Quote Originally Posted by PhiAlpha View Post
Again, being in a weaker conference hasn’t hurt Clemson at all. They’ve won 29 straight and very well could push it to 30 and another national title. Blaming everything on the big 12 is just lazy and frankly, ignorant. It obviously didn’t help that OU ended up down three starters on defense but they are going to have to continue the recruiting surge on defense to improve in the playoff. It is OU’s fault alone that this keeps happening. You can’t blame anyone other than the coaching staff. That said, given what they had to work with this year with Hurts at QB, all the linemen we had to replace, and what little Grinch had to work with in his first year...it was a hell of a coaching job to even get us there. Recruiting on defense will have to continue to improve or we will never have any real shot. We will continue to make it to the playoff if we are undefeated and will likely still get in over most one loss teams if we win the conference, lose to decent or good teams and keep attempting to play a tougher non-conference schedule than the majority of the NCAA.

To put things into perspective, out of 130 schools in the FBS, 11 total have made it to the playoff. 6 of those teams have won at least one game and only 3 have won the title. Only 4 of those 11 teams have gotten repeat bids to the CFP and only Clemson and Alabama have made it to the CFP more often than OU so OU despite our inability to win, OU is still in good company, especially when you look at the entire field...I would much rather win a game or two but to act like OU is some joke of a program in a joke of a conference is an extreme over reaction.
+1, good observation and excellent response PhiAlpha.

Many programs would love to be in OU's position--regardless of the playoff loses.

Admittedly, fans were hyped for OU to advance to the championship and surely no one expected the team to get a behind the barn beat down. Players have to be more disciplined (RE: Suspensions handed down by Riley); like the direction the program is headed--it takes years to attract a steady diet of steady recruits to build the program and to replace those who graduate and more importantly leave for the pros early.

It would have been a tall hill to climb with those suspended by Lincoln Riley. LSU exploited the venerable OU defense; their players played exponentially.

Don't be surprised if LSU dethrones Clemson--the boys from the Bayou are solid at every position.