12/21/24
December 01, 2015
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Time for another round of "Hidden NCAA Football champion silliness"!
Last year, I showed that Harvard should have been crowned the NCAA champion because they were undefeated AND they had a definite path of "Harvard beats X, X beats Y...A beats Ohio State".
This year, if Alabama wins the football playoffs, then it's possible that McNeese State could be the hidden champ. They are the only undefeated team left in the FCS division, and...
Alabama lost to Ole Miss
Ole Miss lost to Memphis
Memphis lost to Navy
Navy lost to Notre Dame
Notre Dame lost to Stanford
Stanford lost to Oregon
Oregon lost to Washington State
Washington State lost to Portland State
Portland State lost to Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado lost to Southern Utah
Southern Utah lost to Sam Houston State
Sam Houston State lost to Nicholls State
Nicholls State lost to McNeese State
Just something to watch...
posted by grum@work at 11:58 AM on December 01, 2015
McNeese State will also be the hidden champion if Oklahoma or Michigan State wins the playoff:
Oklahoma lost to Texas lost to Notre Dame, etc...
Michigan State lost to Nebraska lost to BYU lost to UCLA lost to Stanford, etc...
So basically, it's Clemson, Iowa, or the Cowboys of Lake Charles.
posted by Etrigan at 12:34 PM on December 01, 2015
It should be pointed out that McNeese State still needs to navigate the FCS playoffs undefeated in order for this to work. It's an 8-team system, and they are ranked #4. It could all be for naught if they don't pull it off.
The key to this whole thing is Portland State, an FCS team that beat TWO FBS teams (Washington State & North Texas) this year.
posted by grum@work at 01:20 PM on December 01, 2015
Dick move indeed, @rcade!
posted by billsaysthis at 01:29 PM on December 01, 2015
It should be pointed out that McNeese State still needs to navigate the FCS playoffs undefeated in order for this to work.
In that vein, Harvard wasn't in the FCS playoffs last year (the Ivy League does not permit teams to play in the football playoffs because they're too close to finals).
It's an 8-team system, and they are ranked #4.
It's a 24-team playoff, with the top 8 receiving byes.
posted by Etrigan at 01:58 PM on December 01, 2015
Whoah! Illinois State is ranked #2? Noice! And they're taking on the hated Leathernecks? Bulldogs are no match for redbirds!
posted by NoMich at 02:59 PM on December 01, 2015
It's an 8-team system, and they are ranked #4.
It's a 24-team playoff, with the top 8 receiving byes.
Ah, good catch.
I didn't realize there was a round before this week.
And yes, Harvard didn't have to participate in the FCS playoffs, but they were still undefeated and their win chain still worked.
posted by grum@work at 03:16 PM on December 01, 2015
Having only FCS and NAIA teams in the area, two of my favorite sites are Massey's Game Path and My Team is Better Than Your Team
The latter found that our local 4-6 NAIA team is better than Alabama in 2015 as shown in 23 rounds by a combined score of 666 - 442. :)
posted by prof at 09:29 AM on December 02, 2015
Having only FCS and NAIA teams in the area, two of my favorite sites are Massey's Game Path and My Team is Better Than Your Team
Somebody automated this?! And I blew my lunch hour clicking back and forth through schedules to build my result?!
/throws slide rule to the ground
I think this might be the longest chain you can make in 2015 (at this time): Wooster is better than Alabama (35-game chain required, from Division III to FBS).
posted by grum@work at 09:52 AM on December 02, 2015
I went to this weekend's Jags/Chargers game. Chargers head coach Mike McCoy did something late in the game that was so unsportsmanlike and horribly timed that it deserves more attention.
With the Jags trailing by 12 with 3:44 remaining, Allen Hurns fell awkwardly making a catch and his facemask caught on the turf, putting his neck at an awkward angle as the force of his body pushed it forward. He then lay on the turf as players on both teams took a knee, recognizing that a serious injury had occurred.
A break of over 10 minutes occurred as he was treated, then strapped to a cart and taken off the field to be driven to a hospital.
After all this time passed and both teams and fans applauded for Hurns in the hope that he was OK, McCoy threw a challenge flag. Hurns had released the ball after the catch while he was reeling from his injury, and a Charger plucked it off his body.
So we had another long break and the play was reviewed. It was replayed on the Jaguars screens -- the world's largest when they were built a couple years ago -- multiple times. The crowd groaned each time Hurns' head hit the turf.
The refs rejected the challenge. I like to think they did it just because of McCoy's dick move.