The Daily Player 12: Chaos Is Good

Just possibly the greatest rationalization of modern times came via a movie where a proposed corporate takeover was a major element in the story.

It also served as a logical justification for privileged selfishness.

The scene's become a classic, and Gordon Gekko is now an icon for all that's wrong with unbridled ambition:

There's more than enough greed in how college football is managed, but for now, let's not dwell on the obvious.

Instead, let's substitute chaos for greed and apply it to the CFP.

Maybe disruption is what the Ivory Tower needs to make a more fair and equitable way of determining an FBS champion. Either way, the focus will be on Alabama and Ohio State:

• If either makes it into the bracket because of championship game surprises, how does the Selection Committee weasel its way outta the scenario that a big-brand fix is in?
• If neither makes it into the bracket, that oughta add two big-brand voices in favor of tweaking the system.

Showing an impressive grasp of the obvious, the Committee's Featured Four populated the bracket with win and you're in candidates:

1. Clemson	3. Auburn
2. Oklahoma	4. Wisconsin
5. Alabama	9. Penn State
6. Georgia	10. USC
7. Miami	11. TCU
8. Ohio State	12. Stanford

Damn noble of them to put the Pac-12's two title foes in the New Year's Six picture. After emerging from a nine-game conference schedule, it's almost the least they could do.

The absolute least, of course, is to blackball the winner from the final bracket, which is inevitable for one Power Five champ a long as this system is in place.

The fact that it's only a Power Five party is the ultimate injustice.

The Daily Player 12 is based on taking the Selection Committee's objective criteria literally. More than literally, in fact. No opinions, just data.

It considered all FBS teams with two losses or less after Week 9:

• Until a conference title is clinched, division leaders will be considered as first-place teams.
• Power Five scores in non-conference games will be measured on a win-loss basis.
• Head-to-head results will be measured separately on a win-loss basis.
• Bookies are the only evaluators who put their dosh where their conclusions are. Bovada championship odds will be factored into the rankings.
• Geeks have an unbiased place in this process; Anderson-Hester computer rankings are easily understandable and will be included.

We'll try, because that's just who we are.

Objective facts have a way of aligning the stars the way nature intended.

• Standings matter. The Big XII has ten teams; no other conference has a division that large, so a first-place team will get 10 points, a second-place team will get 9 points, and so forth. If a team is tied for a position, it will be considered to hold the higher position. A conference champion will be awarded 5 bonus points.
• Non-con Power Five wins will be worth 3 points; those losses will be worth 1 point.
• Notre Dame's schedule will be measured against ACC teams.
• If BYU ever becomes a factor, we'll figure it out then.
• Head-to-head conference wins will be worth 3 points; those losses will be worth -1 point.
• Bovada and Geek rankings will be based on a 25-point scale and factored down by a constant of 0.3; thus, a first-place position will be worth (25 x 0.3) = 7.5 points, second place for either will be worth (24 x 0.3) = 7.2 points, and so on. If a team is tied for a position, it will be considered to hold the higher position.

This produces The Daily Player 12.

Right now, you're probably asking yourself ...

• UCF? But ... We know. We thought they'd be screwed over by stats by now, too. Refreshingly, the objectivity of our Geeks prevented that from happening, and rightfully so. Dudes look more and more like they'd be right at home in the bracket.

• The Bookies? ... Their favorite for the CFP title is Oklahoma. Their only higher-ranked underdog in the conference championship games is Wisconsin, at -5.5 to Ohio State.
• USC? ... They're -3 and playing what's a virtual home game for Stanford. The Cardinal handled Washington in NorCal. If the Trojans win there, cue the cheerleaders.