THE QATSPY® Quapaw Avid Tailgate Sports Performance Reporter
By: Charles W. Boatright Freelance Reporter for THE QATSPY®
This CFP Scenario Justifies the 12-Team Playoff– The Expansion of the CFP will be able to balance the Record of Teams with the Strength of Schedule. This 12-CFP Expansion will help Balance Out Strength of Schedule over Team’s Record
I enjoy writing about sports, because of how sports is a small microcosm of our life and how we can overcome obstacles in our life with perseverance and patience, with what I call The Quiet strength, or what other people call their FAITH.
Management by Paralysis Analysis
College, school, and conference administrators aren’t immune to the management influence and dysfunction referred to as paralysis analysis and its inability for people to make timely decisions, which we have witnessed over the years. This especially goes for the College Football Playoff (CFP) expansion discussions since 2018. I’m convinced that the higher up the ladder of leadership a decision goes, the inability for people to make a timely decision.
Heather Dinich has covered this paralysis analysis with the committee of conference administrators and has been guest on the Paul Finebaum Show for over the past 3- years. She has expressed people’s frustration in the committee inability to reach a consensuses with CFP expansion trying to eliminate the issues between the best team and teams that are deserving to be in the 4-CFP.
Those of us that are on the front lines and are in the trenches of life in our jobs can see what decisions need to be made to improve the processes, because we are having to face the issues on a personal level and get the job done everyday with the procedures and resources we have.
A perfect example and scenario of paralysis analysis was by Colleges and Universities administrators discussing over the CFP expansion that took over three years of deliberation to come up with a 12- Team Playoff Schedule. This 12- Team Playoff Schedule will help make Bowl Games relevant.
SEC Commissioner, Greg Sankey, who helped provide leadership in the CFP expansion process, wanted to make the decision back as soon as 2019, which could have been in effect in 2022, two years earlier if a plan was in place. But it was tabled due to various situations, one being COVID, but mainly for the indecisiveness by conferences, college, and university administrators in my humble opinion.
The CFP 13- Member Committee
The CFP, 13- member committee, that has been in place since 2014, are tasked with placing 4- of the best and sometimes deserving teams into the playoffs. For the most part, the process has worked. But still the issue is this, as Coach Nick Sabin pointed out after the game with Georgia last night (02Dec2023), with the CFP 4- team process this year like it was for last year.
After Alabama won the 2023 SEC Championship over The University of Georgia, last night, Coach Sabin made one of the best analyses summing up how four teams’ aspirations for a National Title laid in hands of 13- people. Essentially, this decision is going to be placed in the hands of a 13- member committee who wasn’t there for every play and game. Their decision will be largely based on strength of schedule, and record, in what type wins and losses each team had, and watching hours of game film. Just be prepared fans of Florida State with a Strength of Schedule of 54, to be lift out of the 2023-2024 CFP.
Florida State choose to join the ACC in 1992 over the SEC, but FSU was originally were a member back in 1894.
There is a great article by Tomahawk on FSU state of fares that they find themselves in- Nation entitled: Moment of Reckoning: How decades of mismanagement has Florida State on the outside looking in of conference realignment
Coach Nick Sabin made an important observation after Alabama’s win, I’m paraphrasing here– “We did our part, it is up to the CFP Committee on Sunday to determine what happens next.” This year there are 3- teams with perfect records, and 4- teams with 1 loss records. Oregon lost to Washington that caused them to have a record of a 2- lose season. This is where strength of schedule will be an important factor on who is selected for the four spots. Make a note of this, Alabama Strength of Schedule is 5 and they won their conference, two of the main factors for consideration.
Here’s what Makes the 4- Team Concept Problematic
One of the top CFP objectives is to include the winner of each Divisions 5 Conference in the playoff and their strength of schedule. This was the issue that was revealed in December of 2022 by the selection of TCU. The University of Georgia absolutely annihilated TCU with a score of TCU- 7 vs. UGA- 63. You want to avoid these type situations, especially in the Final Four faceoff games. You want competition instead of blowouts games on National Network with over 30- million watching. This is what fans and network executive are hoping for in the Final Four Games.
The 8-4 team format for the 2024-2025 CFP will still consider strength of schedule, but mainly for placement value rather than selection process; this is more like how teams are selected for Regionals in College Baseball Series. The 4- best teams will get a bye week and play the winners from the 8-team bracket in single elimination.
In my opinion, the 64- team College Basketball Bracket concept would be arduous for football team format. Even with NIL, you don’t want a College Football player with prospects of having an NFL-type career to be exposed to a possible career ending injury that will not only effect them physically, but more important mentally.
I like football and enjoy watching the games from high school up to the college level, but not at the expense of having more than 4- post games exposing these players to injuries. Especially before they start a possible Professional career in one of the leagues.
The 2023-2024 CFP Match up:
Michigan vs Alabama
Washington vs. Texas
Decisive Decisions and Action
I would like to go back to the decisive leadership that Mr. Greg Sankey, for a moment, where he provided leadership to go to a 12- Team CFP Playoff. This also includes the leadership that Mr. Sankey provided during COVID Pandemic when the entire world was shutting down. We already cancelled rest of the 2020 NCAA Basketball season and also cancelled all of the NCAA baseball seasons.
Greg Sankey helped navigate through the COVID Pandemic with his medical staff and advisors. Greg Sankey with input from some of the best Epidemiologists and other professionals made the decision to start the 2020-2021 SEC Football season without fans. The SEC made the determination to play the 2020-2021 football and basketball seasons while other conferences either suspended or delayed the start of their football season.
The decision and action by Greg Sankey and his medical team should serve as a Road Map for decision making in all area of our lives
Here is what we can learn from Greg Sankey and his staff in decision making process-
(1). Be patient, don’t panic and react irrational, use your energy instead to focus on and assess the situation and find opportunities.
(2). Gather all the FACTS and prioritize them, determine what you can control, and mitigate what you can’t control, especially risk, i.e., Risk Management. Accept the fact that no one can control every aspect of a decision once it is made to go, this is what causes paralysis analysis to occur by focusing on what can’t be done or how it can be done.
(3). Limit the number of unknowns and consequences as much as possible to limit your exposure to risks and hazards.
(4). Then assemble a step-by-step plan that is as simple as possible procedure based on the FACTS that can be well understood by the entire team, then be able to execute the plan.
(5). Then make any adjustments as needed as you go along.
Remember you have to be able to adapt to the changes and take advantage of what opportunity develops in the process while mitigating consequences. The secret, is to find advantages in the process as they are occurring and take advantage of your strengths.
Use your failures to develop experience, and use your successes to gain confidence. DON’T ever confuse experience, being prepared, and confidence with education. Confidence is being prepared.
Success is 90 percent preparation and perspiration executing a well developed plan while 10 percent is based on inspiration.
Now for Coach Bobby Petrino Returning to Arkansas
In reference to Coach Bobby Petrino returned to Arkansas on December 01st, 2023 after his departure back in April of 2012 for improper relationship with a female subordinate on his staff.
There are a wide range of opinions and positions on the decision that was made by The University of Arkansas AD and Vice Chancellor, Hunter Yurachek to hire Coach Petrino. The decision involved hiring back Coach Petrino on the football staff under Coach Sam Pittman. I would like to offer some precedents for Yurachek and the University decision.
Like I mentioned above in decision making- We use our failures to gain experience in life that we hope to improve our life and the life of others, by sharing our experiences. We all come short of our aspirations by doing what we shouldn’t do; and not doing what we should do. We are our worst liability in life. But with understanding from others, we hope we are afforded a second chance when we ALL fall short.
I have two examples of failure and second chances below- One is a Biblical example while the second is secular, but both are true:
First Case:
King David committed not only adultery, but also was an accessory to a murder of Uriah as documented in 2 Samuel chapter 11 and 12. After the Prophet Nathan, brought this to King David’s attention, King David sought forgiveness and was forgiven before he, King David, even asked for forgiveness. With this second chance, King David became the greatest King of Israel had ever known, King David was the apple of God’s Eye, and a man after God’s own heart, even with King David’s failures.
Remember- It isn’t the case of IF we are going to fail, but it is a case of WHEN we are going to fail.
King David became the lineage to the Messiah that was referred to as The Son of David during His ministry. This is what I was referring to by taking advantage of our opportunities even if it is the smallness of advantages.
Second Case:
We had a President that had improper relations with a subordinate that was an intern in the White House East Wing. He also tried to cover this up, but was found guilty of the improper incident and in turn lost his law license for perjury. The American people, as a whole, didn’t want their President indicted for his misconduct. He remained in office to finish out his second term.
In both these cases, both men kept their positions.
So there are important precedents set for Hunter Yurachek’s decision to give Coach Petrino a second chance. I know that I have been given more than my share of second chances in my life. I might be even pushing that 7 times 7 limit if not more in my life. I would ask that you weigh these two cases in rendering your opinion on Coach Petrino.
I have an E-book on Sports Psychology that is great for any athletes of any age, especially Homeschooled students, and especially for Veterans dealing with PTSD, Please use the link below to purchase:
