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College Football Has a Bias Problem

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Jayden Hewitt

Jayden Hewitt

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College football has a serious issue. ​

​
And the issue isn’t the Group of Five getting a representative, as many say. It goes beyond that; there’s a glaring issue with bias. The bias, though, isn’t just a brand bias; it’s a conference bias, and to an extent, a brand one as well (Notre Dame, I’m looking at you).

This bias is obvious right now as fans hang in the balance to see if their favorite team is selected to play in the College Football...

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Alabama's "impressive win" over Auburn. "Ran the ball well" 4.2ypc. out gained by 130 yards. Nearly 100 yards of penalties.

Their "elite QB" barely completed 50% of his passes at a staggeringly TERRIBLE 3.5 yards per attempt.

That is all time bad.
 
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Jayden Hewitt said:
Further extends my point about the sense of protection Alabama receives. ESPN pushes the SEC's narrative to extraordinary lengths, including propping up Alabama after it beat a team that I saw fumble at least seven times in that game, lol.
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The committee says they watch the game, but it's purely to come up with nonsensical bs like this "gutsy" 4th down bs. We keep getting dog walked because of our supposed bad losses and Auburn **** near begged Bama to recover one of the 1000 fumbles or intercept thrown ducks and that was viewed as a solid win. It's rigged, if they didn't find a way to get us in there by now, they won't come next week. I just don't see it. We just convincingly beat a ranked opponent as request for said eye test and didn't move an inch.
 
Jayden Hewitt said:

College football has a serious issue. ​

​
And the issue isn’t the Group of Five getting a representative, as many say. It goes beyond that; there’s a glaring issue with bias. The bias, though, isn’t just a brand bias; it’s a conference bias, and to an extent, a brand one as well (Notre Dame, I’m looking at you).

This bias is obvious right now as fans hang in the balance to see if their favorite team is selected to play in the College Football Playoff. The issue is that there’s an incumbent and multiple teams who have barely moved, preventing conversations that need to be had.
​
Another glaring issue, before I get into those teams, is preseason rankings. These AP rankings set the table for the year and determine much of the season. The issue is not the predictions themselves, but the implications behind them.

Tennessee, a middle-of-the-pack team in the SEC, was ranked 24th in the preseason AP. Reasonable enough. Except, Tennessee just lost its fourth game, and was ranked 19th in said game against Vanderbilt. Tennessee has no wins over teams that were, at the time, or are currently ranked.

So, a bigger question is, why? Why were those teams still ranked?

It may sound like a conspiracy, but the clear bias for the SEC allows those teams to stay ranked to prop up its best teams when they defeat a team like Tennessee or Missouri.
Missouri did not have a preseason AP ranking, though it received votes. Yet, after rattling off wins in its first five games against 3-9 Central Arkansas (FCS), 5-7 Kansas, 6-6 Louisiana Lafayette, 4-8 South Carolina, and 0-12 (yes, zero wins) UMass, Missouri found itself ranked 14th in the nation in its showdown with Alabama, a game that Missouri lost.

This conversation brings me to my CFP rankings incumbent, no. 8 Oklahoma, which is entirely inert. The Sooners beat both of those schools, giving them two more ranked wins. They also have a ranked win over Auburn, ranked 22nd during their matchup, because they started 3-0 against 5-7 Baylor, 4-8 Ball State, and 4-8 South Alabama.

If you add up all of Oklahoma’s ranked wins, three of those schools make up its five total against teams ranked at the time they played. If you want to dive deeper into that, after the recent rankings, those three teams are not ranked (though their win over Texas now looks better).

This may seem like I’m picking on Oklahoma, and I am. They’re the inconspicuous pest of the rankings, currently. And truthfully, they aren’t a bad football team. But are they one of the nation’s 12 best, and should they remain in their spot because the 10-2 record says so? There are a lot of “not-so-bad” football teams.

Oklahoma happens to have one of the worst offenses in college football. If it wasn’t evident in their game against LSU, where they looked like a high-school offense. Oklahoma ranks no. 12 out of 16 SEC teams in total offense (no. 91 in the country), no. 12 in points per game, no. 14 in rushing yards, and ninth in passing yards. Oklahoma’s defense, though, is statistically the best in the SEC and the ninth best in the country. That is why I don’t consider them to be a bad team, but there are no teams in the top 12 who rank lower than eighth (Alabama is the lowest, which struggles on offense, too) in their own conference in total offense. Oklahoma is currently sitting around some of the worst teams in the country, offensively.

But this isn’t a total smearing of Oklahoma’s name; in fact, they’re a solid team, because defense is vital, but an inept offense and “ranked” wins should be looked at, and it simply isn’t at this present moment, or at least that’s what the committee has told us with their rankings thus far.

No. 9 Alabama, though slightly better than Oklahoma offensively, is another team that I believe is worthy of more discussion. If Alabama wins its conference over one of the best teams in the country, Georgia (would be the second time they have this season), they’re obviously in, and probably on a bye, deservedly so.
Another thing I like to look at is SP+; it’s a more straightforward way of looking at performances, resumes aside. Oklahoma’s ranking is no. 13, while Alabama’s is no. 12, and BYU is behind both, at no. 14.

SP+ is not an objective truth, but its straightforward nature helps back the idea that Oklahoma, to this point, is ranked far too high and should be fighting for its life in the Playoff. Instead, Oklahoma is nearly guaranteed a spot, and Alabama was moved into a place of protection, win or lose.

This article, to this point, probably reads much like a bitter fan, but I am genuinely concerned about the state of the sport as it pertains to the bias that lives within it.

Let’s finish with the team we’ve all been talking about, no. 10 Notre Dame. This team has a loss to Miami, yet, is two spots higher with the same record. Touchdown Jesus cannot be happy that he’s the centerpiece of a program that is rewarded for losing, rather than winning.

Alabama is a better team than Oklahoma in most statistical categories and is in the SEC title game. Yet they are one spot behind an Oklahoma team they lost to. And I’m fine with that, if Oklahoma was no. 9 or no. 10, and Alabama was no. 11 or no. 12, that’s fine. Head-to-head should matter when compared closely, but it seems that only applies to teams not named Miami.

Miami not only ranks ninth in SP+ (Notre Dame fifth) and seventh in FPI, Miami is also no. 11 nationally in total defense (first in the ACC) and no. 29 in total offense (fourth in the ACC). If you stack the Miami Hurricanes up to teams nearby in the rankings, it’s pretty obvious that they are one of the best 12 teams in the country, and the eye test, to add, would tell you they’re within the top eight.

It’ll be interesting to see how the committee evaluates this situation in the final week, and the Hurricanes need help from Alabama and BYU to lose their conference championship games. Because while I will say Miami is a better team than BYU, and probably Texas Tech, it’d be hard to leave out an 11-2 Texas Tech team that has looked solid on both sides of the ball, and you cannot leave out the Big 12 champion at 12 wins, either.

Where Miami needs serious evaluation is at the eight slot and 10 slot, where they are statistically and openly better than Oklahoma. And if only Miami and Notre Dame could have played each other to determine who belongs at number nine… Oh, wait… They did, and Miami won.

So… Is this my campaign for the ‘Canes? Maybe. But I’m also highlighting a potential injustice that may occur to fulfill the need for more SEC teams in the College Football Playoff.

It would be wrong for Miami not to be involved in talks about an at-large spot that would keep them safe from any wonkiness that may occur during conference championship week.

There should be a conversation about Miami reaching the number eight spot over both Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Especially if Alabama loses to Georgia, adding its third loss of the season.

One of the nation’s best football teams should not be at risk of being on the outside looking in for the second year in a row, especially if BYU wins the Big 12 and Duke wins the ACC.

Those two results should have nothing to do with Miami being in the Playoff, but the way the committee has treated the ACC as a whole, that is the spot Miami is currently in. Tonight’s rankings just proved, once again, that Miami is going to need a lot of luck and to be directly compared to Notre Dame to get a shot.
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Nice work JT!
 
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SEC bias too.

FSU curb stomped Bama.
Texas got Curb stomped by Florida.

We curb stomped UF and FSU.

One of ahead of us with the same record and one is only 1 spot behind us with an extra loss.

They know if we get in and keep this ball rolling that college football will be ours again.

Cleveland Gary didn’t fumble, 2000 Bob Stoops ***** job, 2002 Maurice Clarett ***** job, and now this.

That’s 4 legitimate chances taken from us to add to our resume.

I’m leaving the ACC tomorrow if I’m Miami and FSU.
 
RozayCane said:
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Yet not mention of Miami going on the road and smoking a Pitt team that just smoked GT (who played Georgia closer than most SEC teams did btw)

The fact do the matter is against Auburn, Bama looked more like they did against FSU. We’ll see how they look vs Georgia but getting credit just because it’s a rivalry game is crazy…Auburn is *** and doesn’t even have a HC…and if I remember correctly we handled our rivalry games with ease 🤷🏾‍♂️
 
Honestly ND and Miami are two of the best ten teams in the country hands down. Obviously Notre dame is the clearest argument since we have H2H but the SEC sneaking 5 teams in is total and absolute BULL****. Oklahoma, COACHLESS OLE MISS, and Bama are are overrated
 
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Jayden Hewitt said:

College football has a serious issue. ​

​
And the issue isn’t the Group of Five getting a representative, as many say. It goes beyond that; there’s a glaring issue with bias. The bias, though, isn’t just a brand bias; it’s a conference bias, and to an extent, a brand one as well (Notre Dame, I’m looking at you).

This bias is obvious right now as fans hang in the balance to see if their favorite team is selected to play in the College Football Playoff. The issue is that there’s an incumbent and multiple teams who have barely moved, preventing conversations that need to be had.
​
Another glaring issue, before I get into those teams, is preseason rankings. These AP rankings set the table for the year and determine much of the season. The issue is not the predictions themselves, but the implications behind them.

Tennessee, a middle-of-the-pack team in the SEC, was ranked 24th in the preseason AP. Reasonable enough. Except, Tennessee just lost its fourth game, and was ranked 19th in said game against Vanderbilt. Tennessee has no wins over teams that were, at the time, or are currently ranked.

So, a bigger question is, why? Why were those teams still ranked?

It may sound like a conspiracy, but the clear bias for the SEC allows those teams to stay ranked to prop up its best teams when they defeat a team like Tennessee or Missouri.
Missouri did not have a preseason AP ranking, though it received votes. Yet, after rattling off wins in its first five games against 3-9 Central Arkansas (FCS), 5-7 Kansas, 6-6 Louisiana Lafayette, 4-8 South Carolina, and 0-12 (yes, zero wins) UMass, Missouri found itself ranked 14th in the nation in its showdown with Alabama, a game that Missouri lost.

This conversation brings me to my CFP rankings incumbent, no. 8 Oklahoma, which is entirely inert. The Sooners beat both of those schools, giving them two more ranked wins. They also have a ranked win over Auburn, ranked 22nd during their matchup, because they started 3-0 against 5-7 Baylor, 4-8 Ball State, and 4-8 South Alabama.

If you add up all of Oklahoma’s ranked wins, three of those schools make up its five total against teams ranked at the time they played. If you want to dive deeper into that, after the recent rankings, those three teams are not ranked (though their win over Texas now looks better).

This may seem like I’m picking on Oklahoma, and I am. They’re the inconspicuous pest of the rankings, currently. And truthfully, they aren’t a bad football team. But are they one of the nation’s 12 best, and should they remain in their spot because the 10-2 record says so? There are a lot of “not-so-bad” football teams.

Oklahoma happens to have one of the worst offenses in college football. If it wasn’t evident in their game against LSU, where they looked like a high-school offense. Oklahoma ranks no. 12 out of 16 SEC teams in total offense (no. 91 in the country), no. 12 in points per game, no. 14 in rushing yards, and ninth in passing yards. Oklahoma’s defense, though, is statistically the best in the SEC and the ninth best in the country. That is why I don’t consider them to be a bad team, but there are no teams in the top 12 who rank lower than eighth (Alabama is the lowest, which struggles on offense, too) in their own conference in total offense. Oklahoma is currently sitting around some of the worst teams in the country, offensively.

But this isn’t a total smearing of Oklahoma’s name; in fact, they’re a solid team, because defense is vital, but an inept offense and “ranked” wins should be looked at, and it simply isn’t at this present moment, or at least that’s what the committee has told us with their rankings thus far.

No. 9 Alabama, though slightly better than Oklahoma offensively, is another team that I believe is worthy of more discussion. If Alabama wins its conference over one of the best teams in the country, Georgia (would be the second time they have this season), they’re obviously in, and probably on a bye, deservedly so.
Another thing I like to look at is SP+; it’s a more straightforward way of looking at performances, resumes aside. Oklahoma’s ranking is no. 13, while Alabama’s is no. 12, and BYU is behind both, at no. 14.

SP+ is not an objective truth, but its straightforward nature helps back the idea that Oklahoma, to this point, is ranked far too high and should be fighting for its life in the Playoff. Instead, Oklahoma is nearly guaranteed a spot, and Alabama was moved into a place of protection, win or lose.

This article, to this point, probably reads much like a bitter fan, but I am genuinely concerned about the state of the sport as it pertains to the bias that lives within it.

Let’s finish with the team we’ve all been talking about, no. 10 Notre Dame. This team has a loss to Miami, yet, is two spots higher with the same record. Touchdown Jesus cannot be happy that he’s the centerpiece of a program that is rewarded for losing, rather than winning.

Alabama is a better team than Oklahoma in most statistical categories and is in the SEC title game. Yet they are one spot behind an Oklahoma team they lost to. And I’m fine with that, if Oklahoma was no. 9 or no. 10, and Alabama was no. 11 or no. 12, that’s fine. Head-to-head should matter when compared closely, but it seems that only applies to teams not named Miami.

Miami not only ranks ninth in SP+ (Notre Dame fifth) and seventh in FPI, Miami is also no. 11 nationally in total defense (first in the ACC) and no. 29 in total offense (fourth in the ACC). If you stack the Miami Hurricanes up to teams nearby in the rankings, it’s pretty obvious that they are one of the best 12 teams in the country, and the eye test, to add, would tell you they’re within the top eight.

It’ll be interesting to see how the committee evaluates this situation in the final week, and the Hurricanes need help from Alabama and BYU to lose their conference championship games. Because while I will say Miami is a better team than BYU, and probably Texas Tech, it’d be hard to leave out an 11-2 Texas Tech team that has looked solid on both sides of the ball, and you cannot leave out the Big 12 champion at 12 wins, either.

Where Miami needs serious evaluation is at the eight slot and 10 slot, where they are statistically and openly better than Oklahoma. And if only Miami and Notre Dame could have played each other to determine who belongs at number nine… Oh, wait… They did, and Miami won.

So… Is this my campaign for the ‘Canes? Maybe. But I’m also highlighting a potential injustice that may occur to fulfill the need for more SEC teams in the College Football Playoff.

It would be wrong for Miami not to be involved in talks about an at-large spot that would keep them safe from any wonkiness that may occur during conference championship week.

There should be a conversation about Miami reaching the number eight spot over both Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Especially if Alabama loses to Georgia, adding its third loss of the season.

One of the nation’s best football teams should not be at risk of being on the outside looking in for the second year in a row, especially if BYU wins the Big 12 and Duke wins the ACC.

Those two results should have nothing to do with Miami being in the Playoff, but the way the committee has treated the ACC as a whole, that is the spot Miami is currently in. Tonight’s rankings just proved, once again, that Miami is going to need a lot of luck and to be directly compared to Notre Dame to get a shot.
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Basically the article outlines my Great 8 theory
👍👍
It’s all Bias
It’s all about blue bloods
Blame sportwriters
Blame media
Blame dumb coaches as well that have voted like that for decades
 
tbh, ND has gotten hosed the most by SEC bias by this committee, from the start of the CFP rankings to now. I wrote a bit about ND & OU here: https://www.canesinsight.com/threads/there’s-still-hope-for-the-acccg-cfb-playoffs-mega-merge-thread.202880/post-8039316

But, Bama jumping them is just as bad. After Bama lost to OU they fell 1 spot behind ND. In the two games since then ND beat Syracuse 70-7 and Stanford 49-20. Alabama beat Eastern Illinois 56-0 and Auburn 27-20. Yet, Bama is now back ahead of ND. Why, exactly? I get why Freeman was ****ed about that today. There's no reason why they should be ranked below OU and Bama. Neither should we.

The debate about the committee should be focused on why OU and Bama are ahead of Miami and ND. Miami and ND both deserve to be in the playoff. I think we should be ahead of them, but honestly I couldn't care less if they were seeded higher than us if we got in the playoff too.

This will just get worse with 9 conference games and SEC and Big10 teams playing no one OOC. There strength of schedule will continue to look impressive, since it's just a even bigger circle jerk, and ACC and Big12 teams will have even less opportunities to play the P2 conference teams in the regular season
 
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