Byes are bad! Byes are bad!
Do yourself a favor. If you hear anyone talking about a first round bye College football The playoffs are a disadvantage as the four teams that lost a bye in the format’s inaugural season hit them over the head. Or, if you’re a pacifist, politely correct them.
Byes aren’t bad. You should want a goodbye. Ignore the results of a format that is certainly flawed in the way it awards byes, but the byes themselves are just fine.
While the Remain versus Rust debate is a never-ending thought exercise that will never truly be settled, and the idea of a rusty team may have some merit, using the College Football Playoff quarterfinals as evidence is flawed in itself because there are many other justifiable reasons why the four bye teams all lost.
Let’s go through them, shall we?
1. The system is faulty
I’ve talked about this before and I’m far from being the first to say it, but by reserving byes for conference champions, you’re not necessarily rewarding the top four teams. While we can debate – and we do – about who the best teams are and how to determine them, it’s fair to say that most would agree that Boise State And Arizona State weren’t actually two of the four best teams in the country this season.
This brings us to the next explanation…
2. Two teams with byes were double-digit underdogs
Boise State was an 11.5-point underdog against State of Pennsylvania. Arizona State was a 13.5-point underdog Texas. Neither of their losses should have been a surprise as both were heavy underdogs with cards stacked against them.
The biggest surprise of their two games was Arizona State coming back in the second half and forcing the game into double overtime before ultimately falling. Additionally, while Boise State ended up losing by 17, it was a 3-point game late in the third, and Penn State scored on a 58-yard touchdown run in the final 5 minutes to make it a 17-point final.
You could say the bye was an integral part of Arizona State’s comeback effort against a bruised and beaten Texas, and it also helped Boise State hold on before giving in late.
3. Georgia had a first starter at QB
Did Georgia’s offense only score 10 points and turn the ball over multiple times because it was rusty, or was it because Gunner Stockton was he making the first start of his career in a College Football Playoff game against one of the best defenses in the country? Well ! I’m not sure.
I’m not saying this to take anything away. Notre Damewho were clearly the better team in the Sugar Bowl, but anyone trying to blame Georgia’s loss on an extra week of rest was watching college football for the first time in their life when they called this game.
If there’s one game where there’s a realistic chance the bye will be an issue, it’s the Rose Bowl. Oregon went 13-0 this year, had a bye week, then got smoked by a steamrolling Ohio State team. Tennessee a week before. Given all the questions surrounding Ohio State following its loss to Michiganit can be argued that the Tennessee game served as a wake-up call and that the Rose Bowl is not possible without it.
One could argue that. They would be wrong, but it is a free country and there are no laws prohibiting it.
The truth is that Ohio State was the favorite to win the national title before the season started and has been one of the best teams in the country all year long. When it plays its A-game, few teams can compete. If you need proof, Oregon lost to the Buckeyes by 20!
If you need more proof, Ohio State is a touchdown favorite against Texas in next week’s Cotton Bowl. And if he gets past the Longhorns, he’ll also be favored against Penn State or Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Oh, and he was also favored against Oregon. Yeah, it wasn’t the bye here either.
