years. Sundays were for football. That isn't to say the occasional college game would come on the family TV on Saturdays, but it certainly wasn't a priority and I most certainly never understood the ...
Friday Roundup: The “Signing Away the Heisman” Edition
Yesterday, all potential Friday Roundup topics promptly took a back seat in my brain once Todd Gurley's suspension hit the newswire. Georgia originally announced the suspension as "indefinite", but Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman and his source believe the suspension will only last two or three games. Regardless of suspension length, Gurley will likely bid farewell to any chance of winning the Heisman thanks to this mess. Regardless of where you might stand on the NCAA rule about a student-athlete ...
Friday Roundup: The “Moment for Jack” Edition
No, not Jack Daniels--although to be fair, I can't really blame you for thinking booze first in a Roundup post--but I'm talking about taking a moment here for Jack Swarbrick. I feel that, based on recent events, instead of attempting to make fun of Syracuse, I should highlight the wonder of the Athletic Director is Savvy Jack. I'm not sure who coined the term "Savvy Jack", but I do remember the first time that I heard it. The same week that I resurrected the Friday Roundup, its previous ...
Notre Dame’s Playoff Chances Better Than You Think
The top four or five teams seem fairly set for now. In the only poll that matters, The TCB Poll, Oregon, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Florida State (and throw in Texas A&M as the surefire next-team-in) have solidified their positions, but seemingly by default. For the first time in recent seasons, there seems to be a complete lack of dominance at the top of the rankings. In years past, there have always been one or two teams that went out and completely demolished their opponents week after ...
Rudy Explains the College Football Playoff
This has been a rather busy morning for the powers-that-be of the new College Football Playoff. First, all college teams can put their crystal football dreams to rest. That trophy is no more and has been replaced by the following: https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/488700381656920065 Now, that trophy has been met with all kinds of reactions ranging from positive to vulgar female anatomy comparisons; however, the bigger reveal had to be Sean Astin reprising his role as Rudy and ...