How long do we remain gatekept by Texas?

[MetaZeus]

After a close game vs unranked TCU, does Texas keep us behind them? Or will the committee look objectively at both teams and acknowledge that Texas has remained stagnant/gotten worse and Bama has improved week over week and finally have us jump them? I think "head-to-head" can only prop you up for so long, and at 10 weeks ago, I think it's about time to re-evaluate who would win a rematch.

I know some of y'all will say "well we should have won, we wouldn't have to worry about it", but my goodness, it was 10 weeks ago. If you have team A beat team B in week 2, then team A struggles to win/lose 4 of your last 5 games (mostly unranked teams) and team B is dominating ranked opponents, is it not safe to put team B over team A?

Or maybe it's my crimson tinted glasses I'm looking through.

 

[BamaMoon]

The problem is the head to head matters A LOT.

Only thing we can do is wait and win out. A win against an undefeated Georgia team is all we can do and just hope Texas loses a game.

 

[colbysullivan]

Inb4 thread nuke due to profanity...

 

[MetaZeus]

Inb4 thread nuke due to profanity...

Profanity? Where?

 

[MetaZeus]

The problem is the head to head matters A LOT.

Only thing we can do is wait and win out. A win against an undefeated Georgia team is all we can do and just hope Texas loses a game.

That's what I'm wondering. To what extent and for how long will a week 2 loss to Texas continue to take precedence over body of work?

 

[deltatider]

I hate it but I would get it if we end up with 3 undefeateds and a 1 loss Texas team when all is said and done, which would keep us out of the playoffs…. That said I’m having a tough time accepting that a 1 loss Oregon or a 1 loss UW team would get in over a 1 loss Bama team. A win against an undefeated UGA team should trump anything that 1 loss Oregon or UW brings to the table… and I think it will but I sure don’t like having to trust in that committee.

 

[colbysullivan]

Profanity? Where?

I can't quote it, don't want to get suspended. You might want to read the forum rules.

 

[TideEngineer08]

The problem is the head to head matters A LOT.

Only thing we can do is wait and win out. A win against an undefeated Georgia team is all we can do and just hope Texas loses a game.

It matters a lot until it doesn't. Because this is being done by a group full of humans, and in fact the worst kind of humans. College administrators. I'm sorry, uh, blue font.

IMO, which worth absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of this, head to head is the trump card as long as you remain a game ahead of the opponent you beat. Now that both teams have a loss, then the resumes have to be scrutinized a bit closer. What was the score of the head-to-head game? Well, despite having our own fans freak out about a DOUBLE DIGIT LOSS AT HOME, 10 points is one more than 9 which is single digits. We led in the 4th quarter. We melted down with mistakes. We did not get blown out.

So since that unfortunate loss, Alabama has won out against a tougher schedule than Texas has had. Texas dropped a game and plodded along against a few inferior opponents since then. Does all of this mean we deserve to pass them in the standings? Well, maybe. It's definitely not NO WAY.

In the end, what we must absolutely do is take care of the business directly in front of us. We need to throttle Auburn like we did Kentucky, which is an absolutely tall order against a suddenly confident team at that demonic hell hole. For once can we go in and play with intensity for 60 minutes? Then, we have to beat Georgia, who should be 12-0 at that point. Then, we'll see. Texas could help a lot and finally drop one of these games though.

 

[KrAzY3]

Remember, "struggle" wins only matter this year when Alabama has them. Blowouts only seem to matter when Oregon has them...

Edit: Just to add to how dumb the rankings have been this year, in week 8 Alabama was ranked 8 in the coaches poll (behind Oklahoma and ahead of Oregon). Alabama beats LSU by two touchdowns (the #15 team according to the coach's poll) and then blows out Kentucky on the road. Over the same period of time Oregon beats Utah (ranked below LSU), and USC (same number of losses as Kentucky) and California (4-6).

Oregon jumped both Alabama and Texas. Because why? If you want to say it's because Oregon won by more, they didn't! Alabama actually beat Kentucky and LSU by more points combined then Oregon beat USC and Utah but still somehow that warrants them jumping not just Alabama but Texas as well. It's just dumb...

 

[bamaslammer]

If we run the table the question will be are you willing to leave out the champion of the best conference because of a close loss at the beginning of the season? Can any following playoff result be considered valid?

 

[BamaMoon]

I'm not saying y'all are wrong cause I think we'd beat Texas NOW.

But this is two seasons in a row w'eve lost regular season games and now we are nearing the end of the season asking if we aren't better than other teams that are ranked/might be ranked ahead of us.

All the games matter and we need to get back to not leaving this open for discussion.

FWIW, I said at the beginning of the season that "IF" we had to lose one game this year Texas would be the one because it was early and out of conference.

We'll see how that plays out.

Of course none of it matters if we don't win out!

 

[PA Tide Fan]

The committee may view Texas close game with TCU less harshly than our bad game with USF. Even though TCU is not very good this season they were a playoff team a year ago. It's going to be hard to pass Texas without them losing. They go to Ames this Saturday to play Iowa State and will be favored but the game is not a gimme so we must hope for the upset.

 

[bamaslammer]

Last year was a little different, we really were not a great team mid season because we had a suspect defense and winning was based off Young outscoring the other team. Young was hurt. It was clear at the end of the season he was getting so much better. By seasons end we had no shot at the playoff, but we might have been playing at a level that put us better than some that did. In fact Vegas odds makers had us a favorite over every team but UGA I think. But the mentality of the committee was no longer four best teams, but the four teams with the pretty record.

 

[Power Eye]

I posed a similar question in another thread, though mine was more of Texas isn't as good as Oregon by the eye test, so we are getting blocked from jumping Oregon as result of losing the head-to-head battle to Texas.

Unfortunately, I think we remain where we are until something very significant happens, which is hopefully a loss by Texas, Oregon or FSU. The other significant event could be a win over UGA, which to me, and based on how they are now playing, would be the trump card we need.

 

[colbysullivan]

I'm not saying y'all are wrong cause I think we'd beat Texas NOW.

But this is two seasons in a row w'eve lost regular season games and now we are nearing the end of the season asking if we aren't better than other teams that are ranked/might be ranked ahead of us.

All the games matter and we need to get back to not leaving this open for discussion.

FWIW, I said at the beginning of the season that "IF" we had to lose one game this year Texas would be the one because it was early and out of conference.

We'll see how that plays out.

Of course none of it matters if we don't win out!

I hear you, but at least this year we would have a truly legitimate gripe. We are potentially talking about a 1-loss SEC champion getting left out of the playoffs. That is simply unheard of.

 

[BamaMoon]

I hear you, but at least this year we would have a truly legitimate gripe. We are potentially talking about a 1-loss SEC champion getting left out of the playoffs. That is simply unheard of.

It usually shakes out. It may or may not this year.

I mentioned last year, but you can't lose twice in the regular season and expect to be rewarded without even winning your conference.

At least this year that's still a possibility. Lots still can happen in November and 1st week in Dec.

BTW, he's an article about what a mess the Big 12 is and its second place team tie-break procedures.

I think our best bet is rooting for OK to play UT again. I think they'd have the best chance to beat them.

Big 12 Championship, tiebreaker scenarios in Week 12: Texas, four others vie for two spots

Chaos breaks out in the Big 12 following Oklahoma State's loss at UCF.

247sports.com

 

[colbysullivan]

It usually shakes out. It may or may not this year.

I mentioned last year, but you can't lose twice in the regular season and expect to be rewarded without even winning your conference.

At least this year that's still a possibility. Lots still can happen in November and 1st week in Dec.

BTW, he's an article about what a mess the Big 12 is and its second place team tie-break procedures.

I think our best bet is rooting for OK to play UT again. I think they'd have the best chance to beat them.

Big 12 Championship, tiebreaker scenarios in Week 12: Texas, four others vie for two spots

Chaos breaks out in the Big 12 following Oklahoma State's loss at UCF.

247sports.com

The thing about last year that really makes me angry is we needed SEVERAL things to happen in order for us to make the playoffs with 2 losses. All of those things happened, and it was like a miracle. But the committee had already made their mind up.

 

[bamadwain]

I believe there's no way you can leave out Bama if we win out and beat a Georgia team that could be on a 29 game win streak and already favored by 7.5! Texas loss or not , even over Oregon or Washington

 

[Oregon Tide]

Don't sweat the H2H with the Longhorns. It does not matter as much as some seem to think - remember the Committee ranked TX above OU after they lost to them!

And did Texas beat Alabama in Week 2? Sure, but they have not beaten this Alabama team. If we win out and topple UGA that helps our case more than anything and we have by-far the best win in the country (and if TX keeps winning, the best loss?).

I actually think the Longhorns choke and lose in the Big XII championship game to OU or OK State.

 

[colbysullivan]

Don't sweat the H2H with the Longhorns. It does not matter as much as some seem to think - remember the Committee ranked TX above OU after they lost to them!

And did Texas beat Alabama in Week 2? Sure, but they have not beaten this Alabama team. If we win out and topple UGA that helps our case more than anything and we have by-far the best win in the country (and if TX keeps winning, the best loss?).

I actually think the Longhorns choke and lose in the Big XII championship game to OU or OK State.

I mean, the committee would disagree with you...