This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

Good analysis. Some slight disagreements. by rockmcd

First off, I don't think ND fans need to clutch their pearls about the possibility of getting into the top 4 this year. The current system isn't really setup to allow ND to back its way in without any style points. I'm not saying that it's rigged against us when we're deserving (last year is proof of that), I'm just saying that we won't get any breaks in years like this when we're undeserving. Right now I'm more interested in potential Fiesta or Peach Bowl opponents, but I'll weigh in here just for fun.

I disagree that Cincy is a lock if they win out, and that it would be good for ND. I think tomorrow's initial Playoff Committee rankings are going to be rough for both teams. I think Cincy will be no better than 5th, and ND will be somewhere between 10-14. Even though Cincy's undefeated record gives ND a "good loss", I think that's outweighed by Cincy taking up one of the 4 playoff spots that are normally reserved for conference winners.

With the P5 conferences, the general rule of thumb is that a one-loss conference winner is going to get in over a one-loss ND. Even if it's Wake Forest. That premise could be tested if Wake's one loss comes this Saturday @ UNC, but if Wake's one loss is @ Clemson, then I'm confident they would (and should) get the nod over us on the strength of their more decisive wins over the 3 common opponents FSU, @ UVA, and @ UNC.

So the clearest of all the muddy paths for ND involves:
- Cincinnati losing.

- No more than 3 one-loss conference champs (Pac-12 and ACC are the most likely candidates).

- No one-loss non conference champs (Other than a Bama win over UGA in the SEC title game, the greatest threat here is Michigan St having its only loss be to Ohio St. A Sparty loss @ Purdue this Saturday would help ND's playoff chances on multiple levels. And if Wake's only loss is to NC State, then they could miss out on the ACC title game and finish 11-1)

- No "hot" two-loss teams from the SEC. (I would expect the winner of this weekend's Auburn vs A&M game to be ranked ahead of ND after that game, and if Bama loses to UGA in the SEC title game it can't be close.) I know there has not yet been a two-loss team that's been selected for the Playoff, but there has also never been a one-loss non conference champ as weak as this year's ND team that's been selected.