(09-13-2018, 04:06 PM)stupac2 Wrote:(09-13-2018, 03:00 PM)Goose Wrote:(09-13-2018, 02:38 PM)bbm233 Wrote: Go Utes!Not so sure I can go along with this idea. We will almost certainly have to beat Washington to win the North anyway. Under those conditions, we should hope Washington has the best possible record when we play them.
We only care if you think we're a playoff quality team but will drop 2 games. If we drop only 1 game and win the Pac-12 then it's very likely that we're in, and UW having losses helps that. Besides, if Utah surprises we play them too.
In general, given the obscenely large number of ways the season can play out, I think people are overconfident about which non-Stanford matchups matter. I also think people overrate the importance of perceptions about SOS, the path to the playoff so far has been "have at most one loss, win your conference, or be Alabama". The outcome of the Utah-UW game that helps us do that is for UW to lose.
I completely agree with you here, although I have one small quibble: the path to the playoff so far has been "have at most one loss OR win your P5 conference." Alabama has fit this every year, so "being Alabama" isn't relevant.