For a team to be "left out" of the playoff or BCSNCG because of a tie-breaker or rankings or even an early-season loss, you have someone else to blame. You can blame the voters, the system, the baby Jesus,..whoever you want. You feel cheated. You learn that life is unfair. You're probably pissed.
For a team to lose their last game and go from IN to OUT, it's on them. They have no one else to blame. THAT, is perhaps, the specific difference being glossed over here. To fail when you had the power to achieve your season-long goals is an especially damning thing, imo. When you fail in that way, you're broken. Emasculated.
If you don't see that colossal difference, I have nothing left to offer.
You asked for reasons to dispute what, in your opinion, is a trend. This was your exact question:
"
If someone else has a better explanation for these teams having a losing record, when most of them were favored/higher ranked in their bowl, I'm all ears."Several individuals have offered multiple possibilities for disputing your opinion. Those challenges consist of:
1) A non-representative sample that does not include the appropriate teams that represent the class you're attempting to differentiate and identify
2) A sample that is too small to be statistically significant
3) The idea that the "let-down losers" are often simply overrated, as they've already demonstrated the capability of losing to other ranked teams, so their losses in the bowl games are neither surprising nor notable. This doesn't necessarily apply in all cases, such as KSU 1998, but it certainly applies to this year's batch of let-down losers, as Michigan failed to beat ANY of the three teams it faced that will complete the season ranked in the top 15, and Georgia lost to 3 of the 5 teams it faced that will complete the season ranked in the Top 15.
4) The idea that there are potentially other numerous contributing factors, such as "let-down losers" simply encountering their toughest stretch of opponents at the end of the season in rivalry games, CCGs, etc. Again, making it neither notable nor surprising that they would also lose to another ranked team in a bowl to close out their season.
You apparently have already made up your mind and are completely closed off to debate. So yes, I'd say you have nothing left to offer.