re: IF JEFF LONG SAYS the emphasis is 4 BEST get in, not 4 most deserving, then what

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then what is the point of even bothering to play games? If a team is considered the 4th best team in the country (and thus on pace to make the playoff), and then they lose a road game to #3 by 1 on a last second field goal, I would still consider them the 4th best team b/c losing at #3 by 1pt doesn't prove anything negative about you.

The problem with this? -- it makes that game completely and absolutely pointless b/c if either of those teams was the x best team before the game, losing by 1pt does not indicate they are anything worse than what you previously thought of them. You have to reward or punish teams based on results of games or else there's no point in playing them

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But if the #4 team loses to the #3 team by 25 points, then we would no longer say they are the 4th best team. That is the point of playing the games. In either case, you are rewarding (keeping them where they are) or punishing (dropping them) them based on what happened in the game.