11-25-2015, 06:34 AM
The committee chairman Jeff Long said last night that "how you are playing" is a very real consideration, in addition to playing good teams. And you can't deny that having a conference championship game is really going to help teams that play them. Even though Stanford is three spots lower than ND, you have to like Stanford's chances better at this point between both teams winning this game, but I still think ND deserves to be in over Oklahoma if it beats Stanford.
If Stanford wins out, it beats a #6 and say a #20 in consecutive weeks, and it will have played the following teams ranked in the final Top 25 most likely: ND, Northwestern, USCLA ( twice), Oregon, Washington State. That's six games against Top 25 teams and a 4-2 record against them. Plus, Stanford will have played three more teams with at least 6 wins. So Stanford would be 4-2 against the Final Top 25 teams, and 7-2 against teams that won at least 6 games. The losses will have been to teams with a combined 19-5 record, and one of those games started at 9am PT and the other was a 2 pt loss with a failed 2 pt conversion on the final play of the game.
ND will have beat the #9 team the week after playing two patsies unimpressively. It will have played the following teams ranked in the final Top 25 most likely: Clemson, Stanford, Navy, Temple, maybe USC. It will have gone 4-1 against them, and played one other team with a winning record in Pitt, or 6-1 against teams that won at least 6 games. And it's one loss was by 2 pts to the #1 team in the country.
Oklahoma will have played three teams ranked in the final Top 25 and gone 3-0 agains them. OU will have played an additional 3 teams that won at least 6 games and gone 6-0 against teams with 6+ wins. But they will have only played three Top 25 teams and lost to a TERRIBLE Texas team.
Both Stanford and ND will have better overall resumes and challenged themselves more than Oklahoma did. But Stanford will have a stronger case than either ND or Oklahoma because the Pac-12 > Big 12 or ACC (that ND gets to feast on).
If Stanford wins out, it beats a #6 and say a #20 in consecutive weeks, and it will have played the following teams ranked in the final Top 25 most likely: ND, Northwestern, USCLA ( twice), Oregon, Washington State. That's six games against Top 25 teams and a 4-2 record against them. Plus, Stanford will have played three more teams with at least 6 wins. So Stanford would be 4-2 against the Final Top 25 teams, and 7-2 against teams that won at least 6 games. The losses will have been to teams with a combined 19-5 record, and one of those games started at 9am PT and the other was a 2 pt loss with a failed 2 pt conversion on the final play of the game.
ND will have beat the #9 team the week after playing two patsies unimpressively. It will have played the following teams ranked in the final Top 25 most likely: Clemson, Stanford, Navy, Temple, maybe USC. It will have gone 4-1 against them, and played one other team with a winning record in Pitt, or 6-1 against teams that won at least 6 games. And it's one loss was by 2 pts to the #1 team in the country.
Oklahoma will have played three teams ranked in the final Top 25 and gone 3-0 agains them. OU will have played an additional 3 teams that won at least 6 games and gone 6-0 against teams with 6+ wins. But they will have only played three Top 25 teams and lost to a TERRIBLE Texas team.
Both Stanford and ND will have better overall resumes and challenged themselves more than Oklahoma did. But Stanford will have a stronger case than either ND or Oklahoma because the Pac-12 > Big 12 or ACC (that ND gets to feast on).