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Is the ACC really a 1-stakes league? This is evidenced by the initial playoff ratings.

Posted on by Bobb
Is the ACC really a 1-stakes league? This is evidenced by the initial playoff ratings.

It’s generally accepted that the only playoff poll that really matters is the last one that decides the field.

And for the most part this is true.

Just ask the state of Florida.

But when it comes to this year’s expanded 12-team playoff bracket, the first set of rankings provides more than just fodder for overreactions from talk show hosts and internet trolls.

They provide early insight into the importance committee members place on specific teams and conferences, and how that might influence their decisions when the only poll that really matters finally comes out on Dec. 8.

So what did we learn from the first edition of the rankings on Tuesday?

First, the committee respects brand programs in general, and the Big Ten and SEC in particular, more than anyone else.

Appendix A – State of Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions somehow managed to sneak into No. 6, while undefeated Big 12 leader BYU is 3 spots lower at No. 9 and Boise State’s top Group 5 pick is No. 12 spot despite having 2 more top 25 wins than Penn. State and a 3-point loss to Oregon.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, is ranked 10th despite a terrible loss to Northern Illinois that would have been an automatic disqualification for an ACC team.

And of course, Alabama is the highest-ranked team in the poll, coming in at No. 11.

Eight of the 12 teams in the first projected bracket are from the Big Ten or SEC.

The good news for the ACC is that, whatever happens, it won’t have to endure the same humiliation as a year ago, when undefeated Florida State was clouded by Alabama and Texas in Sunday’s sectional and found itself at large. watching the final playoff with the participation of 4 teams.

Whoever wins the conference championship will receive an automatic bid because there won’t be two top-ranked Group 5 conference champions. The ACC champion will also receive a first-round bye if he finishes higher than the top finisher in Group 5.

With Miami starting at No. 4, it’s all but guaranteed as long as the Hurricanes can continue to overcome their setbacks and win. But if that happens, they’ll almost certainly be the only ACC team to make the playoffs.

That’s because SMU is already the first team to finish 13th. Even as SEC and Big Ten teams cannibalize each other — starting Saturday, when No. 3 Georgia and No. 16 Ole Miss face off and No. 11 Alabama plays No. 15 LSU. — there’s no chance the Mustangs will jump any higher than they already are with a second loss on their resume.

Never mind that Rhett Lashley’s team owns a pair of top-25 wins (No. 18 Pitt and No. 22 Louisville) and that its only loss came on a field goal against No. 9 BYU. In the previous game, Kevin Jennings took over the quarterback role and sparked the offense.

Or that its ranking at No. 13 nationally is higher than Boise State’s at No. 16.

It’s true that the Mustangs had to lose to Duke 2 weeks ago before overcoming 6 turnovers to win after the Blue Devils failed to convert a two-point conversion in overtime.

However, last time I checked, style points shouldn’t matter.

Only wins.

Apparently, SMU is not a good enough brand name to escape the eye test. And the other teams in the ACC rankings, Pitt, Louisville and 23rd-ranked Clemson, are ranked too low to be considered in the overall conversation and need too much help just to get into the game for conference championship title. Not to mention winning.

The only way the ACC will get two teams into the playoffs is if the 11-1 Mustangs beat Miami 12-0 in Charlotte on Dec. 7.

The cost of this scenario would likely be losing a first-round bye.

There is another factor to consider regarding the ACC. It’s the Jordan Travis factor. Specifically, what happens to Miami if Cam Ward somehow gets injured and his team is still in contention for the conference title?

Playoff committee chairman Warde Manuel was asked about the possibility during a question-and-answer session with the media shortly after the rankings were announced on Tuesday.

“We’re not looking at this in terms of punishing teams,” Michigan’s athletic director said. “We look at performance. If there is performance, then there is performance. It has nothing to do with whether an injury is exposed or a key player is missing.”

To be on the safe side, Mario Cristobal would be smart not to rule his star quarterback out of the playoffs in the event of an injury. If Travis had been listed as a regular when he wasn’t, it might have kept Florida State from being eliminated from the tournament bracket last year.

Even so, the Hurricanes’ fate will be in the hands of the committee. Which is never good.

Unless, of course, you play in either the SEC or the Big Ten.