In light of Georgia's predicament

[gamecockcat]

Do the conference championship games become optional or obsolete? Regardless of the outcome, both Texas and UGa were in the playoffs. Anyone believe Kirby thinks getting a bye week was worth losing his starting QB and his punter? If Georgia sits out, they play potentially one more game but with Beck healthy.

17 games for a college team is too many, imo. For the B10 and SEC, the conference championship game meant almost nothing (one can make a good argument that Oregon at #1 has a tougher draw than if they'd lost their championship game) except another chance of losing a key player. The last game of the NFL season sees a lot of backups play if there's nothing riding on a win. For the other conferences, at least this year, the conference championship game did mean something. Will the B10 and SEC allow teams to skip it?

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Money talks so I doubt it.

I agree with you though. Oregon goes undefeated, gets the 1 seed, and gets a tougher path to the semis than the 5 or 6 seed.

 

[Cotaay]

As soon as the playoffs were announced I thought it was time to do away with the Conference Championship games, but the ratings are probably too high and too much money is involved for common sense to take over.

 

[Johnfarrel]

Do the conference championship games become optional or obsolete? Regardless of the outcome, both Texas and UGa were in the playoffs. Anyone believe Kirby thinks getting a bye week was worth losing his starting QB and his punter? If Georgia sits out, they play potentially one more game but with Beck healthy.

17 games for a college team is too many, imo. For the B10 and SEC, the conference championship game meant almost nothing (one can make a good argument that Oregon at #1 has a tougher draw than if they'd lost their championship game) except another chance of losing a key player. The last game of the NFL season sees a lot of backups play if there's nothing riding on a win. For the other conferences, at least this year, the conference championship game did mean something. Will the B10 and SEC allow teams to skip it?

The best team might not win this thing. The one that avoids injuries might.

 

[YardCat]

Texas and Penn State both lose and have better draws than the teams that beat them. The final 12 teams need to be seeded, no way Arizona State and Boise State are the 3rd and 4th best teams.
Injuries play a huge factor going forward in the playoffs.

 

[Lempface]

I don't think the SEC would ever go for that. Teams could choose to play their 2nd string guys if they are that worried but it's still a championship, gamers won't want to skip that for a maybe down the line.

 

[ganner918]

If Georgia sits out, they play potentially one more game but with Beck healthy.

There's no reason to believe you're more likely to get players injured in a conference championship than in the playoff. They'd play the same number of games, so they'd have the same likelihood of injury.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Texas and Penn State both lose and have better draws than the teams that beat them. The final 12 teams need to be seeded, no way Arizona State and Boise State are the 3rd and 4th best teams.
Injuries play a huge factor going forward in the playoffs.

They won a conference so they deserve the bye. Beating up tomato cans is more impressive than Texas and Penn state going 11 and 2 n the sec and big 10.

In all seriousness, rules are outdated already and will be updated soon I'm sure. It's embarrassing to give the 9th and 12th ranked teams a bye.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

With the rules the committee were using this year injury was the only risk. Unfortunately for UGA it had 2 to highly important positions. No doubt it hurt us going forward, but not playing we would have been 5th or 6th and gotten a first round draw. But Stockton is liked by the team, they will play hard for him, like it did for Stetson, not sure it's the same for Beck. But reality is we are so inconsistent catching the ball not sure going old school in an I won't be our best option.

 

[gamecockcat]

With the rules the committee were using this year injury was the only risk. Unfortunately for UGA it had 2 to highly important positions. No doubt it hurt us going forward, but not playing we would have been 5th or 6th and gotten a first round draw. But Stockton is liked by the team, they will play hard for him, like it did for Stetson, not sure it's the same for Beck. But reality is we are so inconsistent catching the ball not sure going old school in an I won't be our best option.

I think one can make the argument, though, that even without any injuries, one more game of being slammed around surely raises the probability of an injury. If not in this game, in a subsequent game. Anecdotally, look at how few NFL QBs start every game - almost none. If the NFL season was 12 games (maybe even 14), it would stand to reason that more NFL QBs would start every game.

In hindsight, if I'm Georgia, I'd much (I mean MUCH) rather play one extra game, forfeiting the bye, to have my starting QB healthy.

 

[ganner918]

I think one can make the argument, though, that even without any injuries, one more game of being slammed around surely raises the probability of an injury. If not in this game, in a subsequent game. Anecdotally, look at how few NFL QBs start every game - almost none. If the NFL season was 12 games (maybe even 14), it would stand to reason that more NFL QBs would start every game.

In hindsight, if I'm Georgia, I'd much (I mean MUCH) rather play one extra game, forfeiting the bye, to have my starting QB healthy.

But that's a fake hypothetical. If they forfeit the bye, they play the exact same number of games and have the same chance of a guy getting injured.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

The best team might not win this thing. The one that avoids injuries might.

UT stumbled into a mythical championship in 98 after Clint Sterner choked and when FSU had to play with a 3rd string QB

 

[Deeeefense]

The championship game is idiotic. Without divisions the tie break formula reads like the instructions for assembling a moon rocket. I said from the beginning that this is just one more opportunity to lose key players and it would be wise if teams choose to skip it. How much does that first round bye really mean?

Notre Dame has to be enjoying this. They load up on patsies, get what is essentially an automatic birth, and then sit back and watch 8 other teams beat each other up before the playoffs even start.

 

[The-Hack]

UT stumbled into a mythical championship in 98 after Clint Sterner choked and when FSU had to play with a 3rd string QB

Prior to that game, I had always heard “the ground cannot cause a fumble.” QB Sterner lost his balance, reached down and touched the ball to the ground . . . and still gripped it one-handed when the ball touched the Neyland turf, and then lost control of it because of the contact with the ground. I have never understood that play: the word “touchdown” comes from the early rule/tradition of touching the ball down in the end zone, and IMHO Sterner controlled the ball until he had “touched it down” on the field of play.

 

[gamalielkid]

Do the conference championship games become optional or obsolete? Regardless of the outcome, both Texas and UGa were in the playoffs. Anyone believe Kirby thinks getting a bye week was worth losing his starting QB and his punter? If Georgia sits out, they play potentially one more game but with Beck healthy.

17 games for a college team is too many, imo. For the B10 and SEC, the conference championship game meant almost nothing (one can make a good argument that Oregon at #1 has a tougher draw than if they'd lost their championship game) except another chance of losing a key player. The last game of the NFL season sees a lot of backups play if there's nothing riding on a win. For the other conferences, at least this year, the conference championship game did mean something. Will the B10 and SEC allow teams to skip it?

If you think about it - its the same for all sports that offer championship games or tournaments. Basketball and baseball play tournaments where teams may play 4 games in 5 days or less. What is the chance that a star player may get injured in them - it has happened several times! It's just part of the game.

Everyone agrees the seeding was not thought about clearly and I'm sure it will be changed. But it also proves that people are excited about playoffs in college football - which some people cried about saying not quality teams. Probably NIL and universal transfers has changed that perception now! I think at least half the teams have a great chance at winning the championship. While I do think we have some standout teams - remember - only 1 of them went thru the season unbeaten - and many of those teams that had multiple losses also lost to some teams with .500 or less season records.

I foresee the playoffs will be expanded to 16 teams asap possible - no reason for 4 teams to get byes. Seed the teams - but the main caveat of winning your conference championship is that you get in the playoffs- just like they do in basketball and baseball. After all, going from not being in the playoff to being in because you won the conference title is a really big deal. You might be number 16 - but you are in the playoff!

Go Big Blue!

 

[ganner918]

Prior to that game, I had always heard “the ground cannot cause a fumble.” QB Sterner lost his balance, reached down and touched the ball to the ground . . . and still gripped it one-handed when the ball touched the Neyland turf, and then lost control of it because of the contact with the ground. I have never understood that play: the word “touchdown” comes from the early rule/tradition of touching the ball down in the end zone, and IMHO Sterner controlled the ball until he had “touched it down” on the field of play.

There is no rule that the ground can't cause a fumble. It's just a common, slightly inaccurate, statement. The rule is that if you're DOWN, you're down and the ball coming out after you're down isn't a fumble. So, if YOU hit the ground and it knocks the ball out, it's not a fumble. So people word it as "the ground can't cause a fumble." If you reach the ball toward the ground and it knocks the ball out of your hand, before YOU are down, it is a fumble.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

Texas and Penn State both lose and have better draws than the teams that beat them. The final 12 teams need to be seeded, no way Arizona State and Boise State are the 3rd and 4th best teams.
Injuries play a huge factor going forward in the playoffs.

UGA’s path is easier than Texas’s path.

In a thread about injuries, it is also hard to say PSU’s path is easier than Oregon’s, but there is no doubt that Oregon’s first game could easily be the NC game if we only had a 4 team playoff.

 

[Catfanlou]

SEC and big Ten should automatically get all four Byes ( two each) with home field advantage . That is the only fair way to do it in view of the vast difference in quality of play of the minor conferences like the ACC and Big twelve , pack of five etc.

 

[K_TIME]

Great comments and I agree with all.

1. Football is game of attrition and losing players in a game impacts your ability to win....Alabama loses WR Meechie in SEC Championship game and it is that much harder to win once they got to playoffs a few years back.
2. In NFL...teams routinely rest their starters iin last regular season game going into playoffs...so the rest is important and avoidance of injuries.
3. I am surprised SEC does not go ahead and kill the SEC championship game....money aside....it hurt UGA chances to win it all even with a better seed than it does with backup QB and punter....and any othere players that got dinged up