We're Talking Playoffs? and We Are...Going Bowling!

The ballots have been cast, the votes have been tallied, and the Playoff Committee has made their final judgment.  Your first ever Top 4 are (in order): Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, and Ohio State!

We're talkin about playoffs?!

Now some people are upset with the inclusion of Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff, especially over Big 12 teams Baylor and TCU.  I say get over it.  Frankly, I don’t have an issue with these 4 teams making the cut, in fact I think the Committee got it exactly right.  Look, this was the first one of these ever, and no one knew exactly how it would turn out.  The only certainty was that someone was going to be left on the outside looking in, and they would probably handle it poorly (I’m talking to you Art Briles).  Whatever criteria the Committee ultimately chose to use when analyzing each team was going to be controversial, but it was also their prerogative.  Personally, my only demand is that they stay consistent moving forward.  They can start by admitting that they wanted to send a message to the entire college football world with this decision, and from what I observed, that message was clear and threefold.  In the future, teams wishing to earn a coveted spot in the Playoffs will need to keep the following in mind:

1. Conference Championships matter.  And no, we’re not talking about split championships (like the Big 12 decided to do with Baylor and TCU).  We’re talking about outright championships won on the field.  Oh, your conference doesn't have enough teams to play a championship game?  Too bad, better luck next year.  Since you’re all so enamored with playing SMU, bring them into your conference (along with Houston) and then you can have a championship game.  Problem solved.

2. Your non-conference matters.  This might have been the most clearly delivered message.  You don’t necessarily have to play a tough non-con, but every team now has a decision to make if they hope to control their own destiny – go undefeated, or play someone with a pulse.  Period.

3. Extenuating circumstances matter.  Ohio State’s lone loss of the season was to Virginia Tech, who isn't very good.  But, that loss came at the beginning of the year while the Buckeyes were breaking in a new freshman QB who was replacing their injured Heisman-candidate QB with only 2 weeks notice.  Because of this, they were given the benefit of the doubt for that loss, especially considering how they played down the stretch.  Conversely, if Ohio State had struggled behind their now 3^rd string QB in the Big Ten Championship Game (instead of blowing out Wisconsin in epic fashion, 59-0), they probably would have been penalized accordingly.  This is why we have real live people in charge now instead of computers, and personally, I love it.

So, without further ado, here are the 6 supposedly “best” bowl games (dubbed the “New Year’s Six”), as selected by the Playoff Committee:

#9 Ole Miss vs #6 TCU                      Peach Bowl                 Atlanta, GA                Dec 31

#20 Boise State vs #10 Arizona          Fiesta Bowl                 Glendale, AZ              Dec 31

#7 Miss State vs #12 Ga Tech           Orange Bowl                Miami, FL                   Dec 31

#8 Michigan State vs #5 Baylor          Cotton Bowl                Arlington, TX               Jan 1

#2 Oregon vs #3 Florida State            Rose Bowl                   Pasadena, CA            Jan 1

#1 Alabama vs #4 Ohio State             Sugar Bowl                 New Orleans, LA         Jan 1

Overall, I think this is a great lineup and it will give fans some very compelling matchups over the holiday.  It will also most likely give ESPN the kind of ratings that their TV executives could only dream of before.  The only thing I’m disappointed in?  They weren't able to matchup Ohio State and Oregon in the Rose Bowl for a traditional Big Ten/Pac-12 showdown.  Oh well, maybe next time.

Ok, that’s all well and good, but those bowl games are between other teams and will be dissected ad nauseum by anyone with a mouthpiece in the coming weeks.  If you read this blog with any kind of regularity, all you should care about is WHAT BOWL GAME IS PENN STATE GOING TO?!  Well my lovely under-a-rock-dwellers, the Nittany Lions will be taking on the Boston College Golden Eagles in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec 27^th at 4:30pm in Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY.  It's an interesting pairing, and should be a good game.  Since it will take place on a Saturday, I think I’ll simply follow my normal posting schedule: Friday Prediction, Sunday Wrap Up, Monday Grades, and Tuesday Awards.

Time for some particulars.  James Franklin and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour were on hand at the Pinstripe Bowl's introductory press conference on Tuesday and had some interesting things to say; namely, that Joe Paterno being from New York (specifically Brooklyn) gave Penn State a connection to the game which was "not lost" on them.  Another more apt connection might have been discussing Penn State's surprisingly storied history of playing in New York City, but we'll let them slide on that this time.  The two were also in town to meet up with former Nittany Lion linebacking great, Shane Conlan, for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.  Conlan also invited the man he credits with recruiting him to Penn State, former defensive coordinator (and interim head coach) Tom "Scrap" Bradley.  Congratulations to Shane on this incredible honor and thank you for upholding the proud tradition of Linebacker U!  We Are!

Meanwhile the PSU media machine has already kicked in to full gear as a hype video celebrating the Nittany Lions' recently acquired "New York state of mind" has already started making its way around the interwebs.  With the amount of press surrounding Penn State's glorious return to bowl season, it's no wonder the official Penn State allotment of tickets has already sold out.  Don't worry, there are still plenty of tickets available, you'll just have to get them directly through the bowl game, not through Penn State.

Finally, what bowl related post would be complete without arguably my favorite aspect of bowl season - the complete list of this year's bowl swag!  Predictably (given the sponsor), the Penn State and Boston College players will receive a "variety of New Era products."  Compared to what's being handed out at some of the other bowl games, that's not the best gift package in the world, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Alright Penn State fans, that will wrap up the bulk of my bowl coverage, assuming there's no more major news in the coming days.  Please do stop back the day after Christmas for my first ever Bowl Prediction.  Feel free to send your questions and comments about anything Penn State football to PSUOptimus@gmail.com.  Check out my Facebook page and give it a like to show your support (come on, I do this for free).  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!