The Playoff Picture

[bctex1106]

I'll post this again.
From an ESPN article.
SEC teams are still required to schedule at least one additional high-quality nonconference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season.
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...c-go-9-game-conference-schedule-starting-2026

From the SEC website.
SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional high quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season. The SEC will continue to evaluate its policies to ensure the continued scheduling of high-quality non-conference opponents.
https://www.secsports.com/news/2025...ine-game-conference-football-schedule-in-2026

Alabama is in violation of the new rules.

Just curious, where is Bama violating this rule? I must be missing something

 

[dssl]

I'll post this again.
From an ESPN article.
SEC teams are still required to schedule at least one additional high-quality nonconference opponent from the ACC, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season.
https://www.espn.com/college-footba...c-go-9-game-conference-schedule-starting-2026

From the SEC website.
SEC teams are required to schedule at least one additional high quality non-conference from the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten or Big 12 conferences or Notre Dame each season. The SEC will continue to evaluate its policies to ensure the continued scheduling of high-quality non-conference opponents.
https://www.secsports.com/news/2025...ine-game-conference-football-schedule-in-2026

Alabama is in violation of the new rules.

Great rule, but not all power 4 teams are created equally. If this is the requirement then schools like Syracuse and Purdue are going to be very much in demand.

I liked the proposal where your quality power 4 OOC opponent would be assigned based on your record the previous year, or some measure of how good each team is likely to be.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

Godd*mmit.....we will not be left out because we lost to OSU....we will be left out because we lost to Florida!!!..... That and we played poorly against Kentucky and MSU..... It is All on us!

Ummm, not so fast my friend.

Aggy came within a couple points losing to hapless Arkie. No one talks about that and the other games aggy squeaked by and other teams who did the same.

No, it's only Texas who is being punished for two close games.

Florida was a decent team when we played them. Lots of 4 and 5 star talent on their roster. Coach was coaching for his coaching life. QB finally healthy. Hot shot WR. They were still in the hunt at that time.

After our game, the gators just kinda fell apart. But that was after our game.

 

[tejasrulz]

Ummm, not so fast my friend.

Aggy came within a couple points losing to hapless Arkie. No one talks about that and the other games aggy squeaked by and other teams who did the same.

No, it's only Texas who is being punished for two close games.

Florida was a decent team when we played them. Lots of 4 and 5 star talent on their roster. Coach was coaching for his coaching life. QB finally healthy. Hot shot WR. They were still in the hunt at that time.

After our game, the gators just kinda fell apart. But that was after our game.

Yep, we played a bad game at Florida and to their credit, they played well.

 

[BruiseLee]

Ummm, not so fast my friend.

Aggy came within a couple points losing to hapless Arkie. No one talks about that and the other games aggy squeaked by and other teams who did the same.

No, it's only Texas who is being punished for two close games.

Florida was a decent team when we played them. Lots of 4 and 5 star talent on their roster. Coach was coaching for his coaching life. QB finally healthy. Hot shot WR. They were still in the hunt at that time.

After our game, the gators just kinda fell apart. But that was after our game.

Georgia also only beat them by 4.

 

[Baron]

Just curious, where is Bama violating this rule? I must be missing something

You and @dssl must have missed the high quality part of the two articles.
Florida St does not constitute a high quality nonconference opponent. I'm sure the SEC will thoroughly wrist slap Alabama.

 

[Baron]

Yep, we played a bad game at Florida and to their credit, they played well.

We ran into the perfect storm that weekend. Florida and Napier had their backs to the wall. Remember there was a lot of criticism of both leading up to that game. Lots of bulletin board material.

 

[oldhorn2]

Ummm, not so fast my friend.

Aggy came within a couple points losing to hapless Arkie. No one talks about that and the other games aggy squeaked by and other teams who did the same.

No, it's only Texas who is being punished for two close games.

Florida was a decent team when we played them. Lots of 4 and 5 star talent on their roster. Coach was coaching for his coaching life. QB finally healthy. Hot shot WR. They were still in the hunt at that time.

After our game, the gators just kinda fell apart. But that was after our game.

You missed the whole point. The fact is we will not make the field due to our short comimgs and not because we lost to OSU. Fact is had we played dominant football from that point, the conversation would be how we put gained OSU and were maybe the better team

To continue to whine about the schedule is just too aggy like for my taste.

Flame away....

 

[bctex1106]

You and @dssl must have missed the high quality part of the two articles.
Florida St does not constitute a high quality nonconference opponent. I'm sure the SEC will thoroughly wrist slap Alabama.

I think this is a bit disingenuous. Florida St is a P4 program in a downturn right now, who just completed an undefeated season 2 years ago. Theres no way to predict they'd be down like this when the games were scheduled.

This is like other fans claiming our win against Notre Dame in 2016 wouldn't meet the same OOC requirements bc the Irish finished 4-8 that year too, or when teams like Arky were beating us in OOC while we were finishing 5-7.... unless youre consistent and agree that ND and the Horns wouldn't be considered "high quality" in those games either?
What exactly is your cutoff for being high quality or not? Its a silly rabbit hole to go down given the annual roster and program fluctuations in the current landscape of the sport.

Bama has met the requirement, regardless of your feelings on the current FSU team

 

[Baron]

I think this is a bit disingenuous. Florida St is a P4 program in a downturn right now, who just completed an undefeated season 2 years ago. Theres no way to predict they'd be down like this when the games were scheduled.

This is like other fans claiming our win against Notre Dame in 2016 wouldn't meet the same OOC requirements bc the Irish finished 4-8 that year too, or when teams like Arky were beating us in OOC while we were finishing 5-7.... unless youre consistent and agree that ND and the Horns wouldn't be considered "high quality" in those games either?
What exactly is your cutoff for being high quality or not? Its a silly rabbit hole to go down given the annual roster and program fluctuations in the current landscape of the sport.

Bama has met the requirement, regardless of your feelings on the current FSU team

Disingenuous is it? I made my statement by what the SEC website stated. There were no caveats in that article. There should have been. So I made my statement according to the letter of the law as put forward by the SEC.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

You missed the whole point. The fact is we will not make the field due to our short comimgs and not because we lost to OSU. Fact is had we played dominant football from that point, the conversation would be how we put gained OSU and were maybe the better team

To continue to whine about the schedule is just too aggy like for my taste.

Flame away....

I don't think I missed the point. Everything I said was a factor and is true.

Every team in the playoffs has shortcomings, as I pointed out. Ours seem too be unique to Texas and not the rest, as I explained.

It's not whining. It's just the truth.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

I think this is a bit disingenuous. Florida St is a P4 program in a downturn right now, who just completed an undefeated season 2 years ago. Theres no way to predict they'd be down like this when the games were scheduled.

This is like other fans claiming our win against Notre Dame in 2016 wouldn't meet the same OOC requirements bc the Irish finished 4-8 that year too, or when teams like Arky were beating us in OOC while we were finishing 5-7.... unless youre consistent and agree that ND and the Horns wouldn't be considered "high quality" in those games either?
What exactly is your cutoff for being high quality or not? Its a silly rabbit hole to go down given the annual roster and program fluctuations in the current landscape of the sport.

Bama has met the requirement, regardless of your feelings on the current FSU team

Bama's loss to FSU was worse than our loss to Florida. FSU routed Bama.

 

[bctex1106]

Bama's loss to FSU was worse than our loss to Florida. FSU routed Bama.

Bama also has the best win of the season and 1 less loss

We failed to secure our playoff spot by losing to Florida. Nothing more, nothing less.

Do I think our resume is worthy of a playoff spot since we played 5 top 15 teams? Absolutely, but we have to control our own destiny and not leave it in the hands of a committee who changes their criteria when its convenient with zero consistency.

 

[bctex1106]

Disingenuous is it? I made my statement by what the SEC website stated. There were no caveats in that article. There should have been. So I made my statement according to the letter of the law as put forward by the SEC.

Right, that's what it says, but we have to use a little common sense here and understand that there's some nuance that youre intentionally leaving out...which is basically that any P4 team, by definition, should fall under the umbrella of this OOC requirement, considering that the language says "OOC from another P4 conferences."

If we beat Oh St in an OOC game, and Oh St goes on to finish at 6-6 come seasons end...is that not considered a high quality OOC team anymore?
I have a hard time believing your current opinion wouldnt change in that scenario. Can't have it both ways.

And my question remains...then whats the cut-off for "high quality" outside of what the language says about the OOC game must be against another P4 opponent? Like DSSL stated above, not all P4 conferences are created equally, so interjecting a subjective meaning to "high quality" is silly. I read the rule as a requirement to just schedule at least 1 P4 OOC opponent, doesnt matter who it is, and thats it.

 

[oldhorn2]

High quality?... Ok... Beating Notre Dame is like beating a Mountain West team...maybe Boise State....no more, no less


We ought to schedule them every year....get credit for a high quality win at very little risk.

 

[oldhorn2]

Perfect OOC line up....wins give a huge boost, losses don't hurt so bad in the polls and they frankly are not that tough....

ND... USC..North Carolina....

 

[Dillohorn1]

Play Rice. Does not make any difference anymore.

 

[bctex1106]

Play Rice. Does not make any difference anymore.

When did Rice move into P4?

 

[Sirhornsalot]

When did Rice move into P4?

lol, play Purdue or Northwestern or Rutgers or Wake Forest.

 

[bctex1106]

lol, play Purdue or Northwestern or Rutgers or Wake Forest.

Correct. Those are P4 teams that meet the SEC criteria for OOC games. Sounds good to me.