Ian Boyd on OSU's 2020 Season

Why does everyone perceive Michigan State as so much better than us? Teams on exactly our level have gotten in with 1 loss.

Edit: 1 loss Ohio State wasn’t even the #2 big 10 team that year, Iowa finished 5th in the rankings with 1 loss. So two teams roughly equivalent finished ahead of a 1 loss Ohio State.

Only once has there been six 1 or no loss teams in a way that can happen today and the biggest name team was the most left out.

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That’s true. Ohio State was sitting there with one loss. I think since they took the head-to-head it tied the committee’s hands.

The absolute nightmare scenario is that OSU is going to go undefeated in the regular season, loss to OU in the Big 12 title game, and OU jumps OSU into the playoff. I have 100% been expecting that to happen since they introduced the Big 12 title game.

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But you also have to consider the next season when they left Big 10 champion Penn State out in favor of one loss non Big 10 championship participant Ohio State.

It’s a system run by humans who have bias.

The first season of this was the most controversial and has stuck with everyone far more than subsequent years where things have fallen more neatly. The first rule is the teams with the fewest losses get priority.

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Is that your statement or a Gundy quote?

I don’t see the logic where any oSu team that can go 8-1 in the Big 12 can’t go undefeated with a non conference SOS in the middle of the league. You are advocating for the weakest schedule in the league as a good idea.

When there are 4 spots with (5) P5 conferences, ND/At Large bids, and a national media that consistently pushes for 2 teams from the same conference I disagree.

Don’t think it helps oSu with recruiting.
Don’t think it sets the right tone for the season or players in the program.
Don’t think it helps oSu prepare for Big 12 play.
Don’t think it helps the image of the program or the league.
Don’t think it makes financial sense. oSu needs to increase the budget and playing one Marquis games results in a money, weeks of preseason TV exposure, and IMO helps your preseason ranking.

If a program is doing less than the blue bloods you can’t expect your status to improve. What about beating Tulsa, Oregon State, or Western Illinois makes the eyes of the nation want to see oSu in the playoff.

Nothing, but going 12-1 with a loss to somebody good isn’t going to get it done. You don’t get the benefit of the doubt if you’re OSU. See: 2019 Baylor.

That is part of why UT and OU want the championship game. They expect their coaches to beat oSu twice and play tough non conference games as well. oSu should also prepare with the expectation they must beat the Big 12’s best twice to win a Big 12 title and earn a CFP spot.

That’s because those teams can schedule home and home games with strong opponents. Since we split with UCLA and Georgia, I don’t think we’ve had a brand name home and home series (please fill in gaps in my memory if there have been). Don’t count Boise State. They’re like us.

In 2016 Penn State did have losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan early in the season. Don’t think anyone expects 2 loss teams to make CFP.

My memory is Holder had opportunities since and Gundy wasn’t in favor.

Maybe so. If you know for sure, then cool. I certainly don’t.

Don’t agree in all cases. If you avenge that loss in the Big 12 Conference championship game IMO you have done something the committee has stated they value. CFP won’t always be the result, but IMO 12-1 Big 12 Champ will happen before oSu goes 13-0. Only one has happened up to this point. Regardless, I think the benefits of previously scheduling attractive games was more beneficial to oSu than what has transpired since Gundy’s last contract negotiations.

Recently, Mike Gundy flirted with the idea of leaving the Oklahoma State Cowboys for Tennessee or Arkansas. Apparently, at least part of the reason was a rift between Gundy and Cowboy athletic director Mike Holder over nonconference scheduling.

That much has been confirmed in a press conference by Gundy himself, according to Jimmie Tramel of the Tulsa World . The rumors have indicated that while Gundy wishes to schedule lesser opponents to get big wins, Holder wants to schedule big names that will bring in more money.

Well, yeah, I know that. I mean, did Holder have “Michigan” (just an example) on the line for a home and home series and Gundy nixed it? I know in future years we have Arizona State (a perfect match), Arkansas (another perfect match), and Oregon (a good match - with a challenging stretch).

Bottom line, my perfect non-con schedule is 1) a home and home with a strong but not elite P5 team (Arizona State good example or can be substituted with an elite G5 team like Boise State), a home and home with a G5 team (Tulsa good example), and a home with another P5/G5/FBS team (no FCS teams).

I hate the Savannah State complaints - they were obviously a schedule patch due to realignment. I agree with Gundy that an easier non-con schedule is best due to the nature of the CFP committee criteria and the lack of consistency from other programs (if Alabama and Clemson can schedule junk games, why can’t we?). Ideally we get an entirely new structure with rotating schedule equity across ~64 teams that can compete for a championship.

Nothing particularly ground breaking here, but we were in Stewart Mandel’s mailbag:

How do you feel about Oklahoma State’s chances to win the Big 12 this year? They seem to be returning a lot of talent in a year where continuity and experience will really matter. It can’t hurt either that their “road” game at Oklahoma this year will likely be in an at most half-full stadium.Bret C., Seoul

I’m quite bullish about Oklahoma State. At the very least I expect Mike Gundy’s team to bounce back into the 10-win range after dipping to 7-6 and 8-5 the last two seasons. The Cowboys have got a returning 2,094-yard rusher, Chuba Hubbard, a Biletnikoff finalist receiver, Tylan Wallace, and 10 returning starters on defense. There’s a lot to like.

But actually winning the Big 12 for the first time since 2011? That’s likely going to depend on the development of two quarterbacks — one theirs, one somebody else’s. Spencer Sanders had a decent first season, but not nearly on the same level as former Gundy stars like Brandon Weeden and Mason Rudolph. In fact, Oklahoma State’s typically high-flying offense felt more like the run-Chuba-run offense last season. So Sanders has to get better.

But even then, Oklahoma State could really use rival Oklahoma getting a disappointing debut season out of freshman Spencer Rattler. Because the gap between the two rivals has only widened in recent years. Gundy is just 2-13 against his program’s archrival. The Cowboys haven’t won a Beldam game since 2014, and all but one of their meetings since then have been lopsided. Not coincidentally, Oklahoma has won the Big 12 in every one of those seasons.

That’s not to say those two will be the only contenders. As I’ve written previously, I expect Texas to turn things back around. Iowa State should be a factor. Maybe Kansas State as well. On paper, however, Oklahoma State could well be the Sooners’ top challenger.

@leecothran @kyleporterCBS if OSU ever goes 12-1 with a conference championship win, they’ll get in. If Washington and Michigan State can, so can we. I believe Ohio St has been the only team left out that’s been a one-loss plus CCG winner and they lost to Purdue by like 30.

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I would say both Washington and Michigan State have greater non-on-the-field “let them in” ju$tification$ than we do. Washington as a rep for a life-support conference and Michigan State for midwest population and a broader national alumni base. I dont know how to evaluate the changing selection criteria by the committee. But until we see several tradeoff decisions go in favor of the more traditional underdog, I will remain a skeptic. Remind me who got in instead of Ohio State that one year? Was another big name, right?

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It was a weird year since three teams (Bama, Clemson and Notre Dame) went undefeated. OU got in over them.

The first criteria is be P5
Then number of losses
Then head to head
Then 13th data point

Ah, yes. Perfect example. The $ooner$ were a big enough brand to keep Ohio $tate on the side lines. But a few years earlier, TCU and Baylor watched while Ohio $tate went to the playoff. And Penn State was overlooked for the bigger Ohio $$tate that other year. Until we can be o$u instead of oSu, we need to be undefeated. Sorry for the cynicism.

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