…in the name of keeping my B1G/Oregon Ducks homer mentality in check, if the Ducks were in the same position as the Irish, I would say the same thing.
The Art of Becoming a “No-Brainer”
Regarding the NCAA basketball tournament, I laugh out loud (which means “LOL”) when teams on the bubble claim to be getting screwed over by the selection committee. Oh, how they cry that the system needs fixing and things are completely out of their control. Even our Mr. FishDuck will take a break from his betting at offshore providers to provide a “snort” of agreement to those bubble teams.
Cry me a river. No, things are not out of your control. In fact, things are totally in your control: Win more games!
Holy smokes. If you cannot clearly distinguish yourself as one of the top 68 basketball teams in the country, that is on you. You might hear one of them whine a little tune that goes something like this: “But we are the tenth-place team in a power conference, how can a second-place team in a lower conference get a bid over us?”
Look in the mirror and listen to what you are saying.
Of course, in football there are only 12 teams selected, so the teams on the bubble can make a better case than in hoops — but the concept still remains the same. You needed to play better in the regular season to make placing you in the postseason an absolute no-brainer.
With a 12-team format, no “no-brainers” will get left out. In my opinion, there are seven no-brainer teams this year. Oregon, all four teams with a bye, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M (I am not considering Group of 5 schools). Everybody else has to make an argument. Some needed a more complex and comprehensive argument than others.
You can control your destiny in college football.
It is a total no-brainer.
Ducks were smart enough to be a “no-brainer” for the committee. (Photo by Max Unkrich)
The Old Four-Team System
In most years under the four-team tournament, there were usually one or two teams that had a legitimate argument to get in, who might rightfully say they got screwed. But this year, under the old format, three teams would get left out who had a legitimate argument.
Of the seven no-brainers mentioned, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio State are the ultra-no-brainers, which leaves one spot up for debate. It is easy to put Texas Tech in at the four-seed in the 12-team format because the other teams that could argue for that spot still get in the playoff.
But, in a four-team playoff, do the Red Raiders still get in? They won their conference outright, but play in a second-tier power conference, and their one loss was against a middle-of-the-pack Arizona State team.
I believe the Ducks would have no chance to get in. The politics of the sport would heavily kick in. No way would the powers that be allow three B1G teams in the playoff, with the SEC only getting one. SEC power brokers would loudly protest, “A third-place B1G team over a second-place SEC team? Over our dead bodies!”
And, they would not necessarily be wrong.
Texas A&M did beat the Irish while losing to arguably their toughest opponent in Texas. Ole Miss had a lower strength of schedule of the others but did beat Oklahoma on the road and had a quality loss against Georgia.
So, which team joins Indiana, Ohio State and Georgia as the No. 4 under the old four-team system?
The Ducks would get into a New Year’s Six Bowl. With any luck, unlike in 2023, they would not get paired with the Group of 5 qualifier. Yawn. As the outcome would be, you guessed it, a total no-brainer.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Max Unkrich
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.
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Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.