You don't get credit for scheduling a good team two years ago that ended up being a bad team at game time.   I don't know if that's what you're getting at but it seems to be.   If you want to be sure, schedule FSU instead of VaTech.   You're much more likely to be facing a good team.   I'm guessing Ole Miss wasn't expecting Paxton Lynch when they put Memphis on the schedule but a win over them would have been more impressive than a win over Miami or SC.

FYI, the grind explains why SEC teams schedule a late season cupcake.   They've gone thru their conference schedule and are about face a rival.   SC/Clemson, FSU/Florida, Bama/Auburn(conference but always last game).    They're taking a breather before their big rivalry game.   What difference does it make if they play App State in Week 2 or Week 13?

The point is that SEC (or other Power 5 Conference) schools should NEVER be playing App. State, or any other lower division school. The chances of them giving the SEC school a competitive game are exponentially lower than the chances of even an AAC or MAC team giving them a competitive game. You shouldn't be rewarded for being a p*zzy, and I think the Committee is saying the same thing.

Posted by MikeT23 on 11/17/2015 8:58:00 AM (view original):
But back to the "quality win" question.    I think you have to give up the Top 25.   I think it gets a little sketchy around Utah, Navy, Northwestern but they are AP Top 25.   That's top 20% of all schools at this level.   So, given that, let's look at "Others receiving votes".

Toledo 39
Arkansas 35
Memphis 32
Mississippi St. 25
UCLA 18
Pittsburgh 15
Temple 13
Georgia 8
Texas A&M 8
Bowling Green 4
W. Kentucky 4
Air Force 1
Arkansas St. 1

Working backwards, I think you look at Georgia/TAMU and say "NO".   I've already said "NO" to Temple/Pitt/UCLA but I guess that's where the argument could start.   I'd add Miss St to "NO" and give a "YES" to Memphis/Ark/Toledo while admitting I haven't seen a single play of a Toledo game.   So I'm giving quality wins to Top 28 teams.

I'll go ahead and do this to:

• Elite wins

Beating a top 10 school

• Great wins

11-20 ranked teams

• good wins

21-30

• barely good(not bad, but not really that great

teams 30+ and under 3 losses(4 by end of season), but have played tough against good opponents such as: Pitt, Temple, Penn State, BYU, Cal.

• don't hurt, but also don't help

teams that are supposed to be 100% wins, better than having a FCS or cupcake scheduled, sometimes can be tough or even pull upset such as Texas Tech, Western Kentucky, Marshall, Bowling Green, Tennessee, Boise State, NC State, 

• non **** schools - negative

these are you losing record teams that have more than 1 win these hurt, but not as resume crushing as a Kansas or FCS team

How convenient that you drew your line between UCLA and Pittsburgh.   But, to be fair, I drew mine two slots in front of UCLA so I'm guessing both of us might have finagled an answer.  Truth is, I'd have drawn mine in front of Navy but that means I'm only giving out good wins for 14% of the country and that seems unreasonable.   Nonetheless, the math sez you give 'em out for top 25% while I stop at top 20%. 

Nothing earth-shattering here.   Looks to me, though, if you're not top 9, someone else controls your fate.

I don't think I'd say that.  It seems to me pretty clear that Clemson, Alabama/Florida, and Ohio State/Iowa win out they are in.  After that, I don't think anyone can feel comfortable.

Perhaps "control your fate" has a different meaning to you.

5-9 wins out, they're in.   Same as 1-4.    OK State might be the exception.   If Baylor wins out, and Oklahoma wins out, Oklahoma is in.   11-15 wins out, they're still a two loss team.    Navy isn't getting in.   UNC could have an argument(as they'd beat Clemson) but I don't think so.    TCU still has a loss to OK State and, maybe if OK beats OK State and TCU beats OK, they have a shot but they don't control their fate as something else has to happen.

As I said, if you're not Top 9 at this point, you need something else to happen even if you win out.

If Clemson, Bama, and Ohio State win out who is in the playoff if Notre Dame and Oklahoma win out?  What if it is ND or Okie State?

Thus, you don't control your own fate unless you are the top 3 (and probably Iowa and Florida since they would have to beat a top 3 team).

I think if ND wins out, they're in over Oklahoma.   So, possibly, OK doesn't control their own fate.   If Iowa wins out, they're in.  OK State probably falls in with OK.  FL wins out and they're in.    Same with MSU.     So maybe I should amend with "If you're in the top 9, win out and win your conference championship, you're in control of your own fate."   Because I think the debate will come down to "ND or B12 champ?"

Good luck with that.   I can't imagine OSU, MSU, LSU and Bama want any part of it.    Arkansas can look forward to their annual Purdue match-up. 

Ohio State is pretty well booked as are most of the Big Ten teams.  Besides the Big Ten is going to a 9 game conference schedule and is already requiring a power 5 opponent in the non-con (a few non-power 5 also count) and no games against the FCS.  Seems like Bret is barking up the wrong tree. 

I imagine he'd get a lot more support by going after the ACC.    I think Bama/LSU would be fine facing Clemson/FSU but I imagine both would be taken off the table due to SC/Clemson, FL/FSU already being yearly games.   GA/GaTech is another.    It's also more regional and, quite honestly, 3 of the historically better teams are already accounted for.    I can't imagine Duke/UNC saying "Sign me up!!!" since it seems they'd be next in line for Bama/LSU most years.

you have Va Tech and Miami, both of which have the resources to be pretty darn good again.