Clemson "weak"? That's ridiculous.
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/col...ure-selection-committee-protecting-alabama-ou
CFP national reaction: OU catches 'huge break' by dropping to No. 4, draws 'weakest team' in the field
This Story is About...
The Dallas Morning News
The final set of College Football Playoff rankings was revealed Sunday morning, with Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma rounding out the top four.
The only question mark entering Sunday's reveal was the matter of Nos. 3 and 4, and whether the Sooners were going to drop a spot after the Spartans' win in Saturday night's Big Ten championship game. They did, sliding into a matchup with top-ranked Clemson in the Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida), which is set for a 3 p.m. kickoff on New Year's Eve on ESPN.
Oklahoma-Clemson is a rematch of last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, when the Tigers throttled the Sooners 40-6. Both teams, however, are much different now than they were then.
Here is some national reaction to the final reveal:
Sure, Oklahoma missed out on a virtual home game when it dropped out of the No. 3 spot -- which would have sent it to AT&T Stadium for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl -- but Neil Greenberg of The Washington Postconsiders that a "huge break" for the Big 12 champion and uses statistics to justify Clemson's status as the "weakest team" in the field. Here's a sampling:
"Clemson had a sparkling resume, going 13-0 with a convincing win over North Carolina in the ACC championship game. It is a record that, according to ESPN's FPI, would only be achieved by an average top-25 team 2.1 percent of the time.
"However, the Tigers aren't as impressive as they look. According to the Simple Rating System, which adjusts margin of victory for strength of schedule, Clemson was the fourth best team in the country, 18.45 points per game better than average. Oklahoma, by comparison, was third with an SRS of 20.52. In other words, we would expect Oklahoma to beat Clemson by two points on a neutral field."
Click here to read the full article.
Cory McCartney of FOX Sports provided some instant analysis, highlighting the big difference between Clemson's defense and some of the units Oklahoma faced during the regular season:
"Clemson's seventh-ranked defense has given up 27 or more points in four of the last six games, including 41 to NC State but it remains fifth vs. the pass (166.9) and only fellow ACC school Boston College is better than the Tigers at stopping teams on third down (24.9 percent).
"In the Big 12 where -- stop if you're head this before -- defenses have been little more than a placeholder to get your offense back on the field, the Sooner faced six units ranked 95th or lower. Out of conference, the best they saw was Tennessee (46th).
"So this figures to be the most difficult hurdle facing Bob Stoops' remade offense, but then again, Clemson hasn't seen an offense quite like this, either."
Click here to read the full article.
ESPN's Jake Trotter looked back on key points of the Sooners' season leading up to now, and touched on their level of motivation in the pursuit of a national title:
"The Sooners haven't played for a national title since 2008, so the motivational level should be high. Much like Ohio State last year, Oklahoma should be out to prove it's still one of the best programs in the country. The Sooners have been playing with an edge for several weeks now."
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/col...ure-selection-committee-protecting-alabama-ou
CFP national reaction: OU catches 'huge break' by dropping to No. 4, draws 'weakest team' in the field
This Story is About...
The Dallas Morning News
The final set of College Football Playoff rankings was revealed Sunday morning, with Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma rounding out the top four.
The only question mark entering Sunday's reveal was the matter of Nos. 3 and 4, and whether the Sooners were going to drop a spot after the Spartans' win in Saturday night's Big Ten championship game. They did, sliding into a matchup with top-ranked Clemson in the Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Florida), which is set for a 3 p.m. kickoff on New Year's Eve on ESPN.
Oklahoma-Clemson is a rematch of last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, when the Tigers throttled the Sooners 40-6. Both teams, however, are much different now than they were then.
Here is some national reaction to the final reveal:
Sure, Oklahoma missed out on a virtual home game when it dropped out of the No. 3 spot -- which would have sent it to AT&T Stadium for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl -- but Neil Greenberg of The Washington Postconsiders that a "huge break" for the Big 12 champion and uses statistics to justify Clemson's status as the "weakest team" in the field. Here's a sampling:
"Clemson had a sparkling resume, going 13-0 with a convincing win over North Carolina in the ACC championship game. It is a record that, according to ESPN's FPI, would only be achieved by an average top-25 team 2.1 percent of the time.
"However, the Tigers aren't as impressive as they look. According to the Simple Rating System, which adjusts margin of victory for strength of schedule, Clemson was the fourth best team in the country, 18.45 points per game better than average. Oklahoma, by comparison, was third with an SRS of 20.52. In other words, we would expect Oklahoma to beat Clemson by two points on a neutral field."
Click here to read the full article.
Cory McCartney of FOX Sports provided some instant analysis, highlighting the big difference between Clemson's defense and some of the units Oklahoma faced during the regular season:
"Clemson's seventh-ranked defense has given up 27 or more points in four of the last six games, including 41 to NC State but it remains fifth vs. the pass (166.9) and only fellow ACC school Boston College is better than the Tigers at stopping teams on third down (24.9 percent).
"In the Big 12 where -- stop if you're head this before -- defenses have been little more than a placeholder to get your offense back on the field, the Sooner faced six units ranked 95th or lower. Out of conference, the best they saw was Tennessee (46th).
"So this figures to be the most difficult hurdle facing Bob Stoops' remade offense, but then again, Clemson hasn't seen an offense quite like this, either."
Click here to read the full article.
ESPN's Jake Trotter looked back on key points of the Sooners' season leading up to now, and touched on their level of motivation in the pursuit of a national title:
"The Sooners haven't played for a national title since 2008, so the motivational level should be high. Much like Ohio State last year, Oklahoma should be out to prove it's still one of the best programs in the country. The Sooners have been playing with an edge for several weeks now."
