How the CFP Rules Kept Alabama Out of the CFP

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right. First of all, before we get started, somebody
out there is legitimately probably saying the Kansas City Chiefs
the NFL is rigged. Look at how that field goal
was made. Illuminati confirmed. Oh man, it's so easy to

(00:22):
hate winners. Is it not easy to hate winners? My man?
Good grief. Look, I'm not really gonna do too much
NFL today. I think we all have a pretty good
idea of what happened last night with the Kansas City Chiefs,
the Chargers, RUSS continues to be successful, The Pittsburgh Steelers
look pretty good. The Panthers were quote feisty, but still

(00:44):
couldn't quite pull it off. Regardless, college football is the
main thing right now, right and I'm sure everybody's bitching
and moaning this morning about how Alabama's not in, or
they're debating on why they shouldn't have been in the
first place. Look, first of all, this is why, again
I say the rules don't make any sense. Very clearly,
it was stated we were tasked with the top twenty five.

(01:07):
That's it. From there. The rules are the rules. So
you have Alabama sitting at eleven, you have Clemson ranked
was it five spots behind? Them technically, but they are
going to get in because they are one of the
highest ranked conference champions That's it. And I've been saying
that since the beginning of the year. So if Alabama

(01:29):
fan has a gripe, there's your gripe right there. Not
about your schedule, not about anything else other than the
rules not making sense, which is why I've implored for
years and years and years that you create a rules
system and not a voting system. In fact, I'm in
favor of the top sixteen teams getting in. To be
honest with you, I think sixteen teams is a perfect number.

(01:52):
I didn't like four, I didn't like the idea of eight,
certainly don't love twelve, and I think sixteen is the
perfect number. So there's that. But I just think, and
everybody goes, well, what kind of rules would there be, folks?
This is not quantum physics. Are there not rules to
get into a conference championship game? They have rules slated

(02:13):
out so that way you know exactly what you have
to do to play in the a SEC Championship, the SEC,
et cetera, et cetera. Stop it. This is not quantum physics.
Now to Alabama not getting in. Whether anybody likes it
or not, they don't deserve to be there. I don't

(02:36):
care what Alabama has done since two thousand and nine.
This is twenty and twenty four and they are not
the same football team that you fans want them to be.
That is all there is to it. They have some
very dynamic playmakers, especially Ryan Williams. Jalen Milroe is very

(02:57):
hit and miss as a quarterback. Let's keep it a buck.
That game, they damn near blew the lead and had
it not been for a miracle play right, one hell
of a play by Ryan Williams, because that was a
bad throw in the traffic. He does everything, he adjust
tomate the catch, he stays on the sideline, he makes
what three guys miss? That was one Ryan Williams. Jalen

(03:21):
Milroe is a true option quarterback, to be honest with you,
he's justin fields. Whether anybody likes it or not, they
don't deserve to be in this season, and Caleb de
Boor showed that he's just not quite ready yet on

(03:41):
several occasions. Number one, blowing the lead, Number two not
getting his team prepped for Vandy correctly. Number three the
Tennessee game and the mass mistakes that were made the
Ou game getting held to three points. Okay, sure fine,
the rev stole six from you in that game. How
many more points do you still lose by? They could

(04:02):
have changed the momentum. Stop it. You were getting dominated
and if you'd done what you were supposed to be
doing up to that point, you wouldn't have been in
that position to begin with, because you should have been
well ahead. Let's keep that a buck. And then everybody
talks about the strength of schedule. Look the strength the schedule,

(04:25):
the SEC and really any conference. We got to remember
these teams are being ranked by the committee, the AP.
These people have an invested interest, and it is all
about flavor of the week more often than not. And
Alabama's at a conference schedule was Mercer, Western Kentucky, South Florida,

(04:51):
and Wisconsin. And yeah, sure they did their job and
pulled away, but let's not forget that was a one
point game going into the fourth quarter against South Florida,
and in fact, just talking about records, Western Kentucky was
the best team that they played. You can't lose the

(05:11):
Vanderbilt who lost to Georgia State. You can't get blown
out by ou You just can't do it and expect
to get in. Does anybody remember the debate that happened
a few years back with Penn State whether or not
they should be in. They had two losses and a
lot of people felt that they should be in the
College Football Playoff? Does anybody remember that season when they

(05:33):
got absolutely drummed by Michigan in a voting system, you
are not going to get the opportunity when you get
and look, Alabama shouldn't have been ranked as high as
they were to begin with. They were seven with two losses,
and I knew what the committee was doing. They were

(05:54):
doing everything that they could to keep them hanging around.
And everybody says they don't feel sorry for Miami, they
don't feel sorry for this team, they don't feel sorry
for that team. How in the hell is anybody else
supposed to feel sorry for Alabama? If you win, you're in.
And to be honest with you, outside of maybe Oregon
and even then not so much. There really hasn't been

(06:17):
a true dominant team in college football this year. Why again,
I say the transfer portal. This has been one of
the most difficult years to decide who truly is good
There's only one undefeated football team in college football this year, guys,

(06:38):
and that's Oregon. I mean, at this point, if you're
gonna make a case for Alabama, then you might as
well make a case for KU. Did they not beat
three then ranked football teams in a row at one point?
But how did their overall season? Go? Oh, we'll just

(07:00):
play all the soft SEC teams. Wait a minute, I
thought there were no soft SEC teams. I thought Vanderbilt
would be able to take on Indiana and win by thirty,
no problem. But then Vanderbilt also beat Alabama. But let
me guess you're gonna say, well, Vandy wasn't that bad, bro?
They lost to Georgia State. You will not tell me

(07:21):
will they beat Virginia Tech? How good was Virginia Tech?
Stop it. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot
tell me that top to bottom the SEC is the
best conference in the country and then say well, we'll
play all the bad SEC teams. Wrong. He got Nick
Saban crying, Oh, this doesn't incentivize us to play Notre Dame.

(07:46):
You didn't play Notre Dame. Texas A and n did
and they lost. Hey, you got the SEC commissioner he's
crying about all this. We're the best conference, we should
have more teams, and you want all of your teams in.
Does anybody remember last season when Kirby Smart said every
team in the SEC should be ranked. Anybody remember that statement?

(08:09):
It is this is the power trip that this conference
is on, and this is why people are fed up
with it. They are upset because they are sick and
damn tired of hearing about it. Alabama may have won
some games against some teams that were then ranked, but

(08:31):
at the end of the day, there is a penalty
for losing, whether anybody likes it or not. And I
don't want to hear about Nick Saban saying it won't
incentivize teams to play big games when Alabama's schedule was
softened in cool whip outside of the conference, Wisconsin has

(08:56):
not been good for the last five seasons. South Florida
give me a break. Mercer's an FCS team, Western Kentucky.
Get real the delusion that is up here. It's madness, man.
I don't think I have ever seen anything like it,
other than maybe a Dallas Cowboy fan. In the first

(09:18):
five weeks of every season. This is this is the
old and Man and and Dallas cowboy fan has done
nothing to earn it. At least the SCC has got
some titles to back up their bluster. And even then,
you got three teams in right, you got Tennessee, you
got Georgia, and you got uh Texas. If one of

(09:39):
those teams is good enough, they will win the championship.
That's pretty cut and dry, isn't it. That's pretty cut
and dry. If one of them is good enough, they
will win that title. Wow. Anyway, there's that Paul finebaumb
can out talking like it was a doomsday scenario for Alabama. Oh,

(10:05):
the worst case scenario may have just happened Clemson b SMU, Which,
by the way, that is Debo Sweeney spitting in the
face of everybody who's told him that that team is
not that good this year. And two you can't if
you don't want to do the transfer portal, then you

(10:25):
are going to fall by the wayside. He just keeps
figuring it out, man. And look, I've been one of
the ones that are critical of him. Now, do I
think they'll do anything in the playoff? No, I honestly
I don't think so. I think if they win one
playoff game. I'd call that a definite win for the season.

(10:45):
Is it gonna help with long term recruiting potentially, But
they're gonna have to win a playoff game because I
look sustainability, right, You're going to have to figure out
how to recruit guys that want to stick around, and look,
you're gonna have to create financial freedom in order to

(11:06):
do that. It's not just about the transfer portal and
what it does. It's about the combination of nil times
of transfer portal and how other schools are able to
create situations for these players that other schools are not
able to do. That's legitimately what it amounts to. And
I don't want to hear anymore. Nick Saban, Oh well,

(11:26):
this doesn't really help out the little guy anymore. You
don't give a damn. You don't want a team like
Boise State in there to begin with. And you know it,
the look on your face when you saw them given
a bye week, you were disgusted. Stop it. I am
sick and fucking tired of the financial bias that ESPN has.

(11:48):
Whether they want to admit to it or not, it
is there and they are one hundred percent using their
power of influence to try and get everything they want.
They didn't get their little low way this year, and
they don't know how to deal with it. They're all
acting like a bunch of little children. So sorry, you
only got three of your invested interest teams into the playoff. Again,
if one of them is good enough, they're gonna see. Look,

(12:09):
I I'm not a real big corporate American guy. In
case you can't tell, this is why. Well anyway, moving
on here, uh to the actual games themselves. Look to me,
there was one thing about Arizona State that I saw

(12:31):
during the championship game with Iowa State that I did
not like, and that was they had that sixty three
yard play and they're down in what are they on
the three yard line? And there just was no continuity
in that moment. Everybody looked lost. They look confused. They
didn't know what play this said, they didn't know what
to do, and then they had to use the time out.

(12:53):
Then the very it was at the next play, Scott
Bowley just throws one up. That was a crazy move
because that ball could have been picked off. They ended
up scoring, but that sequence really was not that impressive,
and I think it showed Iowa States inability to be
ready for a college football playoff just as much as

(13:16):
it showed Arizona States. Now they slid by in the
Big Twelve, they were able to put themselves in position
great now though that man, they're gonna have to make
some adjustments because an old boy can get on talking
about how he's the best running back in the country
all he wants to, and YadA, YadA, YadA. Genty's proof
is in the putting. Genty ran all over Oregon at

(13:41):
the beginning of the season. So there's that, Okay. The
point of what I'm saying here is they're a one
dimensional football team, whether anybody believes it or not. If
the run game doesn't work and you can't get stuff
together like that against some of the better teams in
the country, against a noted against the Georgia, you cannot

(14:03):
let their defenses be able to sit back and be
able to regroup. You've got to get up to the
line of scrimmage in that moment. Either call the play
and run it quickly, or just run up, snap it
and just I'm talking up the middle. Quarterback dive, quarterback sneak,
full back dive, halfback dive whatever. I mean, something simple,

(14:25):
just to keep the pressure on them, keep the momentum going. That. Look,
a lot of other defenses in the country, if they
get a chance to reset like that, they are going
to stop you on the goal line. That's all there
is to that. Saw it with Ohio State and Michigan.

(14:46):
You know, look for everybody talking about Ryan Day and
Ohio State, they made some stops on the goal line,
they forced a turnover. I mean, look, you cannot give
these teams an opportunity to reset. You've got to get
down there and take care of business after a big
play like that. You've got to show that you're ready
to be there. And look, I know Arizona State fan

(15:09):
is really happy, and you know they're gonna get to buy.
But I'm telling you that that didn't look good as
far as Penn State in Oregon goes. Look, I've said
this a million and one times. I don't know where
James Franklin starts coming from. Every time that football team

(15:31):
starts running the football, they are superb. It should be
notably probably one of the top three run games in
all of college football at Penn State. But he is
hell bent on making Drew Aller Tom Brady, and he's

(15:51):
just not it. Now, somebody's gonna go. Man, come on,
look at look Brody. Everybody. Every dog has her day.
Drew Allers had a couple of games here and there.
He's a D one quarterback. He's gonna have some really
good games. You are going to have to play the
ground and pound game. The Oregon game is not necessarily

(16:12):
embarrassing predicated upon how you finished, but it certainly started
out that way. It's four quarters, man, The game doesn't
start in the second half. You have got to start
and finish the same way. A lot of times in
college football. Yeah, every now and again you can get
away with it. It ain and how you start, it's

(16:33):
how you finish. Well. You get from behind like that,
and you're doing two things. Number one, you're you're playing
catch up, and you're trying to get the momentum, and
you're going on the run and you're doing all these things.
And then you're there and now you're tired or whatever.
Now you got to try and take the lead. Now
you're trying to maintain. Now you're trying to get ahead.
Then you get ahead, maybe then you're trying to maintain

(16:56):
the lead. That I mean, you know, and you're just
exhausted all the fuel in the tank. Man. It just
to me the way Penn State came back versus the
way SMU came back are two totally different things. I
think SMU showed who they really were at the end

(17:17):
of that football game, and I think Penn State revealed
who they really were at the beginning of that football game.
And I think Oregon got very lazy, If I'm being
honest with you, I think they got very lax. I
think they got very lazy, and they allowed Penn State
to come back. I don't think that that was symptomatic

(17:38):
of Penn State being a truly great football team. Now,
obviously we'll find out in the playoffs, but for my money,
it just wasn't a good look. I think James Franklin
needs to really simplify the playbook, That's what I think.
I don't think there's a reason to try and do
too much. Throw some things in there, but come on, man,

(18:02):
let's be honest. Your strength is running that damn football.
Do it. Aler's got wheels. I know you don't want
to risk him getting hurt, but folks, injuries aren't part
of the game, and Troy Yateman wasn't exactly known for
being a scrambler, and how many concussions did he have
and a lot of them were him sitting back there
in that pocket. We have to get over the notion

(18:24):
that because your quarterback is exposed, he's going to get hurt.
I know we've seen hits from Trevor Lawrence. I know
we've seen what it's happened to Tua. I get all that.
I'm not ridiculous to it, but everybody's at risk. You're
gonna have to play the game that suits your team
best because as a coach, job one put your team
in a position to win. And for whatever reason, James

(18:48):
Franklin just throws everything out the window when it comes
to these bigger games. He goes completely away, like, dude,
you're not slick. They know what you're gonna do by now.
They watch you in the game it don't matter, run
the football, and then they watch you in the games
that do matter. Try to make your quarterback Tom Brady here,
it's just not gonna happen. Bro stop it. So well,

(19:15):
there's that anyway, Clemson. You know, hats off to Dabbo.
Like I said, he's he's spitting in the face of
everybody right now, is a QS fan. I appreciate him.
Give that shout out right back to fran Brown. You
remember one for that one, Brody. I honestly, I don't

(19:37):
know how Clemson did it. Man. I think the mistakes
early on by SMU crushed them. You don't make those mistakes.
I think SMU wins that football game, probably handily, at
least by ten. To me, there's no doubt about that,
at least by ten. I'm excited for SMU. I'm excited

(20:01):
for Boise State. I think it's time that we realize
that the NCAA is not just four conferences when a
few special teams. We need to go way past that.
I am hoping that SMU and Boise State do well.

(20:23):
One or the other doesn't matter to me. I'm really
hoping for it because and look, I understand that none
of these players were there when Boise State was doing
their thing back in the mid early you know, part
of the two thousands. I get that, but man, alive,
I guarantee you those fans have not forgot all the
times that they were shunned, all the times they were

(20:46):
told you're not good enough. All the times they were told,
your schedule this week, all the times they were told
that one game at the beginning of the year against
Virginia Tech doesn't matter. All the times they were told
that you're too small, your conference isn't good enough, you're
not strong enough. If you played in this conference or
that conference, you'd have seven wins, et cetera, et cetera,

(21:08):
et cetera. All the time they would lose just one
game and then have no shot at anything. Look, this
is Boise State fan right now. I guarantee you is
watching with redemption on the mind, and they should be.
I would still be furious. And it's not just about them.

(21:28):
It's about an undefeated Utah team that was coached by
Erbin Myron and quarterback by Alex Smith that should have
got a shot. Boise State should have had a shot.
Rutgers had a solid argument and they didn't get in
UCF which, by the way, Scott frost is reportedly going
back to they didn't get their shot and they were undefeated.

(21:50):
Remember they unveiled themselves as national champions. They were only
undefeated team left. Scott Frostman, what a troll job. You know,
it's It's really about that, and this is the way
college football should be. Tulane had a chance at at

(22:12):
parts of the season to be able to crawl back
in there. I think if Army doesn't lose to Notre Dame,
they're probably in the College Football Playoff right now, and
SMU might be out. I'm just keeping that a buck
because you don't leave Notre Dame out of ten and two,
even with their schedule. It just it doesn't happen. Man uh,

(22:39):
And really quick here last game Georgia Texas, Texas is
gonna look back and say to themselves they should have
won that football game. And if Texas beats Georgia, I
got news for everybody. Alabama ends up getting in there
because they have the head to head that's all there
is to it. They they slide in, Georgia falls back,
they and and Georgia probably doesn't end up in the

(23:00):
College Football Playoff. You swap them out, You leave in
SMU despite how close that game would have been. And
even then maybe just maybe SMU gets left out even
though that game is close and Georgia and Bama both
make it in. But regardless, Texas is gonna look back
in say to themselves. They should have won that football game.

(23:23):
They created turnovers. They look, they they had two fumbles
on one drive alone by Georgia that they should have recovered.
As a matter of fact, it was a drive where
Georgia faked the punt right, so they they should have
been able to recover those fumbles. But I've always said
a team becomes reflective of their coach and situational awareness

(23:45):
football IQ, where's the football? Where are we attacking? You
know you're doing enough to jar the damn thing loose,
But you got one Georgia player and three Texas guys around,
and none of you guys have the have the meat
and the muscle to get that damn football. Come on, man,

(24:05):
who wants it more? Right again? I say, Kirby Smart
at the end of the day, out coach Klea debor
at the end of the day, he out coached Sarkesian.
That's all there is to it. That's the way that
it went down going forward on fourth down. Look, this

(24:29):
is a nothing to lose situation technically for Georgia because
they know if they lose a football game, they're probably
not going to get in. So what do I do? Look,
I know they're not gonna be ready for it. Not
on what you'r on thirty five yard line? Isn't that
where they did it at? Come on, you know they're

(24:50):
not looking for it. You know that it's a low
scoring game. You know that they're thinking that. You're probably
thinking about, Man, they're just gonna let the defense take
care of this. Right wrong, now, credit Texas because they
held him, but you know they should have won that

(25:11):
football game just offensively. They couldn't get anything going. Quinn
Ewers is always hurt. And really outside of the games
against Alabama, right the first year a couple of years
ago that they should have won that game in Texas

(25:31):
but he got hurt. And then the next year right
in Tuscal loose a hell of a performance. But really,
outside of that, in the truly big games, he's either
injured or he's playing hurt, or he's making too many
critical mistakes. And then of course Sark, you know, he's
over time, he's bringing in arch Manning out of nowhere,

(25:51):
and you know, and then even then when they were
down in the red zone on why are you making
these three You're you're not even trying to work the
middle of the field, you're just going straight for the
end zone. You still can work the middle of the field.
You could run the football. You can do a lot

(26:12):
of different things. You can run out routes, quick ends.
You know, just a little five and in square in
boom there it is five and out, ten and out
quick hitch. There's just so many choices right there. But see, though,
the one thing I keep saying about Texas is they
either run the football directly up the middle or they

(26:33):
chuck it deep, and there's little in between, and it's
just a little bit of window dressing to try and
keep you off balance. Sark has got to improve his
play calling. I mean, that's all there is to it.
And he's gotta make a choice. He's look, he's either
got to go yours are manning. This dude is coaching
scared right now. That's what I see when I see Sark.

(26:57):
He coaches scared. Man. You've gotta have grapefruits in these games.
That is all there is to it, all right, Everybody,
I am Drew Duncan, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is all
at Drew Duncan Radio wherever you're listening to the podcast
taking advice to play Drew Duncan. I am not a

(27:21):
needle in a haystack. Everybody, enjoy the rest of your
night and or day. Stay safe, y'all.