Yeah, not dying on the hill of any of these teams needing to be in. I think 4 was fine most seasons, some maybe 6-8 teams are true contenders. I do think that ND would’ve been a great game. Most adv metrics have that as a slight Oregon edge but close, but we’ll never know.

Fair, but if we want non-power teams in, to me it makes more sense for them to prove it against other 11/12-seed type teams. Having them slot against Oregon in Eugene (for example) out the gate is of course a recipe to get killed. If they beat BYU or ND, then maybe they deserve a shot at Oregon.

Should do “play-in” style. ND/BYU vs Tulane/JMU (matched however) for the final 2 spots.

Sure, but Dantonio was at least a solid scheme guy, especially defensively. Fitzgerald was always the “we have a Dantonio at home” guy. Nails the superficial schtick but completely devoid of the substance.

Bill hawk

It’s largely just been necessity because of injuries. I imagine their intent was start against lefties semi-frequently and pinch hit in favorable matchups, but they’ve needed him to play in some heavy-injury stretches.

I agree. Just because it “worked out” doesn’t let the refs off the hook. I’m 99.9% sure it probably wouldn’t have mattered with how well Auburn played down the stretch, but that was a brutal 5-ish minutes by the refs in a pivotal moment of a close game. They HAVE to be better.