Analysis: Temple saves CFP committee from a major headache
The College Football Playoff selection committee can rest a little easier thanks to Temple.
The Owls eliminated a potential major headache by topping Navy for an impressive 34-10 victory in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
It was a battle of strength on strength. Navy entered the contest averaging 61 points in its last three games, while Temple’s defense had been relentless in shutting down opponents, only allowing 10 points total over its previous three.
The AAC title wasn’t just about pitting two teams with tidal waves of momentum against each other. The College Football Playoff committee was watching this game with keen interest. A win by Navy would have created a huge problem for the committee, as it would have prolonged bowl announcements for the Group of 5 candidates, and specifically the Cotton Bowl, until the results of the Army-Navy game next Saturday.
Instead, Temple’s defense showed up and managed to hold Navy in check. Complicating matters for the Midshipmen was the fact they suffered key injuries to quarterback Will Worth, and running backs Darryl Bonner and Toneo Gulley.
The result sent out sighs of relief from the playoff committee, and also resulted in jubilation for Western Michigan fans. With Navy’s loss, the Broncos will undoubtedly be the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion and would earn a trip to the Cotton Bowl as a result.
This will be a huge achievement for Western Michigan and coach P.J. Fleck, who has turned around the Broncos’ program in stunning fashion.
In 2013, Western Michigan was a program struggling to find consistent success. From 2000-2012, the Broncos only managed four winning seasons. Then entered Fleck, the man with the vision to take Western Michigan from conference basement dwellers to MAC champions. The turnaround didn’t come easy, as the Broncos were 1-11 in Fleck’s first year at the helm. However, the players bought into the new identity for the team and the result has been nothing short of stunning.
The Broncos followed up the 1-11 season with back-to-back 8-5 campaigns, and now have a perfect 13-0 season to help raise their national identity.
Not only is the program’s recent success a huge turning point, the Cotton Bowl represents an opportunity for the Broncos to catapult themselves to the next level.
Other programs have followed similar paths. Under Urban Meyer, Utah was the first school from a non-BCS qualifying conference to earn a BCS bowl bid in 2004 when it went undefeated in regular season play. Boise State followed suit under the tutelage of coach Chris Petersen, who led the Broncos to an undefeated 2006 season, ending with a stunning upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
Not only can this be a program boost for Western Michigan, it can aid Fleck in his career trajectory. If the Broncos can replicate the success Meyer had at Utah and Petersen had at Boise State, Fleck will eventually earn himself a head coaching job at an upper-echelon school - he's a strongly rumored candidate for Oregon's vacancy, for instance. Considering that both Petersen and Meyer are currently coaching teams expected to make the College Football Playoff, Fleck is on an excellent path to follow suit.
And the Broncos, like the playoff committee, have Temple to thank for making this whole process much easier.