Police identify 4 so far in unruly Penn State victory mob

Michigan, presuming QB Wilton Speight is healthy, should be able to put up some points against FSU, which allows 24 points per game. The committee got it right, even though it may be extremely hard for some fans to swallow. Clemson joins Alabama, Ohio State, and Washington as the four teams selected to the CFP semifinals.

The Wisconsin Badgers are 7.5-point favorites against the Western Michigan Broncos in the Cotton Bowl, the early New Year Six’s game on January 2.

First of all, let’s get this out of the way.

If there is a pattern to be found in the committee’s work over three years it may be this simple: For the most part, the teams are ranked by the number in the loss column.

In a sport like college football, where winning is mandatory and losing is catastrophic, the stakes are high every single fall Saturday and the threat of imminent doom ever apparent every time a top-10 team takes the field. PSU won the tiebreaker for the Big Ten’s East Division before taking home the conference crown and that, for some, provides a valid argument for selection over the Buckeyes. They did that, no problem. In the receiving end, Calvin Ridley posted 43 yards in four receptions while ArDarius Stewart added 42 yards in three receptions.

I haven’t heard it mentioned too much to this point, but Nick Saban’s ‘Bama teams have only had one undefeated national title team to this point, in 2009.

The Hokies (9-4) went into the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game with losses to Tennessee (at Bristol Motor Speedway), at Syracuse and to Georgia Tech. All season long they defeated mediocre competition and then couldn’t beat a quality opponent.

A 44-6 win over Stanford; 70-21 over OR; 45-17 over Washington St.; 41-10 over Colorado.

Out of the top 25: Florida and LSU. And, yeah, Washington won by 49.

I know MI destroyed Penn State earlier this year, so Wolverines fans will want to be included in this discussion if the Nittany Lions are, but the teams playing the best at the end of the season are Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and either Penn State or Oklahoma.

So, why is Penn State not in over Ohio State?

With the Penn State Nittany Lions earning a win in the Big Ten Championship, it’s no surprise that individual honors will follow. They lead the NCAA in non-offensive touchdowns with 10 on the season, five fumble returns and five interception returns.

Listen, I get it.

The AP announcement comes on the heels of a remarkable Nittany Lions victory in the Big Ten Championship Game over an eighth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers team that featured key performances from both men. The rest of the schedule wasn’t almost as impressive.

All of that said, the committee did a pretty good job of choosing the four best resumes, and all four teams are deserving, so most people can live with the results. No matter who won or lost, both teams would’ve made that eight-team field, right? There will always be somebody left out. A 12-1 season is special, and every time I’ve seen them play, I’ve been impressed.

“So winning the best conference in the country doesn’t mean anything”, true freshman punter Blake Gillikin wrote on Twitter after the decision was announced. “I’m looking forward to playing against some of the best athletes in the nation, and one of the best offenses in the nation, if not the best, and the best quarterback in the nation – (or at least) one of the best”.

There’s only one way to guarantee a trip to the playoffs: win.