The imagined H2H line deciding power ratings is a good heuristic for matchups that haven't occurred yet. But once the game is actually played, the importance of that imagined game goes out the window.
Another reason it's hard to take seriously post-game power ratings that ignore the actual H2H: the factors specific to the matchup (emotions, stakes, difficulty of beating a team twice) likely become of primary importance since the teams just played last week.
It takes a rare combination of hubris, shamelessness, and loser mentality to dwell on imagined second bites at the apple. A prime example from recent memory: Ohio State players talking about winning 9/10 imaginary games after the 2025 Cotton Bowl; Notre Dame's whinging about still being the better team is a good second example. The all-time prime example: gatuh fans who believe the 2001 UF team would have beaten the 2001 Canes team, despite all quantitative evidence to the contrary AND HUGE H2H WINS BY THE CANES WITH THE SAME QB THE YEAR PRIOR AND THE YEAR AFTER.
**** these losers six ways to Sunday. May the gatuh lose every game the rest of the season.