Pac12 3-way tiebreaker with Utah, Oregon, and USC

[reynholm_ute]

There’s a lot of confusion on the Pac12 tiebreaker rules (myself included) in the event that Utah, Oregon, and USC win out. Here’s a link to the rules (https://pac-12.com/football/standings).  The Pac12 needs to clarify before Utah plays Oregon.

At first pass I definitely thought it would be USC vs. Oregon (even though in that event Utah would have beat both teams). But now, I believe Utah gets in through this process:

FIRST: It goes Multiple-Teams Ties (MTT) rules.

SECOND: At MTT Step 2. Utah gets removed from that round but not from contention. At that point it moves to Steps 3-6 for Oregon vs. USC. Let’s say USC gains “advantage” and becomes “seeded”.

THIRD: Then it goes back to MTT Step 1. Oregon vs. Utah. Utah wins Head-to-head.

FOURTH: Now USC and Utah are seeded and we go to Two-Team Tie (TTT)

FIFTH: TTT Step 1. Utah wins Head-to-head and gets seeded #1

There are other interpretations I can see but I believe this is the clearest based on the language.

Of course, first and formost let’s beat Wazzu. Go Utes!

[Tomasina]

Here’s an article discussing this
three way tie

[NarfUte]

The simplest way to look at it is if Utah wins out, they are in the CCG regardless of what any other team does. No team has gone through the P-12 undefeated, so if history holds Oregon will lose a game (HOPEFULLY TO UTAH)

[Larry B]

This is how I look at it. Utah wins out = they go to the Championship Game. Utah loses one more = they don’t.

[UtesRule]

Not true. If it’s a 3-way tie with Utah, USC and Oregon at 8-1 Utah is NOT in in that scenario.

[NarfUte]

Yes they are. Read the tiebreaker procedure. The tie breaks move one team in, they don’t eliminate teams. After the first team is in in the USC, oregon, utah 8-1 scenario, utah is in next because it’s a two team tiebreak procedure for the next team to be seeded and they would have the tiebreaker over USC or Oregon, whoever had the weaker strength of conference schedule.

 

 

[NarfUte]

Here’s a better explanation from when the tiebreakers were announced:

“If more than two teams are tied, when one team gains an advantage through the tiebreaker system, it is placed accordingly. Then the remaining teams continue tiebreakers until the process is reduced to either one or two teams, in which case the two-team procedures apply.” 

https://www.oregonlive.com/collegefootball/2022/08/tiebreakers-set-for-pac-12-football-championship-game-selection.html

So in this hypothetical either USC or Oregon would be determined to have a better strength of schedule and get the first seed. Then, the other one would tiebreak against utah (1 team seeded, two teams still tied) and Utah would have the tiebreak and be the second team in the CCG 

[EagleMountainUte]

That makes no sense. Like zero if true. 

[cj13]

The only way we miss out would a 3 way tie between Oregon and UCLA. Oregon would need to take first which would be a miracle because their strength of conference schedule would need to beat UCLA or Utah’s and they miss USC.

[NarfUte]

Utah should be in if Utah and UCLA won out and oregon lost to only Utah. Utah having played USC and oregon state while ucla misses OSU/WSU and oregon misses USC benefits the Utes’ strength of conference schedule.

Cal, and UW losing a bunch of conference games would help us out. Stanford getting some W’s would as well.

[cj13]

Yeah we would need USC and Arizona State to have a worse combined conference record than the combo of Washington and Cal (Utah), and the combo of WSU and OSU (UCLA). Not happening.

[Trailgoat]

Might go down as the most confusing string of posts on Utehub ever :). Utes make it through the next three games victorious before Oregon then I will pay more attention to what options are shaping up. November is the month of survive on move on. Go Utes!

[NarfUte]

Yep. Let’s get a win on the damn Palouse first. 

[Charlie]

Just win out and we are in. A loss to Oregon makes it quite iffy because UCLA and USC will not likely loose until they meet. Oregon’s likely loss is to us or they go undefeated. Our run game needs to show good progress each of the next 3 games to match up with Oregon.

[UtesRock]

Locked on PAC 12 did an episode on most likely scenario https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQBtrIV7ab8