You think the game matters less to LSU or Wisky fans this year, because there is a playoff and losing the game won't mean nearly as much? What? The game will be just as huge to both teams or even bigger because of the playoff. And my point is that it takes on added significance to fans of other teams because conference strength will presumably be very important to the committee.

The committee won't think beyond balancing their own conference vs what ESPN tells them to think. But in this set up at least we still can say that the loser of a major midseason OOC game, say Wiscy, knows they have to win their conference to get into the playoff. Ironically the loser will still be playing traditional college football every week is sudden death while the winner may reach November with an irrelevant game.

If Wisconsin lost this game last year, they would have 0% chance at a title. If they won, they needed to win the rest their games anyway.

If Wisconsin lost the game this year, they are very much in the hunt, but have an extra playoff game, just need to win out. If they win, they are in the same spot as before, need to win them all anyway, maybe a small gimme for losing a game but winning the conference.

For LSU, they backdoor into the championship game in some scenarios with a win and are eliminated from backdooring with a loss.

Conference strength means much less now since there are more slots. I'd be shocked if 3 conferences aren't in just about every year, and it comes down to the 4th conference champ vs. the best non-champ in some situations.

My point wasn't that a statistician would place more importance on the LSU/Wisky game in terms of deciding a national champion this year. My point was that the game will draw more interest from fans of other teams because conference strength will presumably be a major deciding point in the selection room.

I don't know how you think conference strength will mean much less now. More slots=more hope=more importance to more people.

Auburn line is out. Was at -20.5 and up to -21.5 now.

Well damn. What do I know. Lol

Nice guess on that line.

It's a good thing. Now just have to get to kickoff with a healthy Nick Marshall. That's the only thing that could wreck our season.

SEC just mandated that every school has to play at least one 'power conference' opponent every single season starting in 2016.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...ure-scheduling

I mentioned this in the SEC thread as well. Also, I'm sure you know this already DannyOcean, but the Auburn/UGA rivalry is set to continue in the future...

So yay for that.

my hero...

I look forward to telling you and your ilk to go to hell well into the distant future

Conference strength means even less now than before. Considerably less, since there are more slots. Conference champs that were borderline before are pretty much guaranteed to be in. The only time it comes up is when there is some really, really good non-Champ, and a really weak conference champ that's still in the top 4. With only 5 major conferences left and one champ likely to be garbage, it only matters when the 4th champ is viewed as exceptionally weak and there is a good argument for a non-champ.

With the playoff, I have considerably less personal rooting interest in watching games from other conferences. The Wisconsin/LSU game might have had a bearing before for Ohio State, it has none today. I don't need LSU to lose to make sure they don't run the table and get ahead. I don't need Wisconsin to look strong so the Big Ten isn't perceived weak and we get jumped by a 1-loss Auburn team. It pretty much means nothing unless I want to watch some football for the hell of it (I will). Maybe in terms of seeding, but again, its far too early to know how that will shake out and know the implications. And even then, getting a better seed might not even be beneficial (you don't want to be the 4 seed, most likely, although there's no guarantee the 1 is harder than the 2, for example).

So conference strength won't matter because the 4 teams in will be obvious except in super-rare cases where there is a controversy between the 4th best champ and the best non-champ? LOL okay.

Are you trying to get yourself black listed from espn?

Disagree with TC.

I'd say it'll be much more common to see 3 conference champs than 4. I can't think of that many years in the past where there have been 4 champs who weren't clearly inferior to at larges. Some years there may even be 2 champs after some CG upsets.

They really should have just gone with top 4 conf champs.

SEC actually believes they'll get two in.

Except for the years they get three in, yeah. Is it really that naive to think they might get it right?

Some interesting info released about the playoff. I didn't realize they would have a weekly poll. I thought they would just meet at the end of the season for a few days and talk it out. They are going to meet in person in Texas every week, once the first poll is released in late October. At least they are taking it seriously. This process is going to be fiercely political.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...eleased-oct-28

There's a big debate starting in the ACC about whether or not to go from an 8-game conference schedule to 9 games. Some coaches want to stick with 8 to give themselves more OOC flexibility, some want to go to 9 so they can play ACC opponents more often. Scheduling is so screwed because of the size of the conference and divisions that some teams go several years in between match-ups. Other coaches DGAF how many ACC games there are.


Also, the one good part of Virginia's passing game, TE/WR Jake McGee, is transferring, possibly to Florida. He'll get to play immediately because he's going to graduate this spring.

I guess crab legs aren't included in the new unlimited meal plans for student athletes.

lol fsu

i've always said they are the most SEC like of any non-SEC team

Whether or not there will be 3 more than 4, it will be more obvious in those cases anyway and not come down to the conference strength argument, except maybe determining which 2nd best team makes it (which probably will be an SEC team every time anyway, so it doesn't matter).

There are case where this isn't ideal, which I think they are trying to avoid, but I agree.