Synan Says: The Real Top 25 in College Football, Week 14

By
MIKE SYNAN
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We were robbed!

How could you, playoff committee? How could you do such an injustice to not just one school’s fans but the entire nation? How could you not settle it once and for all on the field? I cannot even begin to express my disappointment at Playoff Committee Chairman Rob Mullens. What were you thinking?

Are you wondering which team I think should have made the playoffs? Am I now upset at the Final Four teams? Not really. They got that one right. What really gets my goat is the failure to match up Florida against UCF in the Peach Bowl so fans could once and for all determine who is the state champion of Florida (hint: it’s UCF). What could have possibly been so hard about matching these two teams with great fan interest in the region? Politics of course. There are lots of reasons why UCF will not get to the Peach Bowl to play Florida and that’s what college football is all about.

First there was the Peach Bowl itself. This game has long been the red headed step child of the New Year’s Six Bowl Games, relegated to a low pecking order before it became part of the elite group. Even it can sometimes remain an afterthought when it’s not hosting a semifinal or final game. The Peach Bowl (along with the Fiesta) has often been the leftover bowl–or Group of 5 access bowl–and they’re tired of it. UCF played in this game last year. Three years ago, it was Houston taking on Florida State. Two years ago, the Peach Bowl hosted the semifinal game. The Peach Bowl was simply tired of taking everyone’s leftovers and was determined to prove it is a big boy in big boy football–so they wanted no part of UCF. Shame.

Next, do you think Florida wanted anything to do with UCF? Ask yourself what UCF has to lose in playing Florida other than its 25 game win streak. The answer is absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, the Gators are riding high in the state of Florida right now. They have every advantage over UCF in terms of facilities, recruiting, prestige and, of course, the actual ability to get to the playoffs should UF be good enough in a given year. Losing to UCF would just narrow the gap between the two schools and push large conferences to look at the Knights as a potential addition in the next round of expansion. There is no reason why the Gators, who are weak on offense, would want a team that is rolling up more than 600 yards a game even with their backup quarterback. Send ‘em to Phoenix would ya? LSU awaits.

Of course the playoff committee got the Final Four right. You could not let in a two loss Georgia team over conference champion Oklahoma. The Sooners also avenged their only defeat while Ohio State’s 29 point loss to Purdue stuck out like a sore thumb and kept them out of the playoffs. As for UCF, as much as I enjoy watching them play, the team’s best wins were over two loss Cincinnati and five loss Pitt and Memphis. That’s just not good enough.

Enjoy bowl season! I will watch UAB against Northern Illinois, or Appalachian State against Middle Tennessee in a bowl game over December NBA action any day of the week.

Here is my Top 25 for the week beginning December 2nd.

  1. Alabama (13-0) Did you think UGA had them on the ropes? What a great redemption story for Jalen Hurts.
  2. Clemson (13-0) Pitt challenged them for about a quarter and a half, then just got bludgeoned.
  3. Notre Dame (12-0) No one should challenge the Irish’s right to be in the playoffs.They beat several good teams along the way.
  4. Oklahoma (12-1) I enjoy watching their offense. Maybe they keep up with Alabama? I doubt it.
  5. UCF (13-0) Darriel Mack Jr’s play was exceptional after he stopped fumbling. What a comeback.
  6. Ohio State (12-1) A 29 point loss to Purdue kept them out.
  7. Georgia (11-2) You don’t get points from me for losing. Yes, they played Bama well but the Dawgs lost.
  8. Michigan (11-2) If motivated, they’ll thump Florida in the Peach Bowl.
  9. Washington State (10-2) Deserved better than their fate.
  10. LSU (9-3) If motivated, they should whip UCF but I am excited to watch it.
  11. Washington (10-3) Win over Utah pushes them up.  Should be a good Rose Bowl versus Ohio State.
  12. Florida (9-3) Gators should be proud of Dan Mullen’s first season but they are not New Year’s Six good.
  13. West Virginia (9-3) Bowl matchup with Syracuse in Orlando should be fun.
  14. Kentucky (9-3) Interested to see how much they care for bowl season.
  15. Texas (9-4) Love the way Tom Herman is building this program.
  16. Penn State (9-3) Should be a great Citrus Bowl versus Kentucky.
  17. Cincinnati (10-2) They should crush Virginia Tech. If not, they won’t be ranked.
  18. Syracuse (9-3) Dino Babers is a winner. Can he keep it up?
  19. Mississippi State (8-4) How long can a historically poor program keep winning without Mullen?
  20. Fresno State (11-2) Reward for an 11 win season?  7-5 Arizona State in a bowl game.
  21. Texas A&M (9-3) Will be surprised if they can’t handle NC State.
  22. Utah (9-4) What a boring Pac 12 title game.
  23. Utah State (10-2) Get upstart Group of 5 school North Texas in bowl.
  24. NC State (9-3) Got that NINTH win by scheduling ECU as make up game for WVU.
  25. Appalachian State (10-2) Coach Scott Satterfield is headed to Louisville.

 

Reach Mike Synan at Mike.Synan@floridadaily.com.

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