To paraphrase Network’s Howard Beale: the SEC is (probably) mad as hell and may not take it anymore.
What’s got the SEC more perturbed than its fan bases continuing to launch debris on the field? The latest College Football Playoff rankings.
Namely, the selection committee ranking three two-loss SEC teams — Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss — several spots behind undefeated or one-loss teams that (a) played easier schedules and (b) have no Top 25 wins.
Alabama is ranked No. 10, Ole Miss is No. 11 and Georgia is No. 12. They each have two losses.
One-loss Penn State is ranked No. 4, ahead of No. 5-ranked and undefeated Indiana. Those two Big Ten teams have as many Top 25 victories as I do: zero.
By comparison, against current Top 25 teams, Alabama is 4-1, Georgia is 2-2 and Ole Miss is 2-1.
By the way, one-loss SEC member Texas is ranked No. 3 despite having no Top 25 victories. Texas’ best win? Good luck — they all smell like bad fish. Take your pick from Michigan (5-5), Vanderbilt (6-4), Colorado State (6-3) and ULM (5-4).
“We also factor in wins and losses in terms of who you play and how you play in those particular games,” College Football Playoff selection committee chairman Warde Manuel said. “A team with a weaker schedule, how they perform as well against the opponents that they play.
“So, it's an evaluation that takes into consideration strength of schedule, but it also evaluates how you play against those teams that are on your schedule, whether it's a strong schedule or a weak schedule and the performance of the teams on the field week to week and in totality when we look at what they have done over the season up until the point that we're evaluating.”
The teams’ strength of schedules that they were evaluating? Alabama is No. 3, Georgia is No. 7, Penn State is No. 27, Ole Miss is No. 36 and Indiana is No. 81.
The Hoosiers have had an incredible season but have exactly one victory against a team currently over .500 — mighty 5-4 Nebraska. At least half of the SEC would also be undefeated against Indiana’s schedule.
Yet, several SEC teams are ranked below Indiana because they have faced a much more difficult schedule — and have more losses.
Manuel said the committee “looks at strength of schedule in every comparison that we do.”
“For each team, we see where different data points and strength of schedule is always there,” Manuel said. “We also look at the games, obviously, and see how a team is playing, see the results of the games, and how teams play.”
How the committee ranks SEC teams with multiple losses compared with non-SEC one-loss teams in the final playoff rankings on Dec. 8 could determine the future of the College Football Playoff.
If the committee penalizes SEC teams for playing tougher schedules (and, in turn, suffering more losses), then the SEC could decide at some point to take its ball and go home. Why should they beat their brains in against each other just to get bypassed in the playoff for teams that had an easier schedule?
Maybe the SEC gets fed up enough to partner with the Big Ten in the future? Maybe the SEC adds a few more teams down the road and creates its own 20-team or 24-team playoff? The TV networks, namely ABC and ESPN, would love this setup.
Anything is possible. Just be prepared for the future consequences if you make the SEC mad.
Big (and Winningest) Man on Campus 📈
Nine current FBS coaches are the all-time winningest coaches at their respective schools. North Carolina’s Mack Brown nearly pulled off the daily double — he’s the winningest coach at UNC and second-winningest coach at Texas.
Toledo’s Jason Candle picked up his 72nd win Tuesday and is two shy of passing Gary Pinkel as the Rockets’ winningest coach. But for now, here are the nine current coaches who are also the winningest coaches at their current schools.
Coach's Win-Loss Record at School
| Coach | Tenure | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Kirk Ferentz, Iowa | 26 Years | 202-123 (.622) |
| Dabo Swinney, Clemson | 17 Years | 177-45 (.797) |
| Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State | 20 Years | 169-86 (.663) |
| Kyle Whittingham, Utah | 21 Years | 166-84 (.664) |
| Mack Brown, UNC | 16 Years | 112-77-1 (.592) |
| Dave Doeren, NC State | 12 Years | 86-63 (.577) |
| Mark Stoops, Kentucky | 12 Years | 76-71 (.517) |
| Chuck Martin, Miami (OH) | 11 Years | 61-66 (.48.0) |
| Matt Campbell, Iowa State | 9 Years | 60-50 (.545) |
Sandwich Spot 🥪
These are the games that fit my non-scientific model of teams that might be in a challenging schedule or motivational situation.
Each Sunday, I’ll put my Sandwich Spot plays in early in the Action Network App — download the app here for free. All lines are from open on Sunday.
Five games fit the profile this week, so Godspeed. Here goes:
Cincinnati +8.5 at Iowa State
Stanford +20 at Louisville
Purdue +28.5 vs. Penn State
Cal -8.5 vs. Syracuse
Wake Forest +11 at North Carolina
Season Record: 13-11
