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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.

The first graph assumes the committee is building the rankings with an eye toward contingencies. That requires some galaxy brain stuff because they'd have to do it for everyone, and even if they did, most folks would still flip out. That's how rankings work. People flip out. The flip out when the undefeateds are too low, and they get salty like OAM when the No. 2 team doesn't have two losses and a few undefeateds aren't outside the top 20.

The schedule thing was what it was. They played a lot of not good teams. And they played super close to half of them. i get that they blew out half the teams, but that means they didn't blow out the other half. They played those teams super close. 

In the end, there will always be holes to poke in rankings because their logic cannot hold. They cannot meet all standards all at once. I'm at a point where I say, if it's not egregious, if there's a perfectly solid reason for why a team is where it is, whatever, it doesn't actually count at all. 

Technically, it is the penultimate poll that "matters" in terms of who makes the CFP.

I mean, that's the final CFP poll. 

Hmmm..
If Alabama should be omitted from the CFP for losing to LSU, then why should a 1-loss B10 or XII champ get in?  Whoever they lost to should get that spot, no?

By this 'interesting' logic, Alabama is extra-penalized for losing to a great team.  Meanwhile, if they had lost to Texas A&M and won the SEC, everyone here would include them with joy.  That's weird.

Hmmm..
If Alabama should be omitted from the CFP for losing to LSU, then why should a 1-loss B10 or XII champ get in?  Whoever they lost to should get that spot, no?

By this 'interesting' logic, Alabama is extra-penalized for losing to a great team.  Meanwhile, if they had lost to Texas A&M and won the SEC, everyone here would include them with joy.  That's weird.

All those other teams will have beaten another really good team to go 13-1.  Resumes matter and Alabama's is going to stink like your argument.

I'm not pro-Alabama, I'm explaining that it makes sense for them to be included at 11-1 when the committee's goal is the 4 best teams.  This isn't complicated, despite the pages and pages of posts.  Whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter.

I'm not pro-Alabama, I'm explaining that it makes sense for them to be included at 11-1 when the committee's goal is the 4 best teams.  This isn't complicated, despite the pages and pages of posts.  Whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter.

Sorry....but the playoffs don't need Alabama.  They already lost to LSU on their home turf.  That was their playoff.  They aren't one of the best four teams.  Sorry....but the playoffs don't need Alabama.  Time for other teams that proved themselves on the field to take a shot.  We don't need Alabama getting mopped up by Clemson again anyways.

Per strength of record, it is more impressive.  Hell, having 2 losses with Florida's schedule is more impressive.if you are going to simplify it down to W/L