Ignoring Head-to-Head Results Is an Insult to College Football Integrity

Disregarding head-to-head results undermines the essence of college football. Here's why these matchups should always matter in rankings.

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws a pass under pressure from Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) during the first quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The challenge of comparing resumes is a difficult task

With so many vastly varying conference and schedule difficulties from coast to coast in the world of college football, it can be hard at times to accurately measure one team over another when it comes time to rank them. This has been true for as long as the sport has been around.

What's more impressive? An undefeated season with a weak schedule or a 1 or 2-loss record with a brutal schedule? What carries more weight? A great win or an awful loss? How much does when said win or loss occur matter? Should that matter at all? These are all areas of debate each time the final playoff push is near.

And I agree, these are some complicated issues, but some things aren't complicated. And we shouldn't make them seem like they are.

My new CFB Top 10 (10/26)
1) @oregonfootball
2) @GeorgiaFootball
3) @OhioStateFB
4) @PennStateFball
5) @TexasFootball
6) @ClemsonFB
7) @IndianaFootball
8) @Vol_Football
9) @AlabamaFTBL
10) @CanesFootball
Almost: @AggieFootball @CycloneFB @BYUfootball @NDFootball…

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 27, 2024

Head-to-head results must matter or why bother to play games?

Since Texas A&M's terrific win over LSU and rise to the top of the SEC standings being undefeated in conference play, the Aggies are now one of the darlings of college football. So much so that many pundits have them ranked ahead of Notre Dame, which makes no sense.

Notre Dame and Texas A&M both have 1 loss and played each other. Notre Dame won that game, on the road, by double digits. How then, could anyone logically rank the Aggies higher than the Irish? They can't. Not logically anyway.

The only way anyone could rationalize this position is by being so arrogant as to think that their football brain knows better than actual game results on the field.

This is an absurd way to think about football. When records are equal and a head-to-head matchup has been played, that result dictates who's ranked over who.

Period.

If not, and head-to-head results don't matter, why play games at all? Just reward rankings based on perceptions of talent and recruiting, not game results.

Some things in college football are hard to figure out, this dynamic isn't one of them. Games are played for a reason. Those results need to be honored.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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