The Josh Innes Show - College Football Playoff Rant!

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

I'm really freaking annoyed by the whole CFP selection process. It's truly preposterous. Imagine the NFL having a selection committee to determine what teams get in the playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Yesterday was National Signing Day. We talked about it and the absurdity of National Signing Day and how, you know, it's all about, you know, money and people flipping. And, like, college sports I find to be pretty gross at this point. It's always been pretty gross, but I find it to be quite gross at this moment. And it's not just because my team loses guys or whatever all over the place. It's pretty disgusting. I mean, you could look at recruiting.

You could look at the college football playoff, which is so absurd. In fact, we can actually start there. So the idea that we're sitting here two or three days before these conference championship games start, and you've got teams throughout different leagues bitching about the process of getting teams into this playoff, something is wrong with it. Now, the NCAA tournament, people love the NCAA tournament. They enjoy it. They don't really care about college basketball, but they love the tournament. And 70 something teams now get into the NCAA tournament. So when someone bitches about not getting in, you're kind of like, okay, tough shit. You probably didn't deserve to be in. 70 teams get in, deal with it. Whereas in college football, 12 teams

get in, right? Okay, cool. So I'm seeing Lane Kiffin bitch and talk about strength of schedule. And then I'm seeing the Big 12 commissioner bitch saying that there's no reason a team like Boise State should get in over a team from the Big 12 because their strength of schedule matters. And then you see different coaches throughout the league, Alabama's bitching about it at nine and three. They feel like their schedule was good enough to get in. And at this point, I'm fine with the concept of a playoff. It should be a playoff. And at this point, I'm fine with the concept of a playoff. It should be a playoff. And in fact, you can eliminate a week of the regular season and build an even bigger playoff and I wouldn't care. But I'll start here. So there's a selection

committee for the college football playoff, which I find selection committees to be absurd because selection committees are full of people who are human. Humans have biases. committees to be absurd because selection committee committees uh committees selection committees are full of people who are human humans have biases so right out of the chute the fact that you've got a handful of people determining these at-large teams or where they rank in this thing is absurd now again same thing happens in college basketball but nine out of ten times you're going to get the teams that should be in the NCAA tournament in the NCAA tournament. And if you're that far on the bubble to be in that tournament, then you're probably not that good anyway. It's very possible to be the 13th best team in college football

and actually deserve to be in this playoff over somebody else. I'd start there, but we're in a world where the college football playoff has expanded to 12 teams and those teams outside of the conference champions are determined by a group of people that I believe changes every couple of years. Now if you look at these people here's the college football playoff selection committee. Chris Ault who is the retired Nevada athletic director and football coach. Chet Gladchuck, who's the Naval Academy's AD. Jim Grobe, who used to coach Wake Forest. Ward Manuel, who's the Michigan athletic director. Randall McDaniel, who played in the NFL and played for Arizona State.

Gary Pinkle, who coached at Mizzou. Mack Rhodes, who's the Baylor athletic director. Mike Riley, the former head coach of Oregon State and Nebraska. David Saylor from Miami of Ohio, he's the Baylor athletic director, Mike Riley, the former head coach of Oregon State in Nebraska, David Saylor from Miami of Ohio, he's the AD, Will Shields, who was a lineman for the Chiefs and played for Nebraska, Kelly Whiteside, who is a former college football reporter for Newsday Sports Illustrated and USA Today, Carla Williams, who's the Virginia AD, and Hunter Urechek, the Arkansas athletic director. Those are the people determining who gets at-large bids into the college football playoff. And then all it becomes is people trying to sell their case about why their conference is the best,

why the SEC gets too much of an advantage, blah, blah, blah. The NFL is the most popular sports league in America, and it's not close. Baseball's not close. NBA's not close. MLS is not close. NHL is not close. Nobody is close to the NFL. The NFL will have a random Friday day after Thanksgiving game, and everybody feels they have to watch. The NBA gets eyes once a year, and that's on Christmas. No one gives a shit about the NBA big picture compared to the NFL. No one gives a shit about baseball big picture compared to the NFL, or college football for that matter. The NFL is the league, football is the sport, and that's what people care about, right? Last time I checked, the NFL doesn't have a

fucking selection committee to determine who plays in the playoff. It is not determined by Hunter Juracek and Gary Pinkle and Jim Groh. Can you imagine you sit down in a world where Chet Gladchuck is part of a committee to determine whether or not the Chargers or the Broncos deserve a playoff spot. No, you can't imagine that world because the NFL has a set guideline, a set standard for how you make the playoffs, and it's cut and it's dry. But we don't get that in college football. Instead, we have to have this bullshit drama,

and we have to have this stupid selection committee bracket show every Tuesday in the second half of the season, none of which matters. And we have to sit there and we have to let people fight it out over who's got more credit. The thing about the absurdity of the fact that we're watching three, three lost teams punch each other over who deserves to be in this 12am playoff. These are three lost teams. This is Alabama. Alabama, as of right now, allegedly would be in the college football playoff, according to Ward Manuel and Randall McDaniel and Gary Pinkle and Mike Riley and Will Shields and Carla Williams. Alabama would be in.

And they're selling you on the idea that, well, we play in the SEC, and the SEC is the toughest league in the country, and because it's the toughest league in the country, every week is a gauntlet. Well, the reason your strength of schedule looks good is because you've got Oklahoma as bowl eligible at 6-6 and Vanderbilt as bowl eligible at 6-6. Those are two bad teams who beat Alabama. So you're basically taking two horrible losses that you have and you're selling them as some sort of sign that you play in a tough league because we lost to those teams on any given Saturday.

Vanderbilt didn't beat anybody worth a shit other than Alabama. Oklahoma didn't beat anybody worth a shit other than Alabama. Yet Alabama is taking these two teams who, if they did not beat Alabama, would not be bowl eligible, and that's part of their selling point for as to why they should be in the college football playoff. Like, listen, we played a tough schedule. I mean, you go down our list. I mean, we beat Georgia who's in, you know, we played this team in one, you know, we're looking at our, look at the number of top 25 teams. Look at the number of years. And of course, I mean, look, the SEC is a gauntlet. Everybody's in contention. Yeah. Vandy and Oklahoma would not be in bowls if not for the fact they beat you. And by the way, Oklahoma held you to three points. LSU, a team that you held to

13, LSU scored 30 something against Oklahoma and beat the shit out of them Vanderbilt a team that beat you played LSU a team you throttled and LSU beat that Vanderbilt team what case do you have and that's the biggest problem is we're having to sit here and bitch about this kind of shit and argue about this kind of shit and debate about this kind of shit when there should be a set standard for making the playoffs. This isn't difficult. Here's an idea. Get rid of conference championship games. As we've seen, they don't really mean a ton right now anyway, other than for winning your conference and obviously you get a bye. But look at the conference championship game in the Big Ten. It is what you've got Penn State versus Oregon, right? That is your Big Ten championship game.

Both of those teams are going to get in. What the fuck does it matter? The game is, it's essentially an exhibition. It has been determined by, well, if you watch the Georgia, Georgia Tech game on, well, I guess that was the day after thanksgiving was it thursday or friday whenever it was if you watch that game the broadcasters kept telling you that as long as georgia wins this game they're locked into the college football playoff so you mean to tell me that in the sec championship game both teams who

are playing in this game are already in, then why the fuck does it matter? Oh, well, they could have a bye. Great, they'll have a bye. Cool. Why does it matter? There's no real drama if both teams are already going to be in. It is a borderline exhibition. But this college football playoff,

which again, in theory is a good idea, but there are so many ways that you can determine who the best teams are and who deserve to be there that is predetermined before the season starts instead of having the people, coaches have to lobby and talk shit about each other and talk shit about other leagues. It is dumb. And if you want to do it in basketball, do it. Seventy teams get in.

Cool. Half of the field is predetermined. Like, you know that if you do this, you're in. You win your conference tournament the field is predetermined like you know that if you do this you're in you win your conference tournament you're in like you know that so half the teams are predetermined anyway but then you go to the other half and if like you can't get in out of 35 teams you're probably not good we're talking about what eight teams seven teams you want to tell me that there aren't better teams? Just the idea. Like, the Alabama one really pisses me off. And yes, I'm well aware that I'm LSU guy,

and Alabama beat the shit out of LSU, and Alabama beats the shit out of LSU pretty frequently, and I get all that. Alabama is not good. Yes, they beat Georgia. Congrats, you beat Georgia. Georgia is also not that good. And I'm saying this as a guy that roots for the SEC. Like, you beat Georgia. Georgia is also not that good.

And I'm saying this as a guy that roots for the SEC. Like, we're looking at bad SEC teams, and we're giving them credit because they played other mediocre SEC teams, and we're making that be the end-all, be-all about why these guys are so good. Watch Georgia play this year. Georgia got beaten up pretty easily by Ole Miss. Like, I got to find their schedule. Look, I I'll give you their schedule but I've watched Georgia a lot because I bet on their slapdick quarterback who's been who's been it's Carson Beck who's terrible the first the most recent thing I've seen about Carson Beck is he likes to slide into snapchats of chicks and tell him he doesn't even

like playing football so shame on me for betting on Carson Beck to ever win anything for me. But look at Georgia's schedule. So if you look at what they've done, they were lucky to beat Georgia Tech. They should not have beaten Georgia Tech. They did. They out-talented them down the stretch. And then it came down to this absurd eight-over-time, two-point conversion game, which was bogus, right? They beat Tennessee. Tennessee's fine. They got throttled by Ole Miss. They struggled with Florida. Like, if you just look at what they've done, nothing about them has been impressive. But, like, people, these committee members

and all these people in the media like to look at the SEC and tell you how tough the SEC is. Oh, it's a gauntlet. It only looks like a gauntlet because there's a bunch of mediocre teams and they're beating each other. So it's like, boy, how impressive was it that, you know, Georgia was able to, you know, survive against Kentucky. Well, Kentucky's terrible.

Let us not forget that Georgia beat Kentucky by a point. Oh, but how does Clemson have a case if Georgia beat the shit out of them? Good, you beat Clemson. I don't think Clemson's good either. Who is good? I don't know. But if you look at what Georgia's done, like people just paint Georgia as this great fucking team. Georgia realistically could and should have four losses.

They should have lost to Kentucky if Kentucky wasn't stupid. And they should have lost to Georgia Tech. They didn't, so you can't keep them out because they should have, could have, would have lost. They did win. But people talk about Alabama beating Georgia like it was some great fucking accomplishment. Carson Beck blows. You know who else blows? Jalen Milrow.

Yet because those two teams played each other and they have rankings next to their name, we have to act like it was the most incredible thing we've ever seen. Oh my God, do you see these SEC teams? Boy, what about a Ole Miss that tough Ole Miss schedule? Well, let's hear Lane Kiffin because Lane Kiffin likes to tell you about how the sec is this gauntlet and every week got to play these tough teams. Guess what lane you went to Baton Rouge and you lost to an eight and four LSU team. Oh, also Lane, if you want to go down the list of the shit you guys have done, let's see. Oh, I forgot. You lost to Kentucky. You lost to Kentucky. Who's terrible.

You lost to LSU. Who's a four loss team. And then you want to tell me about how, oh boy, we were in the sec gauntlet. It looks like a gauntlet because you lost to bad teams. Oh, and then you lost to Florida. So fun fact, Lane, you've lost to three unranked teams. Three teams that ended the season much lower than they thought they'd be when it started. But congrats to you, Lane. Oh, but we beat South Carolina. Well, South Carolina shouldn't be in either. I like them. I'd rather see them in over. I'd rather see Ole Miss and South Carolina in over Alabama because Alabama lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, two teams that would not be in bowls if not for the fact that they beat you. Oklahoma held you to three points, Alabama. What case do you have? Oh, I forgot you're Alabama.

Roll Tide, numbers on the helmet. Roll Tide. And you got lucky to win a couple others. They were in a ball game with South Florida in the fourth quarter at home. So don't tell me how good Alabama is. Look, let me play a few commercials here for you, and we'll continue some college football stuff.

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is better in the SEC? Yes. But we've gotten to a point now where we're in a world in the college football playoff committee where the only thing we accept in this selection committee world is, well, strength of schedule. And I mean, they're all in the SEC. So I mean, if you lose three in committee where the only thing we accept in this selection committee world is well strength the schedule and I mean they're all in the SEC so I mean if you lose three in the SEC you're really better than a one loss big 12 team and what fine but but when I watch SEC football I don't believe a lot of these teams are good like watch could, should, would have four losses, and Carson Beck is a turnover machine, and they don't have the same weapons they used to have at wide receiver.

That's not a very good team. Like, it was a miracle that they beat Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech just shit the game away. Late fumble burned them. And then you get the stupid overtime. I mean, like, so I get that your job is to get into the college football playoff and lobby for your team. I'd like to get to a world where it's not the job of the coach to lobby for his team to be in a tournament. That we know that there is a plain and simple way that you get into this tournament.

The NFL, again, the most popular league in the country. And when the season starts, you know, here's how you get to the playoffs. You win your division or you're one of the three wild cards. That's it. There's no, yeah, you know, the Saints are on the bubble, but I mean, I know that they lost twice to the Falcons, but the Falcons got kind of lucky there at the end of the season. I mean, they got a break here. Maybe the samecons got kind of lucky there at the end of the season, and they got a break here. Maybe the same, I mean, you look at the same strength of schedule, look at their strength of victory. I don't care. Find a way for there to be a predetermined path to get to the playoffs. I don't want to hear Hunter, I don't want to hear what Hunter Juracek and Gary Pinkle

and all these other people in the college football playoff committee who sit in a room somewhere and come up with all this. I don't want to hear from them. I don't care what Randall McDaniel says. I don't care what Ward Manuel thinks of who should be in the college football playoff. I don't care. Give me a clean cut way for it to happen. Give me something I understand. Talk to me like I'm a baby because it's pretty simple. There's no other place in any American sport

that matters with such a difficult, well, no, there is no other place where you vote for who gets in. Like hockey, we can talk about the hockey playoff format and I think it's kind of stupid the way the the standings work in hockey but it's not like there's a committee going yeah you know the Flyers may get in but man did you see what the the Capitals played their best hockey in the last month of the season think of how preposterous that is like man you know I know they started slow. Hey, the good news is they got their loss early in the season, but they're red hot right now, and this is the team that should be in.

They're playing their best football. It's dumb. We can talk about baseball, and I don't like the baseball playoff format really either in that you play 162 games to make the playoffs, and your playoffs could be over in 20 hours. I hate that. I think it's dumb. Look, you want to judge the NBA? At least the NBA does playoff series the right way. You know what we do? We're playing a seven game series. Let's go. A seven game series will at

least tell you who the better team is more times than not. A two out of three series that could end your season in 20 hours. Give me a fucking break. I've seen two teams I root for burned by that in recent history. The Cardinals losing to the Phillies, and I saw the Astros lose last year. And look, it's the way it's set up. At least you know that going in, but it sucks. But at least in the NFL, you know what you have to do to make the playoffs before the season starts. You have no clue what you have to do to make the playoffs before the season starts. You have no clue what you have to do to make the playoffs in this college football playoff other than win your conference. If you win your conference, then you know you got an automatic bid. Other than that, it's a beauty contest. It's a bunch of slapdicks. It's David Saylor,

the Miami, Ohio athletic director, or Will Shields, the former Chiefs offensive lineman, or Carlo Williams of Virginia, the athletic director, all sitting around together deliberating about who should be in. The fates of athletes and teams should not be determined by a group of 12, 13, 14, 20 slapdicks sitting in a room, all who are human, all who have biases. And it's unavoidable to have those biases because we are human and humans are filled with them. That's why when people talk about the media and they say, well, you know,

there used to be a time that the media was more honest. Not really, because the media has always been humans and humans are biased. It's just natural. We all have it. I grew up in Louisiana, so I am going to have a bias towards LSU because I rooted for LSU. Doesn't mean I'm always going to side with them, but there is an inherent bias that I have with LSU. So, like, you mean to tell me that a guy who's the athletic director for Michigan doesn't see the incentive to prop up a Big Ten team? Come on. the incentive to prop up a Big Ten team? Come on. Do you want to tell me that the Baylor athletic director doesn't have incentive to prop up a Big 12 team?

Come on. And at some point, it's basically just the SEC versus everyone, right? Because that's basically the one standard for getting into this thing is, hey, do you play in the SEC? Well, we're going to blow you. So basically, you might as well just put everybody else in one conference and the SEC in the other and see what happens. SEC versus everybody.

I'm saying that as an SEC guy. It's just embarrassing the way they handle this stuff. Like, it's 2024, and the best way you can come up with to determine who's in a playoff is to have people go into a room at a hotel and talk about it and deliberate over it and come out like it's a fucking jury. We the above and the entitled find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of murder. Like that's what you're doing. You're 12 angry men in this shit. You're sitting and deliberating like you're a jury. Here's all the evidence.

That's preposterous. The whole concept of this is preposterous. The fact that we're sitting here two days, a day before some conference championships, two days before the SEC championship, and you got the big 12 commissioner talking shit about the SEC. You got Lane Kiffin talking shit about the ACC. You got Alabama sitting back not really worried because they know they're going to get in because they're fucking Alabama despite the fact they lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. And Oklahoma held with three fucking points.

And they're like, oh, we're in. We're good. We're not worried. And South Carolina's like, we think we deserve it. It's ridiculous. Oh, boy. All this and my team's not even in the mix. We're going to Memphis or Nashville or wherever the hell we're going.

Anyway, more to come.