Let me start by saying I'm about as big of a Phil Steele fan as there is. His publication has been one of the most accurate in the business going back to my earliest days as a college football fan. However, I noticed a very egregious error in his latest 2018 edition that I'm surprised neither he nor anyone on his staff was able to identify. His current New Year's Six lineup goes as follows:
CFP - Orange
#1 Alabama_vs._#4 Washington
CFP - Cotton
#2 Clemson_vs._#3 Ohio State
Rose
#7 Wisconsin_vs._#8 Notre Dame
Sugar
#5 Georgia_vs._#9 Oklahoma
Peach
#7 Miami_vs._#11 Michigan
Fiesta
#10 Texas_vs._#14 Boise State
He then has Stanford (next highest remaining Pac-12 representative) slated to face off against TCU (next highest remaining Big 12 representative) in a repeat of last year's Alamo Bowl. WRONG WRONG WRONG. First of all, the Alamo Bowl would never pit the exact same teams that played each other just one year earlier. Maybe one of the two would be considered for a repeat appearance but certainly not both. Secondly, the Alamo Bowl wouldn't even be put in that precarious situation from the get go seeing as how Stanford should have been slotted to play in the Rose Bowl.
Had Phil Steele actually done his homework on this one, he'd discover that the Rose Bowl is obligated to take the highest ranked team from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten in years where it does not operate as a playoff site. That means #6 Wisconsin would be facing off against #15 Stanford in the Granddaddy of Them All. #8 Notre Dame would then play #7 Miami in the Peach Bowl and Michigan would get bumped from the NY6 picture entirely. Here's what Phil Steele's NY6 bracket should have looked like in the first place:
CFP - Cotton
#1 Alabama_vs._#4 Washington
Comments: It's highly unlikely the Playoff committee would pit Bama against Washington all the way out in Miami when Dallas would make for a much more geographically appropriate venue (it's about three times closer to Tuscaloosa as well)
CFP - Orange
#2 Clemson_vs._#3 Ohio State
Rose
#7 Wisconsin_vs._#15 Stanford
Comments: Unless I'm mistaken, the Rose Bowl is obligated to take the best remaining team from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten in years where it does not operate as a playoff site. Even if that's not the rule, I have to imagine it's their strong preference it to maintain that Pac-12/Big Ten matchup that has come to embody the Tournament of Roses.
Sugar
#5 Georgia_vs._#9 Oklahoma
Peach
#6 Miami_vs._#8 Notre Dame
Comments: Not only does this bowl shakeup create a more geographically appropriate matchup, it also provides a much more intriguing opponent for the Irish, who have a long-standing blood feud with the Hurricanes.
Fiesta
#10 Texas_vs._#14 Boise State
Alamo
#16 USC_vs._#20 TCU
Comments: What was a win-win becomes a win-win-win. The Trojans move up a spot to the Alamo Bowl, where they would be making their first-ever appearance. You gotta believe the Alamo Bowl committee would be thrilled.
CFP - Orange
#1 Alabama_vs._#4 Washington
CFP - Cotton
#2 Clemson_vs._#3 Ohio State
Rose
#7 Wisconsin_vs._#8 Notre Dame
Sugar
#5 Georgia_vs._#9 Oklahoma
Peach
#7 Miami_vs._#11 Michigan
Fiesta
#10 Texas_vs._#14 Boise State
He then has Stanford (next highest remaining Pac-12 representative) slated to face off against TCU (next highest remaining Big 12 representative) in a repeat of last year's Alamo Bowl. WRONG WRONG WRONG. First of all, the Alamo Bowl would never pit the exact same teams that played each other just one year earlier. Maybe one of the two would be considered for a repeat appearance but certainly not both. Secondly, the Alamo Bowl wouldn't even be put in that precarious situation from the get go seeing as how Stanford should have been slotted to play in the Rose Bowl.
Had Phil Steele actually done his homework on this one, he'd discover that the Rose Bowl is obligated to take the highest ranked team from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten in years where it does not operate as a playoff site. That means #6 Wisconsin would be facing off against #15 Stanford in the Granddaddy of Them All. #8 Notre Dame would then play #7 Miami in the Peach Bowl and Michigan would get bumped from the NY6 picture entirely. Here's what Phil Steele's NY6 bracket should have looked like in the first place:
CFP - Cotton
#1 Alabama_vs._#4 Washington
Comments: It's highly unlikely the Playoff committee would pit Bama against Washington all the way out in Miami when Dallas would make for a much more geographically appropriate venue (it's about three times closer to Tuscaloosa as well)
CFP - Orange
#2 Clemson_vs._#3 Ohio State
Rose
#7 Wisconsin_vs._#15 Stanford
Comments: Unless I'm mistaken, the Rose Bowl is obligated to take the best remaining team from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten in years where it does not operate as a playoff site. Even if that's not the rule, I have to imagine it's their strong preference it to maintain that Pac-12/Big Ten matchup that has come to embody the Tournament of Roses.
Sugar
#5 Georgia_vs._#9 Oklahoma
Peach
#6 Miami_vs._#8 Notre Dame
Comments: Not only does this bowl shakeup create a more geographically appropriate matchup, it also provides a much more intriguing opponent for the Irish, who have a long-standing blood feud with the Hurricanes.
Fiesta
#10 Texas_vs._#14 Boise State
Alamo
#16 USC_vs._#20 TCU
Comments: What was a win-win becomes a win-win-win. The Trojans move up a spot to the Alamo Bowl, where they would be making their first-ever appearance. You gotta believe the Alamo Bowl committee would be thrilled.
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