Strength Of Schedule

[Englebert]

I've heard more than I can "bear" about how weak Baylor's schedule was this year and how it hurts them in the polls. If a pollster thinks TeamB is all of a sudden better than TeamA because TeamB barely beat a "strong" opponent and TeamA beat the crap out of a cupcake, then that pollster should immediately resign, or be forced to. Strength-of-schedule is just a flawed ranking based on another flawed ranking. And just because TeamB can beat TeamC doesn't mean TeamB is now better than TeamA. Let me give an example:

Jerry Jones decides he wants to have a photo of all the Dallas Cowboys holding their college diplomas. He is quickly informed that many, if not all, have never earned their diplomas. Dejected about losing this opportune idea, he methodically schemes of an alternative solution. And then it comes to him. He will have a picture of the entire team holding their high school diplomas. It is then discovered that all 22 of his starters are one semester short of credits. Darn, another idea shot down. But he will not give up. Needing a small in-the-middle-of-nowhere school to avoid the media circus, he enrolls them at Hamshire-Fannett High School to earn their credits. And to prevent his players from slipping out of playing shape, he uses his powers (translated to $$$) to persuade the UIL to grant them one year of eligibility. He then convinces the Hamshire-Fannett school board to change the mascot name from Longhorns to Cowboys. …strike that last sentence, I want to keep this story believable.

Finally the Texas high school football season starts. Since the schedules have already been finalized, Hamshire-Fannett plays High Island, Sabine Pass, Orange Community Christian and Beaumont Legacy for their non-district games. Fellow district opponent West Orange-Stark plays Port Neches-Groves, Nederland, Beaumont West Brook and Port Arthur Memorial for their non-district games.

After four weeks both teams are undefeated. Who should be ranked higher? According to the strength-of-schedule philosophy, there is no debate. West Orange-Stark has played a tougher schedule according to anyone that has a pulse. So you would have to rank West Orange-Stark over the Dallas Cowboys, err I mean Hamshire-Fannett Longhorns. Really?

The pollsters need to be honest and just say “these are my rankings based on my opinion” and quit trying to justify them will flawed reasoning. And to steal Bill O'Reilly's mantra, Where am I going wrong?

Edited December 10, 2015 by Englebert

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

So what's your point? That Art Briles is a rape apologist? Then, yes, I support this thread.

 

[Englebert]

I guess you missed the point. This thread is not about Baylor or Art Briles. Like the title says, it is about strength of schedule.

Why do pollsters, or anybody for that matter, try to justify their rankings by saying this team is better than that team because they played a tougher schedule. Makes no sense. Do you agree?

[PhatMack19]

I guess you missed the point. This thread is not about Baylor or Art Briles. Like the title says, it is about strength of schedule.

Why do pollsters, or anybody for that matter, try to justify their rankings by saying this team is better than that team because they played a tougher schedule. Makes no sense. Do you agree?

Over the years every time Briles and Baylor has played a team with a pulse they have lost.  The cupcake schedules and history of the program come into play with Baylor.  Rankings should only be based on the current year, but the history of the team is always in the back of the voters minds.  

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

I guess you missed the point. This thread is not about Baylor or Art Briles. Like the title says, it is about strength of schedule.

Why do pollsters, or anybody for that matter, try to justify their rankings by saying this team is better than that team because they played a tougher schedule. Makes no sense. Do you agree?

No, is your sarcasm meter busted?

The SOS has to be part of the equation.  If Texas had played Baylor's schedule this year,  they'd be a bowl team.

[PhatMack19]

No, is your sarcasm meter busted?

The SOS has to be part of the equation.  If Texas had played Baylor's schedule this year,  they'd be a bowl team.

They are going bowling

 

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[Englebert]

Using the above example, if the Texas UIL had a BCS type Selection Committee for the playoffs, shouldn't West Orange-Stark be picked ahead of Dallas Cowboys Hamshire-Fannett for the playoffs?

[Englebert]

They are going bowling

 

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Whew. I'm glad I read the article. I was about start a boycott.

[Peppermint Patty]

These bowl games amount to participation trophies. 

Extra practice, blah, blah, blah......Bowl payouts, blah, blah, blah....

If you're not playing for the NC, you're a participant. 

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

So I haven't kept up with 4A, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but I assume WO-S was ranked higher that HF??

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

These bowl games amount to participation trophies. 

Extra practice, blah, blah, blah......Bowl payouts, blah, blah, blah....

If you're not playing for the NC, you're a participant. 

Yep. We have no business being in a bowl this year. We got bigger fish to fry as Ullyses Everett McGill would say.

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

They are going bowling

 

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Yeah... I can see Moorer using a few of these guys as his bowling balls after the kinda year we had.

[Englebert]

So I haven't kept up with 4A, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but I assume WO-S was ranked higher that HF??

The question is: should a mythical UIL Selection Committee pick WOS, who has a stronger strength of schedule, over a HF team that is made up of the starting 22 Dallas Cowboys?

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

So you're asking about playoff seeds then? That is decided based on district standings, to my knowledge. So the UIL doesn't make those decisions, the teams on the field do. But I believe this question is better asked in the HS football thread.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Whoopi Goldberg's Lips
Dang autocorrect spelling

[Englebert]

It is a mythical/made-up scenario. Nevermind.

[UTfanatic]

Over the years every time Briles and Baylor has played a team with a pulse they have lost.  The cupcake schedules and history of the program come into play with Baylor.  Rankings should only be based on the current year, but the history of the team is always in the back of the voters minds.  

Baylor did not invent cupcake schedule 

 

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

No but they sure as hell mastered it.

[Englebert]

So what does it matter? How is any team better or worse for their OOC schedule? That was the original question and not one response has articulated the significance of strength of schedule.

[PhatMack19]

So what does it matter? How is any team better or worse for their OOC schedule? That was the original question and not one response has articulated the significance of strength of schedule.

If UH was undefeated they wouldn't have made the playoff.  Maybe not even in the top ten.  SOS means just because you unbeaten doesn't mean you are one of the best teams in the country.  

 

I do believe playing tougher teams helps your team in the long run, but the college football system doesn't allow much margin for error.  For HS, I would like to play a team better than me, a team just as good, and a team i should blow out.  In HS you can do that because non district doesn't matter. 

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

Think about what you're saying, in an unbiased manner.  Your example earlier was WO-S and HF.  Do you really believe HF would fare as well as WO-S would in that scenario?  I don't.  I believe more than one team would push their poop in.  Meanwhile, WO-S would either beat those teams or give them a helluva game.  So, common sense should tell you that, comparatively speaking, WO-S would easily handle HF.  That's the thought process of these voters/ranking officials/wizards of the playoff system (or whatever you want to call them in your mythical/made-up scenario).

They must have some type of ranking system, or cut the system down to a manageable number of schools for a true playoff system.  The NCAA has 120+ D1 schools, there isn't enough time in a season to have a playoff system like the NFL to get down to one true champion.  And the UIL certainly has too many schools to contend with, so there has to be some type of cull system.

I really don't understand why you're making this so complicated.

[Englebert]

How about reading the scenario. HF would beat the crap out of WOS, because HF would be comprised of the 22 starting Dallas Cowboys. You seriously think WOS can beat the Dallas Cowboys. You either didn't read the scenario or...nevermind.

The whole question is on strength of schedule. I never said an undefeated team was better than a one loss, or even a five loss team. The question is: Why do people think one team is better than the next because of who they have played? If the #3 team beats the #1 team, and the #2 team beats Lamar, what makes a person think that the #3 team is now the best team? Why are they now better than the #2 team? Could the #2 team have beaten the previous #1 just as bad or worse? How does strength of schedule propel you in the rankings over a team that has a weaker schedule. The rankings are an opinion only. Justifying a ranking by saying this team is better than that one because they played tougher opponents is ludicrous. In my example, the Dallas Cowboys beat four of the smallest schools in the area. WOS beat the top big schools in the area. So by SOS logic, WOS is better than the Dallas Cowboys. Is that logical?

Edited December 10, 2015 by Englebert

[PhatMack19]

College football is a subjective system.  The current playoff is way better than we had in the past but it's still mostly based on opinions.  Until there is a true playoff like it the FCS, that will always be the case.

[Englebert]

I agree 100%. The rankings are opinions only. What irritates me is when one of the so-called experts tries to justify their rankings by saying strength of schedule is a factor. I wish they would just say "Hey, I think this team is better than that team and that's my opinion."

I wish the SEC would have got shutout of the BCS, because that would have spurred a 8 team playoff for next year. LOL I won't be happy until we have at least a 16 team playoff.

[UTfanatic]

College football is a subjective system.  The current playoff is way better than we had in the past but it's still mostly based on opinions.  Until there is a true playoff like it the FCS, that will always be the case.

the most sensible post you have made in a while. 

Agreeing with an Aggie. 

What is this world coming to?

 

[Whoopi Goldberg's Lips]

I took your hypothetical HF cowboys as sarcasm, that's why. Of course HF would cream WO-S if they had that talent. Hell, they would be ranked the #1 HS team in the nation if that were the case. 

I say ban thread/delete poster.