Because we only played 3 ranked teams. Beat one on the road by 1, lost to one on the road by 10, and then lost at home to the team that made a run to the title game (all 3 of those teams ended the season in the top 12). You can only play the teams on your schedule.
Sure, they weren’t one of the beat 3 teams in the country and weren’t actual title contenders, but I don’t know how you could watch that team last year and say they had no business being in the playoffs.
I’m not saying you need to praise them. I’m simply saying that calling them “fraudulent” is a bit disingenuous. I don’t really see the argument that there were 12 other teams that were better than them and deserved to make the playoffs ahead of them.
They’re a fraud because anyone who has watched college football in the last 25 years knows they ALWAYS lose big games. When have they ever took down anyone good outside one manziel game. Even in the season you’re talking about they lost to their top 3 opponents and that was maybe their second best or best season in 30 years.
*they lost to their top opponent and third best opponent; they beat their second best opponent
Regardless, I still don’t see how any of that means last season’s team was fraudulent though. They played the end of year #10 team on the road, the #12 team on the road, and the #2 team at home. All 3 games were close game and they went 1-2 in those games and beat everyone else. Again, I don’t really see the argument that there were 12 better teams than them that deserved to be in the playoffs over them.
By that standard, pretty much every team outside of Indiana was “fraudulent” then.
Let me spell it out for you: your best argument is that your best team in 30 years was great because they could hang in there with good teams. Congrats. Couldn’t beat them but could keep it close. That’s totally a contender scenario and not a fraud.
No, that’s a strawman. That was never my argument. My argument was that they were one of the 12 best teams in the country and deserved their spot in the playoffs. Nothing more, nothing less. I never claimed they should be praised or that they were even contenders. I never even claimed they were great. Just that they were properly slotted as the 7 seed in the playoffs.
Unless your standard is that “if you’re not a contender, then you’re a fraud,” then that means everyone outside of Indiana and possibly Miami were frauds.
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u/VegasAWD 28d ago
A&M had one win by one point against a ranked team.