Stepping away from the TTUN threads for a brief moment, I had a good debate at the water cooler today. With the 12 team playoff, there is the chance we could see 1 thing that has never happened (16-0), and another that has only happened once in the modern era (2 loss champ). I don't need to remind you of that.
What happens first? Obviously 16-0 since OSU is going to do that, right? The debate was actually pretty strong. On the side of 16-0, you have history telling you that a high percentage of champions finish the season unbeaten. 4 of the last 5 champs finished unbeaten (3 being 15-0 due to Covid shortened season).
On the other hand, in the case for a 2 loss champ:
- No divisions guaranteeing 2 best conference opponents will face off in the conference title game
- Longer season, more chance for injuries. Combined with transfer portal depleting depth from top teams
- The fact that while every game is still important for seeding. Can coaches prevent letdowns when a group of 18-22 year olds know they can lose, and still get in
- Realignment strengthening the schedules in the Big 10 and SEC.
It was a tougher debate that I thought. I'm still sticking to my 16-0 prediction, because OSU is going to do it this year!
