Paul Finebaum names the one CFB fanbase that deserves to be angriest for getting snubbed by CFP rankings
One immediate impact of a 12-team CFP is probably three times as many arguments from including three times as many teams. Everybody has a take about who's in but should be out, or out but should be in. ESPN's Paul Finebaum made the case for whose gripe is most legitimate Wednesday.
Asked by host Mike Greenberg on ESPN's "Get Up" show about which college football fan base had the right to be cranky about the most recent CFP rankings, Finebaum pulled no punches.
"It's the Georgia Bulldogs.... Georgia's opponents are all over the place, including Texas, the No. 3 team in the country. They only beat Texas in Texas, and they played Alabama at Alabama. They lost at Ole Miss and they beat Tennessee.
"Indiana doesn't have a ranked team, they'll get one this weekend. Penn State has lost to one.... This committee is not serious. There are football coaches on this committee and there's no way those football coaches can tell me, or anyone else with a straight face that they really think Indiana, Penn State, Miami, schools like that are better than Georgia. It's not possible."
The case for Georgia
Georgia is 8-2, which provokes many non-SEC backers to wonder why the No. 10 CFP-ranked Bulldogs should be included in the playoff. Georgia does have wins over the No. 3, No. 11 and No. 17 teams in the current rankings. Their only losses are to the No. 7 and No. 9 teams in the rankings, with both of those losses coming on the road.
The CFP is not a multi-year achievement award, but it's worth noting Georgia came into this year having lost just two games total in the past three seasons and with a pair of national title crowns. The Bulldogs are certainly well-tested and have hung around the top of college football's strongest league.
Many Georgia fans are angry the Big Ten will almost certainly send four teams to the playoff. Indiana is 10-0 and will play Ohio State this weekend. But otherwise, not only have the Hoosiers not played any other playoff contenders, their best win is probably over 6-5 Washington. That's the only team Indiana beat that is bowl-eligible at the moment.
Penn State's schedule isn't quite as soft, but it still doesn't measure up to Georgia's. PSU can at least claim a win over another team in the CFP rankings, but barely. No. 25 Illinois fell to the Nittany Lions. Washington and MAC foe Bowling Green are the only other two wins PSU can claim over bowl eligible teams. Penn State's one loss was to a credible Ohio State squad.
Miami is ranked No. 8 in the playoff standings, but likewise lacks a strong resume. Duke and Louisville have clinched bowl eligibility, but neither is in the CFP top 25. Also, Miami's loss was to a Georgia Tech team that isn't in the top 25.
Do you agree with Finebaum? Share who you would put in or leave out of the playoff below.