I think we need to win impressively on Saturday in order to have a a chance at the playoff.

4 spots, 5 power conferences (fuck Notre Dame). The selection committee is going to pick 4 conf champs in the first year to avoid controversy unless its blatantly obvious that 2 teams from one conference deserve to be in (2 undefeated SEC teams).

Typically, you would expect the ACC to be the odd man out, however, they hold the trump card with Florida State. SEC champ will be in, Pac 12 champ will be in, so you have to pick between B1G champ and B12 champ. hmmmm..... I think the selection committee will need a lot of evidence to pick a B1G champion over the B12 champ, especially if its a one loss Oklahoma in order to avoid the shit storm that will come due to perception of a down B1G. So there are two clear paths in my eyes to the playoffs:

1.)Blow up the B1G, monster games vs. Neb and OSU so there's no question we're BETTER than the B1G (an exception to the conference perception).
2.)Win out and Fl State loses 1 game.

So, win big on Saturday and we're on the way.... Close game, defense looks suspect, not a very impressive performance, and even if we win, I think we're down to #2.

Agree. I think it'll happen and I think OSU is an 8 win team trapped in a 10 win schedule. Both should be taken to pound town.

Agreed, we need to smoke those cornfuckers.

Hoke said they were winning the BigTen. We have no shot.

I think a TD or better is going to be good enough. MSU isn't smoke and mirrors, the committee knows what they are going to get. I'm going to guess that Alvarez and Osborne will lobby pretty hard to convince members that, assuming MSU wins the B1G, they deserve to be in there. I'd start with MSU having the cajones to go out to Oregon and play them there.

MSU just needs to beat Nebraska, and Nebraska just needs to win the rest of their games after Saturday.

I will be more than happy with just a win. I think there is a decent chance one of the conference champs will have two losses.

What's impressively? 2 TDs? 10 points?

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:What's impressively? 2 TDs? 10 points?

I think it's a perception issue, like holding their running game to 50 yards, or not allowing a single touchdown, or scoring 40+ on their defense.

Something that gets everyone's attention.  Simply winning by 10 points is not going to do it.

Edit: Exaggerating a bit, just so we're clear, but you get the idea. Some killer stat that gets some national attention and puts us back in the discussion as a team with a unique identity, not just as the B1G potential champion.

Lots of big games this weekend:

A&M @ Miss. State
Bama @ Ole Miss
OU @ TCU
Baylor @ Texas
Stanford @ ND
LSU @ Auburn
Utah @ UCLA

NigelUno wrote:Lots of big games this weekend:

A&M @ Miss. State
Bama @ Ole Miss
OU @ TCU
Baylor @ Texas
Stanford @ ND
LSU @ Auburn
Utah @ UCLA

So...Don't speculate?       
 

 
 

InTenSity wrote:So...Don't speculate?       
 

 
 

Just stop talking about stuff!!! - ghost

gHost Spartan wrote:

How can there posssibly be 2 undefeated SEC teams?

No idea, was just using that as an example of a situation that would cause the selection committee to pick two teams from the same conference.

gHost Spartan wrote:
We're getting way ahead of ourselves and fans are too focused on the fu cking playoffs. We have games we need to win and then we can talk about it instead of crunching numbers and scenarios right now. There are a handful of tough games ahead, including @ Indiana (I don't know why, that game scares me) , OHio State, and at Maryland.

Agree 100% but it's still an interesting discussion.

gHost Spartan wrote:

I don't think Saturday has to be a "big" win, it just has to be a win. In fact, you could make the counter argument that it would be better for MSU to simply win by a TD or FG so Nebraska doesn't drop out of the Top 25, thereby making our resume and the B1G look even better.

I still think, from a perception standpoint, this team needs a big win that gives them a unique national identity in order to be in realistic consideration for the playoffs. Otherwise, even if everything goes perfectly, they will simply end up being "the best team in the B1G" which I don't think is going to do it.

Just sayin'. I don't play the games or select the teams, so all I can do is have discussions on message boards...

SeeRockCity wrote:

No idea, was just using that as an example of a situation that would cause the selection committee to pick two teams from the same conference.



Agree 100% but it's still an interesting discussion.



I still think, from a perception standpoint, this team needs a big win that gives them a unique national identity in order to be in realistic consideration for the playoffs. Otherwise, even if everything goes perfectly, they will simply end up being "the best team in the B1G" which I don't think is going to do it.

Just sayin'. I don't play the games or select the teams, so all I can do is have discussions on message boards...

You could have two undefeated SEC teams going into the SEC Championship some year that might create some drama. But, not this year...all SEC East teams have at least one loss.

IF they had a 4 team playoff last year, Alabama might have snuck in with 1 loss (even though they didn't go to the SEC Championship) ahead of a 2 loss team. I guess that could happen this year, as there are currently 5 undefeated teams in the SEC West. We need to have them start knocking each other off.

gHost Spartan wrote:

How can there posssibly be 2 undefeated SEC teams? We're getting way ahead of ourselves and fans are too focused on the fu cking playoffs. We have games we need to win and then we can talk about it instead of crunching numbers and scenarios right now. There are a handful of tough games ahead, including @ Indiana (I don't know why, that game scares me) , OHio State, and at Maryland. We're not even in the conversation unless we run the table and win the B1G Champ Game unless the teams in the other conferences all beat each other. I don't think Saturday has to be a "big" win, it just has to be a win. In fact, you could make the counter argument that it would be better for MSU to simply win by a TD or FG so Nebraska doesn't drop out of the Top 25, thereby making our resume and the B1G look even better.

there can't be two undefeated SEC teams. It will come down to who the committee likes best. MSU, who's only loss will be to an undefeated(?) Oregon, or a SEC team with one loss. Assuming the other three are all undefeated.

Alabama
Oklahoma
Oregon

Fuck it, MSU wins by 2 TD's. 45 - 21

A&M @ Miss. State
Bama @ Ole Miss
OU @ TCU
Baylor @ Texas
Stanford @ ND
LSU @ Auburn
Utah @ UCLA

Predicted results?

I'm going with this:

A&M @ Miss. State
Bama @ Ole Miss
OU @ TCU
Baylor @ Texas
Stanford @ ND
LSU @ Auburn
Utah @ UCLA[/b]

Pretty impressive.