Easiest places (school) to get to the College Football Playoff

[8timechamps]

ESPN posted their top jobs that provided the easiest path to the college football playoffs. Here they are:

1. Texas
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Notre Dame
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. USC


This is what they said for Oklahoma:


4. Oklahoma
With no conference title game to trip over, the Sooners have one of the easiest paths to the playoff, not to mention the facilities and financial resources to recruit players and pay coaches.

While I don't disagree that OU makes it easier in some regards, I think the fact that OU is one of the few schools on the list (Clemson and Notre Dame are the others) that are not located in a hotbed of high school talent, makes it much more difficult. And Notre Dame offsets that by always having a huge following/brand.

I would put OU in the top 10, but I wouldn't put them in the top 5. Alabama should be much higher. I think I'd probably flip OU with Alabama.


Here's the story if you want to check it out: LINK (http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/108896/ranking-the-coaching-paths-to-the-playoff)

[pappy]

Where is Oregon or Florida?

[Mazeppa]

This is all you need to know about that article!

http://i59.tinypic.com/291dp8z.jpg

[EatLeadCommie]

Our not showing up to play against Clemson gives credibility to such claims, but the ACC has, by far, the easiest path to a playoff.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Notre dome and clemson both are surrounded by more people and therefore more talent than OU is. Alabama's problem is there are so many other top recruiting teams in their area

[BoulderSooner79]

I agree that Texas and OU should be pretty high on the list. The one that is having a strong season and doesn't get upset by the other should be in the mix up until the final weekend. The fact that the baton has been handed Baylor, TCU, OSU and KSU the last few seasons is clear indication of some organizational problem at the 2 big schools.

[tycat947]

I agree that Texas and OU should be pretty high on the list. The one that is having a strong season and doesn't get upset by the other should be in the mix up until the final weekend. The fact that the baton has been handed Baylor, TCU, OSU and KSU the last few seasons is clear indication of some organizational problem at the 2 big schools.

The reason we're high on the list is we have 10 team in conference and no championship game. We need to keep it that way. Big 12 had 2 schools in Top 6 teams. If it were OU/whorns, we'd have had 2 teams in Final 4 IMO.

[BoulderSooner79]

The reason we're high on the list is we have 10 team in conference and no championship game. We need to keep it that way. Big 12 had 2 schools in Top 6 teams. If it were OU/whorns, we'd have had 2 teams in Final 4 IMO.

I don't agree the big12 would have had 2 playoff teams, but I do think they would have had one. Even though TCU was the team most talked about after missing the playoffs, it was Baylor that ended in the dreaded 5 slot. They trumped TCU by winning head-to-head which is how it should be, IMO. Replace those 2 teams and records with OU/UT and the head to head winner gets in most likely. Heck, replace TCU with OU last season and I think we push Baylor into the CFP.

[tycat947]

I don't agree the big12 would have had 2 playoff teams, but I do think they would have had one. Even though TCU was the team most talked about after missing the playoffs, it was Baylor that ended in the dreaded 5 slot. They trumped TCU by winning head-to-head which is how it should be, IMO. Replace those 2 teams and records with OU/UT and the head to head winner gets in most likely. Heck, replace TCU with OU last season and I think we push Baylor into the CFP.

I think if K-State and O-State were the 2 teams, we'd have had 1 team in Final 4. I think chances are just as likely that if OU/whorns were in Top 6, we'd have 2 in Final 4 versus 1. I can almost guarantee there would be at least 1 which tells me we have 2 too many private schools in conference. TOSU had a terrible loss at home to a very weak V-Tech team and played in a weak B1G. I really believe the only reason they jumped TCU/Hypocrite U is that they were private, relatively no-name teams, right, wrong or indifferent.

[Eielson]

I think that list was fairly accurate.

[SoCalBigRed]

Looks like a pretty accurate list to me. I would say OU has a pretty good shot. When have we not been in the running for the Title, if we're undefeated, or one of many 1 loss teams?

OU's reputation, history and standard of excellence puts them in the Top 4, easy.

We go undefeated, we're probably playing for the Title in the past and with the playoffs now, we will be one of the 4 teams.

[Pride1Mom]

Typical case of "What have you done for me lately?"....Amazing how they forget that the Big XII once had a conference play-off and was penalized for it if you lost. OU was in three National Title games in the 2000's, but since they only won one that wasn't good enough. Getting there is hard enough, but people do not get that. Bradford should have won against Florida if DeMarco Murray was in the game.......injuries are a huge factor......
Blame the Big XII management not being able to placate teams to keep them in the conference, although I don't miss Colorado or Missouri......

[8timechamps]

I think some folks are confusing this list.

This list is ESPN's list of programs that have the "easiest" path to the CFP. It's not a list of programs that regularly compete for a title.

I'm not arguing that OU shouldn't be on the list, but there's no way they should be at #4. Especially with Alabama at #9.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of national title competing programs. OU has the most difficult recruiting task, year in and year out, of anyone in the top 10. That alone should drop OU down a bit.

Also, the big argument ESPN is using is the lack of a conference title game. How'd that work for the conference last year? I'd say it's more of an obstacle than an aid.

Sure, if OU goes undefeated, then there's no issue with not having a conference game...but that could be said of just about any team. Realistically, most years teams are going to have at least 1 loss. So, when looking at it from that perspective, the lack of a conference title game hurts everyone in the Big XII, OU and Texas included.

[SoCalBigRed]

If all of these teams are undefeated (obviously texas wouldn't be) at the end of the season... OU will be in the Top 4.

Always has been that way, always will be.

1. Texas
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Notre Dame
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. USC

[8timechamps]

If all of these teams are undefeated (obviously texas wouldn't be) at the end of the season... OU will be in the Top 4.

Always has been that way, always will be.

1. Texas
2. Florida State
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Notre Dame
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. USC

It's possible, but there's no way to know (especially because there are different variables factored in nowadays, like strength of schedule, conference championship games, etc). If OU were undefeated, and all of the champions of the other power conferences were undefeated, OU would probably be on the outside looking in.

However, the point of their article was that OU has the 4th easiest path to the playoffs. Which I think is ridiculous.