The commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, Mike Aresco, took the fight to Rob Mullens and the other members of the CFP committee Wednesday. It was refreshing to see a commissioner sticking up for SMU, which fell out of the CFP’s rankings after a 59-51 win over East Carolina.
“SMU being dropped after winning, by the way, is ridiculous to me,” Aresco told the Dallas Morning News. “It does appear to me that our conference is still not as respected as it should be.”
Meanwhile, not a peep out of Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who watched his top teams, Oklahoma and Baylor fall to Nos. 10 and 13. Mullens, the chairman of the CFP committee, continues to monitor the combined wins of Baylor’s nonconference opponents. It’s literally his only talking point despite the fact the Bears have two road wins over ranked opponents (Kansas State and Oklahoma State). ESPN pointed out Baylor is actually ranked lower than undefeated UCF was at this point last season. And UCF didn’t have a win over a Top 25 opponent. The committee seemed to turn up its nose at Baylor’s three-overtime win at TCU. It doesn’t seem to realize the significance of that particular rivalry and the fact Baylor has struggled mightily in Fort Worth for years.
I know what some of you who know where I attended college are thinking: Mosley’s carrying Baylor’s water again. And while that criticism is warranted at times, it seems like the committee truly does have it in for Baylor. Of course, none of it will matter if the Bears lose to Oklahoma in Waco on Saturday. The College GameDay crew will be camped outside McLane Stadium as Baylor faces its toughest test of the season. But for now, it doesn’t seem like the Big 12 is being treated like a Power Five conference.
This has become a popularity contest that always favors the SEC, but it’s not like the Sooners are strangers to the CFP party. Utah has the same record as the Sooners (8-1), but the Utes are No. 7 in the rankings. Utah’s loss to USC is much worse than OU’s loss at Kansas State. And Oregon’s loss is to a two-loss Auburn team that sits ahead of Baylor at No. 12. I know Bowlsby’s monotone voice might put the committee to sleep, but it would be nice if he attempted to lobby for his conference. Maybe that’s beneath him since he seems to chair so many sub-committees for the NCAA. This man has to keep one eye on what Penny Hardaway’s doing at Memphis.
Sitting at No. 4 in the rankings is a Georgia team that lost at home to 4-6 South Carolina. That should be considered an awful loss under any circumstances, but the Bulldogs have barely been penalized for it. And the SEC apologists were already lobbying for Alabama to be in the playoff in the closing moments of its loss to LSU. I don’t think the committee would have the guts to keep a 12-1 Oklahoma team out of the playoff, but it would certainly keep the Bears out with that same record.
It’s remarkable that both Baylor and TCU were in the conversation for a spot in the final four in 2014. For whatever reason the committee has soured on the Big 12 even more since then. One of the criticisms of the Big 12 has always been that teams don’t play defense. And while that’s still true with the Sooners, the Bears have one of the top defenses in the country. They’ve made it almost impossible for opponents to score touchdowns in the first half. But the committee is currently obsessed with Baylor’s games against SFA, UTSA and Rice. The poor Owls have been competitive in a lot of games, but they’ve yet to win. Mullens will be watching closely as SFA travels to Central Arkansas and UTSA hosts Southern Miss.
I hope this doesn’t sound like whining. It’s pretty remarkable that Baylor’s even being discussed after the Bears went 1-11 two seasons ago. Maybe I should bask in the glow of College GameDay being on campus again.
But what’s the fun in simply accepting my alma mater’s fate? This committee has been a sham from the start. The only thing it seems to be accomplishing is making sure the playoff is expanded to eight teams. And then we’ll never complain again.
Kidding.
