SEC Football Q&A: Does Florida State Deserve to Be Ranked Above Alabama?
It seems like only yesterday when SEC Network carriage deals dominated the headlines, the 10-second rule became an issue and South Carolina was a contender.
Ah, the offseason.
As we enter rivalry weekend, both SEC divisions remain undecided, a one-loss SEC team is ranked No. 1—two spots ahead of undefeated defending national champion Florida State—and one of the best head coaching jobs in college football (Florida) is open.
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Florida State's place in a sea of SEC powers, Arkansas' momentum and Florida's next step are discussed in this week's SEC Q&A.
Of all of the factors you mentioned, the "no losses" part is the most important. Last season's Heisman Trophy winner shouldn't have any bearing on this season's rankings. NFL talent shouldn't have any bearing on this season's rankings.
Rankings for this season should be based on how each team looks this season based on results.
Nothing more and nothing less.
Unfortunately, they're not anymore.
One thing became abundantly clear as the weekly College Football Playoff rankings have been released on a weekly basis, and it is the worst fear of BCS proponents—like myself.
The regular season has already been devalued.
Florida State is a power-five team with zero losses and two Top 25 wins. Are either of those wins comparable to Alabama's lone Top 25 win over No. 4 Mississippi State? Of course not, but Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher said it better than anybody possibly could.
"How about the way everybody else hasn't finished?" he told ESPN.com's Heather Dinich on Sunday. "Our team has never not finished. The game is 60 minutes. This team hasn't lost in over two years. Everybody says 'game control.' That's something made up. As a coach, you talk about one thing: Finish. Get it done."
If a team in a power-five conference goes undefeated and has more Top 25 wins than a one-loss team from the nation's best division, that team should be No. 1.
Should Alabama be in the playoff? Absolutely. Top 3, for sure. But Florida State deserves the No. 1 spot. After all, what we're really talking about is seeding, and Florida State has done all that it can do to be seeded No. 1.
To me, though, Florida State being at No. 3 is about programming the sport. If the Seminoles beat a Florida team with a good defense and then a ranked Georgia Tech team in the ACC Championship Game handily, it should jump back to the top spot and play the fourth seed in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's night.
"@BarrettSallee any chance gundy leaves for UF head coaching job Sallee?
— Jacob (@jacobsmomOG) November 24, 2014"
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy would certainly check off several of the boxes that Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley is looking for. He's a proven offensive mind who has had success as a head coach at a major program, producing double-digit-win seasons three times in the last five years.
But would he go to Florida?
According to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports, three sources have told him that Gundy is interested in the job and has made that known through backchannels.
Could that be legitimate? Yep. Could it be Gundy leveraging for a new deal? Yep. It's probably both, which would certainly explain why Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun has already stated that he's not a candidate.
The gap between a Top 5 job and a top-50 job, though, has narrowed tremendously over the last decade as more money has flowed into the sport.
Gundy is the 15th-highest-paid coach in the country ($3.5 million), according to the USA Today database of coaching salaries, and is currently at a program that has comparable resources to those of any top-tier program in the country.
If he wants a new challenge, sure, I could see him going to Florida. But he isn't going to go just because "it's Florida." It's a rebuilding year, but he has a good thing going for him in Stillwater with an easier path to the playoff.
It'd be difficult to leave. If he does, though, he'd be a hit in Gainesville.
"@BarrettSallee do you think Arkansas will be ranked in the preseason rankings for next year (2015) because of their vast improvements?
— A. Sagar (@WarDamnEagle_) November 24, 2014"
Regardless of what happens on Friday afternoon in the regular-season finale against Missouri, Arkansas will be ranked to start the 2015 season.
Back-to-back shutouts against ranked SEC opponents is very impressive, even if those rankings disappear by the end of the season. Running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams should return, along with quarterback Brandon Allen, four starters on the offensive line and defensive lineman Darius Philon.
That's a solid foundation for a program that suddenly has momentum.
Unless some really bizarre roster attrition occurs between now and September in Fayetteville, the late-season momentum combined with the stars returning should land the Hogs in the preseason Top 25 and, perhaps, some first-place votes from the assembled members of the SEC media when we predict the conference standings at SEC media days.
Look out for the Hogs, because even if they don't beat you, they'll beat you up.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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