🏈 A graph of P5 teams and the number of ranked teams they've played. (2014 thru 2017.) A response for those criticising Bama's schedules.

[Max]

 

[UAgrad93]

But............................................... that doesn't fit the national narrative that we don't play anyone!!!!

 

[TUSKtimes]

I like the stat but where's the source?

 

[94 Grad]

were they rankings when we played them or end of year rankings? Does it include playoff games? Need more info to understand this stat fully...

 

[TerryP]

I like the stat but where's the source?

Might try that thing called the Internet. I'm guessing it's a good place to start. :naughtydevil:

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

The source for the whole chart is hard to find. From the look it appears to be a capture from Reddit's CFB sub but I can't find it there.

That being said, I am not doing this for all 4 teams but here is Bama's rundown based on ranking at time we played them, including Post Season, which is obviously where this came from.

Year | 1-10 | 11-25

2014 | 2 | 5
Ole Miss - 11
Texas A&M - 21
LSU - 14
Mississippi State - 1
Auburn - 15
Missouri - 14
Ohio State - 4

2015 | 5 | 4
Wisconsin 20
Ole Miss 15
Georgia 8
Texas A&M 9
LSU 2
Mississippi State 17
Florida 18
Michigan State 3
Clemson 1

2016| 4 | 6
USC 20
Ole Miss 19
Arkansas 16
Tennessee 9
Texas A&M 6
LSU 15
Auburn 16
Florida 15
Washington 4
Clemson 2

2017 | 4 | 2
Florida State 3
LSU 18
Mississippi State 19
Auburn 6
Clemson 1
Georgia 3


Total | 15 | 17

 

[TerryP]

@rocknthefreeworld, The source of the image appears to be coming from Twitter.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Still couldn't find it there, but the data was enough to show what I needed to show. Ranking at the time you play them is a pretty good indicator. If anyone wants to complain about scheduling then you would probably be more interested in looking at their average ranking in the 1-3 years prior to the game being scheduled. I mean, why should you get credit for scheduling Mississippi State back when they sucked just because they got better afterward? Or why should Bama get credit for Conference foes anyway since they don't control that? And of course post season foes shouldn't count since you don't control them either.

Looking at just regular season, you still have Bama playing top 20 opponents out of conference to start the season 3 out of 4 years. Ohio State had two OOC games against ranked opponent (#14 Oklahoma in 2016 and again when they were #5 in 2017 but neither were openers). Clemson had #5 UGA in 2014, #6 Notre Dame in 2015, and #13 Auburn in 2017 (only UGA was an opener). UGA had the #16 Clemson game as an opener in 2014 and also #16 GA Tech that same year, #22 NC in 2016 as an opener, and #24 Notre Dame as 2nd game in 2017.

 

[OldPlayer]

I see a chart but not a graph.

 

[TerryP]

@rocknthefreeworld, This is another one of those continuing narratives (geez, that word is used a lot now-a-day.) It's followed by "play a true road game" because playing on a neutral field isn't a fair shake anymore. Problem is, you start mentioning things like UArk vs TCU, Ole Miss at Cal, Auburn at Clemson, State playing Kansas State this weekend, UGA traveling to Notre Dame...that argument ends up like this one.

"Oops, that didn't work."

Now, up head, we're about to hear "play a top ten team."

"Oops, that didn't work. But that was on a neutral field. Play a true..."

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

Neutral field games are here to stay. They are an easy way to pump up the quality of the product while also making money for everyone and getting exposure. Otherwise everything winds up being home and home and many times teams don't have the scheduling availability to do that for another 6-10 years. While we love Bama vs Penn State in a home and home, it always gets announced while our kids are in entering middle school and happens when they are seniors in high school or college freshmen.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The SEC is 13 and 1 this weekend. The SEC has 7 teams in the top 25, 3 in the top 10 with LSU just barely out at #11. It looks like the last thing Bama or SEC teams may have to worry about this season is what others think of their SOS.

None of this has anything to do with Bama, good or bad. It just so happens that the SEC has apparently decided to get better again.

 

[OldPlayer]

The SEC is 13 and 1 this weekend. The SEC has 7 teams in the top 25, 3 in the top 10 with LSU just barely out at #11. It looks like the last thing Bama or SEC teams may have to worry about this season is what others think of their SOS.

None of this has anything to do with Bama, good or bad. It just so happens that the SEC has apparently decided to get better again.

But it's only after one week. IMO, there shouldn't be a poll ranking until October.

 

[94 Grad]

But it's only after one week. IMO, there shouldn't be a poll ranking until October.

There isn't a poll that matters until later... All these polls are just fan polls and mean ZERO. So let's not get too worked up on them. Playoff poll is the ONLY poll that matters and it's not out for several more weeks.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The playoff committee looks at the AP and coaches poll all season. To suggest they don't feel impelled to be in the same neighborhood when it's their time to vote doesn't sound all that logical. Bama held down the spot all last season. These football people knew that everytime Bama laced them up they had an extra bullseye on their back as a #1 team. Did it matter when they were choosing between Bama and Ohio State? It would to football people.

Kirby gets the playoff committee's #1 seed right off the bat and the AP stayed with Bama. Kirby swore up and down Bama was the #1 team. He didn't want that obvious pressure on his team. When they played with the new rankings in Plainsville, you can see what he was talking about. Nothing easy about prosperity and that #1 bullseye.