US LBM Coaches Ballot: How SMU earned a CFP nod over Alabama
The ultimate common season US LBM Coaches Ballot is right here and Paul Myerberg breaks down the highest storylines now that the CFP bracket is ready.
Sports activities Pulse
A convention silver medal grew to become the golden ticket with this School Soccer Playoff choice committee.
The playoff committee’s bracket selections Sunday on this inaugural 12-team subject devalued the reward for profitable a convention title by defending groups that misplaced in convention championship video games.
Confused? So am I.
Let’s begin with the most-puzzling presentation within the bracket: The committee awarded the No. 11 seed to SMU (11-2), the ACC’s runner-up that owns no marquee victories. The committee clearly valued SMU’s 11 victories in comparison with groups ignored of the sphere like Alabama (9-3) and Mississippi (9-3), which compiled inferior information towards a more durable schedule.
I would disagree with that rationale, however I perceive it. What I can’t comprehend is why SMU acquired a greater seed than Twelfth-seeded Clemson, the ACC’s champion that beat SMU on a impartial subject lower than 12 hours earlier than the bracket reveal.
Clemson (10-3) snatched a playoff auto bid because of that victory, however regardless of taking part in a more durable schedule than SMU and beating the Mustangs in what had been billed as a high-stakes sport, the committee bizarrely seeded the ACC’s champion behind the convention’s silver medalist.
It’s as if committee members fell asleep earlier than Clemson gained with a last-second subject purpose to beat SMU 34-31.
Respect for convention title losers goes past SMU
Elsewhere within the bracket, you’ll discover extra supreme valuation of convention runners-up. Texas and Penn State misplaced their respective convention championship video games however earned the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds, respectively, the very best seeds out there to at-large qualifiers.
These seeds are significantly useful inside this bracket format, as a result of it ensures Texas and Penn State will not face both of the playoff’s prime two seeds, Oregon and Georgia, before the semifinals.
Texas might coast into the semifinals with out beating a top-10 crew.
The committee seeded Penn State two spots forward of eighth-seeded Ohio State after the Buckeyes beat Penn State in Comfortable Valley simply greater than a month in the past. Whereas Penn State enjoys arguably essentially the most best placement within the bracket – it opens towards SMU – the Buckeyes acquired one of many hardest attracts. They’ll begin by internet hosting Tennessee, and No. 1 Oregon awaits the winner.
The Nittany Lions personal one further victory than Ohio State, however they’ve the identical variety of losses. The Buckeyes beat two playoff groups, together with – let’s reiterate – Penn State. The Nittany Lions beat no playoff groups and just one crew within the CFP’s prime 25. However, hey, they have that Huge Ten silver medal. That is pretty much as good as gold.
If the committee had rejected SMU or penalized Penn State within the seeding, it might have signaled that convention championship outcomes matter. As is, it’s as if SMU and Penn State misplaced in glorified exhibition video games Saturday, and the committee deemed these outcomes largely meaningless.
CFP welcomes ACC runner-up, rejects Military, BYU, others
A lot of the eye Sunday centered on whether or not the committee would select Alabama or SMU for the ultimate at-large spot. Let’s put apart for the second Alabama, a crew that misplaced to 2 6-6 opponents, and have a look at Military.
If the committee have been keen to embrace a crew with a squishy power of schedule to keep away from deciding on a three-loss crew, why not select the 11-1 Black Knights, who pummeled Tulane to win the AAC? Military’s solely loss got here towards Notre Dame, a caliber of opponent SMU by no means confronted.
If this had been an train of valuing convention champions, choose Military. If it’s about valuing document, there once more, Military seems to be good. Avoiding losses to unhealthy groups? Military nonetheless seems to be good.
Don’t like Military’s power of schedule? Understood. If power of schedule guidelines, go for Alabama or South Carolina.
Or, if spectacular victories rule, select Ole Miss, which smashed Georgia and South Carolina.
Worth head-to-head outcomes? OK, think about Brigham Younger, a two-loss crew that beat SMU within the Mustangs’ stadium in September and performed a more durable schedule than SMU.
By embracing SMU, the committee went for none of these various concepts. As a substitute, when pressured to make powerful choice and seeding selections, this committee selected a peculiar path and guarded convention runners-up who didn’t get blown out. SMU, Penn State and Texas mixed for six losses, essentially the most lopsided of which was Texas’ 15-point regular-season loss to Georgia.
In distinction, Alabama suffered a blowout two weeks in the past at Oklahoma. Adios, Alabama. South Carolina obtained trounced at residence in October by Ole Miss. Bye-bye, Gamecocks, regardless that you beat Clemson one week earlier than SMU misplaced. Clemson misplaced in a lopsided sport to Georgia within the season opener. Get pleasure from that 12-seed, Tigers. And Military obtained whipped by Notre Dame, so the committee ignored the Black Knights’ convention title.
The case for SMU centered virtually fully round its 11 victories – a determine Military matched whereas taking part in one fewer sport – and the Mustangs’ ACC crimson ribbon. By luck of the draw, SMU averted Clemson, Miami and Syracuse in the course of the common season. These three groups be part of SMU because the ACC’s solely groups ranked inside this CFP prime 25.
The 17-team ACC performs solely eight convention video games. SMU’s favorable schedule draw set it up for a runner-up end that it parlayed right into a candy prize.
“It will be felony if we aren’t in,” SMU’s Rhett Lashlee informed reporters after shedding to Clemson. “It will be mistaken not simply to our crew however to what school soccer stands for.”
I perceive Lashlee campaigning for his crew, however I’m sorry, since when has school soccer stood for shielding the ACC’s runner-up?
Since Sunday.
By no means in school soccer’s historical past has there been a greater time to lose a convention championship sport.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Community’s nationwide school soccer columnist. E-mail him at [email protected] and observe him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to learn all of his columns.
