FanPost

The Case for ISU in the Playoffs

After being media darlings and a feel good story for most of the year, between the CFP Committee respecting our resume and Matt Campbell's continued avoidance of coaching rumors, we've drawn the ire of select media outlets, and the long knives have been drawn to end our CFP candidacy.

Seth Walder's contribution to the genre can be most succinctly summed up by saying, "The committee disagrees with ESPN's FPI rankings," while Pat Forde is reminding folks on Twitter of the season-opening loss to Louisiana without, seemingly, recognizing the number of "good wins" on the resume.

But let's be honest: this is rarefied air for the Cyclones to find themselves in. Maybe the lack of oxygen is causing us to lose perspective. Maybe we should be on the outside looking in for another year.

Nah.

There are a lot of ways to evaluate teams: wins and losses, statistical analysis, the eye test, strength of schedule, tv attraction, and the color of your favorite team's jersey all seem to play a role in earning a CFP invitation. But let's stick with the measurable ones for now.

There are only 11 teams that are ranked in the top-20 of the AP Poll, College Football Reference's Simple Rating System, Jeff Sagarin's rating system, and ESPN's aforementioned Football Power Index. Unsurprisingly, upstarts such as Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, and Louisiana fail to pass this filter. More surprisingly, Florida and Texas A&M (34th and 55th in SRS respectively) also get knocked out of consideration.

The 11 teams that make it?

School Average Ranking
Alabama 1.75
Clemson 2.75
Ohio State 3.5
Notre Dame 4.75
Oklahoma 8.25
Cincinnati 9.5
Iowa State 11.25
USC 12.25
Indiana 12.25
BYU 13.75
Iowa 14.75

So, by this filter, the Committee has the top-4 right - for now.

In a just world Clemson or ND would knock the other one out, and ISU will have to beat OU again to stay in the discussion, but unless these four rating systems know less about football in the aggregate than Forde or Wilder, Iowa State very much deserves to be in the conversation for the playoff.

The best argument isn't for a second SEC team or an undefeated Pac-12 half-season champion, but rather whether Cincinnati deserves credit for dominating a weak schedule (1 Sagarin top-30 win) or the Big 12 winner deserves credit for winning the third best conference in the country (by SRS).

Maybe the Wildcats and Irish can do everyone a favor and open up spots for both the Cyclones and the Bearcats.

FanPosts are written by members of the WRNL community, not the WRNL staff. Any opinions expressed in this FanPost are the author's only.