CRA

yeah, I still don't think we are having the same convo. I'm talking about WHY teams get bumps over others. It's not history. It's eyeballs. Sometimes they are in synergy together and sometimes is just about who can draw the most eyes today (and history can be irrelevant there). I'm glad you pointed out you are young. You are younger than I thought. Clemson probably got more history than you think. You could throw Dabo's nattys in the trash....and they still got more nattys than most of the SEC teams. But that’s not the point. Take SC . Take Colorado Make them comparable teams. One spot. It’s Colorado all day. It’s not about tradition. Who is better. Or conference. It’s eyeballs. That’s the point.

I don't think we are having the same convo though. What the ACC was and will be has nothing to do with my point. If Clemson and SC had identical resumes. Today. Right now. They didn't play each other in this make believe scenario. The CFP likely puts Clemson in over them. And that doesn't have anything to do with ACC or SEC. The reason they would be putting Clemson in over them.....matters. That's my point. Not saying it should. But it does. It's why Bama is where they are today too. And no schedule tinkering changes that element. It's an eyeball/money game. Who can get the most eyeballs outside of where you exist. If you spawned into the universe in 2020.....and had to list the 2 best teams programs in college football are. It was Bama and Clemson. And you probably had to put Clemson ahead. That wasn't long ago. And If you were a teen then, then you still are a youngster.

Oh, I think he might technically use it. I just don't see him using it in the manner the rest of the field will.

Clemson has been the 2nd best team in the CFP era. An ACC school. They are a national program. You debate if they can stay there or not. I can handle the argument they are soon to fall out. No one besides grandpa cares about what happened in the 80s or 90s or whatever tradition you want to toot about. My kid isn't turning on Notre Dame on NBC. Present day TV eyeballs don't care. And it's not about comparing Clemson to Bama in terms of viewership. It's about the edge they would have on teams right beneath that Bama tier. Which totally would be relevant in a 12 team CFP environment. Clemson not only has a good fanbase...but unlike say a South Carolina team, Clemson has real nationwide hate. Love it or hate, they have legit personality. Which is basically the point. And it's unique. It's why SEC talking head Paul Finnebaum has spent the last decade fixated on them. And Dabo Swinney is 100% a key driver of that relevance/interest/added hate component. Lose him and it changes Clemson in many ways. They immediately become irrelevant IMO in the national convo. I don't think Deion continues coaching. We have done this dance. It was about his son and nothing else. Latest example was that last Heisman pitch they made to the voters. HeisMEN and his son prioritized first over Hunter. I'm just saying he would be a Dabo on steroids. So you take a random SEC/Big10 school A and random school B and make them equal. If Deion is coaching one of those, the CFP is going to put them in. So that matters more than slight scheduling tinkering or SOS or whatever. It's all a money game in the end. It's a show in the end.

I think instead of teams fixating on would scheduling X over Y be the difference maker......just realize that won't matter in the end. What will matter, is who is close to you and what that does for national viewership interest. Bama has a huge fanbase and they have the perfect compliment to that. Lots of haters. So they get love and hate watching. I think even if Clemson belonged, let's say they beat SC and Miami won. Think they would have had strong at large odds because they have a good fanbase.....and they get the added hate watching. So maybe a SEC would want to throw comical money at Deion Sanders to try to woo him to be PR guy who dabbles as HC.

I mean, Clemson is pissed. They are the most talented team probably SMU has seen this year. And for whatever experience gets you.....it's their 8th title game in the last 10 years. And say what you want about Dabo (I get the outsider dislike), but in house, Dabo Swinney is one heck of a motivator. And he is really is trying to turn on his why not us narrative pretty strong. Fueling the team off the hate. I think the game likely comes down to this, will Dabo (the over loyal coach)......put Mafah on the bench? Or a significantly limited role. Dude is hurt. He wouldn't take him off the field vs SC. A hurt power RB is just a slow RB. But the last ACC title game is also where he was willing to finally put DJU down in the name of winning at the end. I like Clemson's odds much better this week than last. But in fairness, I still haven't watched a SMU game, just highlights. So I really don't know what they are bringing to the table.

Without that game, they weren’t even going to be debated and have an argument though. So that game still helped their resume . It was close, easily could have just come down to the randomness of who was on this committee this year and their bias. I think think this current window will be short regardless. Current format is dumb. And college football as we know is breaking anyway. This format won't last long anyway because the conferences will keep changing. Money is doing what it does. Already seeing it in recruiting. Eventually, there is just going to be a "main conference". Boise St isn't going to belong in the same realm a Bama is operating in. They won't have the money, players and then no resume to even justify being in the talk even with a perfect record.

If we were built different and in a different place....I would welcome him. We are what we are. He is still a glorified TE with good hands at this stage in his career. And every year at his age is going to be impactful to what we are really getting. We need to be focused on youth. He takes too many snaps. AT IMO gets overrated around here because the pass game has been so bad....and he happens to be a savy vet who gets heavy targeting. I still think also helps bring the ceiling on the O down and we can't afford that with our QB.

I've seen that hitting the social media rounds. I don't think the hits are the same and that because of what happens in the final second. Atlanta defender at the very end rolled to the side. Which while late and probably never should of happened, eased off at the last second. Texan defender chose to destroy at the final second.

I'm cutting all the old men. Theilen is gone. Clowney gone. They serve little big big purpose given what we are and where we are. Young blood needs those reps.

we knew that when we signed him. That's why Pitt had been trying to deal him. People are praising Morgan but I don't think we should. He got out of something he never should of done to begin with. It was always poor judgement on his part. So I think we should acknowledge both sides of that coin. Some teams can take the risk of handling a problem child. A rookie HC, rookie HC, really bad young QB trying to rebound......isn't the type team a GM should of saddled a problem WR with

I still think they should just remove the auto bid qualifier. Let them play, but the games count. The argument they only hurt isn't true. It just only hurts sometimes, just like it can only help sometimes. Just like tough out of conference games. Shane Beamer was talking about how they need to rethink even playing tough out of conference games.....ignoring the Clemson game they just got off of is what got him into the convo of possibly making it to begin with. I think there the field should be 8 teams, no byes and no auto entries.

Saw some SMU fans saying they should just boycott the title game because of the all risk no reward nature of it. They would 100% be in if the ACC didn’t play a title game. Now potentially out if they lose.

That’s pretty insane. And the one odd ball is to independent Notre Dame. Clemson has had a top 10 class the last 7 years straight. Think their class is logging around 30 something right now. Probably why Dabo was just talking about finally having access to money now and no one going to have more than Clemson. Got that nice church money ready to roll after seeing his class I guess. But I still don’t expect it going to portal kids.

Yeah, I think with SOS logging in at 75….and no win vs anyone that finished in the top 25 they would be out. Committee already signaling they can drop below that Bama line. And think if you drop them below Bama they would keep falling past SC

Carolina - suck it up for a couple months, get a lot foot targets and stat pad Ravens - go do dirty work on the edge Carolina was the place if he was smart. It was just a couple months and he couldn’t pull it off

Mike Wallace Antonio Brown Martavis Bryant JuJu Claypool Dionate all looked like legit and showed enough to think they might be studs….but Mike Tomlin clearly can sniff it out and part right with them right before the bad comes

He already proved what he was....we often are the woman who thinks she can and did fix the man. Robbie Anderson is better than DJ! Let's lock Diontae up quick! ......Bryce Young doesn't suck after all

if the Steelers part w/ a WR.....you don't pick up that WR. That's been proven as the law everyone should abide by.

outscored 61-17 to date in the CFP. Zero wins. I do think the 12 team format decreases the odds of first game blowouts. Which weren't uncommon in the old format.

well, I didn't see this earlier. Warde Manuel just said yesterday SMU could drop behind Alabama (and who knows who else) if they lose.....so I guess you can be punished for playing in a Championship game. I swear I thought they said they wouldn't do that earlier in the year. he confirmed a team that doesn't play can't jump another team that doesn't play. So based on that, SMU now has to win to be in. And if you are SMU, the ACC title game only presents risk and no real reward. So I retract my statement that Dabo could save folks from Bama. No one can save you from Bama.

Oregon was losing in the 4th quarter to a one man show RB from the Mountain West. That's why sports is fun.

SEC/BIG10 isn't good enough to take up 8-9 spots. Almost every year Clemson made it in the past, most argued the ACC didn't deserve that spot either. Which proved itself to be SEC fan fiction. This is just the continuation of that same thing but trickled down. There are no dominate teams in football this year. Took UGA 3483 OTs to take down GT last week. SMU should 100% be in, win or lose. How would you jump Indiana over them that doesn't even play?

NFL board. Ward and Sanders are projected as some variation of 1 and 2. A matchup like a SC would be super relevant to the draft and NFL.....because it pits them against a team that would potentially take advantage at their perceived flaws (and they have the same flaw). So, I use the 2 QBs interchangeably. Both would provide that opportunity.