AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco goes scorched earth on CFP Committee's criteria: I don't know where the goalposts are
AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco went off on the College Football Committee on a Wednesday appearance with Paul Finebaum.
He is absolutely not happy with how the Committee ranks the teams, especially because Cincinnati (who’s in the AAC and is 8-0), is only the ninth-ranked team in the latest rankings.
One of the biggest things he said this evening was about how the NCAA should bring back the BCS system if changes aren’t made with the criteria:
AAC commissioner Mike Aresco on Finebaum: "We've reached a crossroads with this committee. You probably expect me to go ballistic, but I'm not going to. … After watching last night, I didn't know where to begin. If this continues, let's bring back the BCS and computers."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
More Aresco on Finebaum: "(The BCS) would be more fair than what we're seeing now. … I think the committee is undermining its credibility with rankings that defy logic, common sense and fairness. … It's clearly become a P5 invitational."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
He also added that the conference thought they had a path to potentially have a team make the playoff but that’s basically all but gone:
More Aresco: "We thought we had a path. That seems to have been snatched away. That's a concern. The goalposts seem to move, and people don't know where the goalposts are anymore."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
Here’s the rest of what Aresco had to say:
Aresco: "It's a cycle that keeps repeating itself. The eye test has been used, but they refuse to use it with a team like Cincinnati."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
Aresco: "We're not satisfied with just playing in New Year's Day when we have teams this good. The committee has to do some soul-searching."
Mentions Iowa State's loss to Louisiana. "If Cincinnati had that happen to them, they couldn't crack the top 25."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
Aresco: "The system is in danger of being derailed now with what I consider self-selected arbitrary factors. It's not being decided on the field. Why play the games? If you're going to ignore a 17-point loss at home, why play the games? I don't know where the goalposts are."
— Chris Vannini 😷 (@ChrisVannini) December 16, 2020
Aresco has every reason to be frustrated with the CFP since Cincinnatti is behind teams who have losses but their chances of making it into the CFP were always slim. Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Ohio State have been lights out this season and the committee will always take them over Cincinnati.
One problem Aresco rightly has is the fact that the Bearcats have slid down the rankings due to cancellations over the past couple of weeks. Despite not even playing, Cincinnati has slid to No. 9.
If the Bearcats win against Tulsa on Saturday though, they should move up in the next rankings when the CFP field is made official.
We’ll just have to see when a team other than Notre Dame from outside the Power 5 conferences ever gets into the CFP.
