[stupac2]

If the football selection process is anything like the basketball process, we would be in.  Our RPI would be far higher than the teams in front of us.  In college hoops, you are better off losing to a top-10 team than beating a bottom 100 team.  The SEC would be penalized harshly for their cupcake scheduling.  Losses are not talked about as negatively in basketball, especially road losses.  It is understood that statistically you will see some upsets, and that many times losses help teams refocus and improve for the tourney.  In the past few years, the basketball selection philosophy has driven teams to schedule much more aggressively.  I think that's been a brobdingnagian positive for college basketball.  This year would have been an excellent chance for the committee to send that message by making us the #2 seed or so and emphasizing how our schedule was what made the difference.  That would send ADs scrambling for that 9th game and getting all of the Chattanoogas and Bethune Cookmans off their schedules.

I don't pay attention to basketball at all, who does RPI? Is there any chance of someone making a similarly respected stat for football?

And I think that most smart observers see the writing on the wall WRT cupcakes. Even Saban is saying the SEC needs to go to 9 conference games. It's just a matter of time before everyone does it. I also think that the attitude of aggressive scheduling is picking up, Alabama has tried to open with marquee games the last few seasons, and in 2012 LSU's schedule was ridiculous. I think the lower-tier programs are actually the worst ones, at least in the SEC.

[stupac2]

If the football selection process is anything like the basketball process, we would be in.  Our RPI would be far higher than the teams in front of us.  In college hoops, you are better off losing to a top-10 team than beating a bottom 100 team.  The SEC would be penalized harshly for their cupcake scheduling.  Losses are not talked about as negatively in basketball, especially road losses.  It is understood that statistically you will see some upsets, and that many times losses help teams refocus and improve for the tourney.  In the past few years, the basketball selection philosophy has driven teams to schedule much more aggressively.  I think that's been a brobdingnagian positive for college basketball.  This year would have been an excellent chance for the committee to send that message by making us the #2 seed or so and emphasizing how our schedule was what made the difference.  That would send ADs scrambling for that 9th game and getting all of the Chattanoogas and Bethune Cookmans off their schedules.

I don't pay attention to basketball at all, who does RPI? Is there any chance of someone making a similarly respected stat for football?

And I think that most smart observers see the writing on the wall WRT cupcakes. Even Saban is saying the SEC needs to go to 9 conference games. It's just a matter of time before everyone does it. I also think that the attitude of aggressive scheduling is picking up, Alabama has tried to open with marquee games the last few seasons, and in 2012 LSU's schedule was ridiculous. I think the lower-tier programs are actually the worst ones, at least in the SEC.