Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Imagine some scenario where the #4 selection is down to a 13-0 team that "played nobody" and a 12-1 team that had 3-4 impressive wins and one close loss to a great team.

Do you want the "best team" or the "best record"?

12-1 team. I don’t think you would get many dissenting opinions on here about that

Ed Zachery, the only poll that should matter is the final pollEd Zachery, the only poll that should matter is the final poll

The only poll that does matter is the final one. 

The rest are just for show to drive folks crazy, and we are out here to oblige.

Gotcha.

And back to the Gophers ranking of #17 this past week.  Obviously it doesn't much matter any longer....but I wonder what the committee was thinking.  There was absolutely no risk to rank them higher.  Then they could have moved the Gophers down after losing to Penn State like they clearly assumed would happen.  As Tim Brando mentioned....now you have them behind a bunch of teams that also won and you have to move them down?  Now that wasn't very smart.

I assume they were thinking Minnesota lacked any quality wins and had not been dominant enough to overcome that.

and they’ll move them around because when push comes to shove, the focus on movement around one-game swings is a somewhat illogical focus. 

I gotcha.  Yeah folks definitely doubted OU's ability to beat FSU, but I don't recall anyone doubting they were the right team selected for the final game.

It's becoming very likely that none of Clemson's 2019 opponents will finish ranked.

I assume they were thinking Minnesota lacked any quality wins and had not been dominant enough to overcome that.

and they’ll move them around because when push comes to shove, the focus on movement around one-game swings is a somewhat illogical focus.

I understand that.  But Minnesota was going to be playing Penn State that very week.  It just seems like an easier sell to have them higher to begin and move them down when they lose....rather than have to justify leaping them over other teams that won....effectively dropping them.  If the committee would have had both them and Baylor ranked above all the two loss teams, nobody would have batted an eyelash.  Now it seems likely that the Gophers will make the largest one week jump into the top ten in the CFP rankings relatively short history.

But really....be consistent with the rankings.  Again....I still think the schedule thing is overblown and perception plays too big a factor.  Look at Wisconsin at #13.  They've got two losses.  Their best win is over a good but not great Michigan team.  And they have a loss to Illinois.....a team that Minnesota dismantled.

And not dominant enough?  Anybody who's been paying any attention has recognized that Minnesota has been getting better and better as the season has gone on.  In the prior four games to the Penn State game, the Gophers outscored their opponents 168 to 41.  Their first string defense scored more touchdowns than they allowed over those four games.  Nebraska scored their only touchdown against the second string.  And Illinois's two touchdowns came on defense.

Imagine some scenario where the #4 selection is down to a 13-0 team that "played nobody" and a 12-1 team that had 3-4 impressive wins and one close loss to a great team.

Do you want the "best team" or the "best record"?

The problem is....except for in extreme cases (ACC this year?....maybe the PAC-12?)…..any team playing in a Power 5 conference is going to rack up enough quality wins where it would be impossible to say that they've "played nobody".  Especially with the conference championship.