Where Does Tulane Stand for the American Championship Game?
In this story:
In case you were wondering, here is the gobbledygook that explains the exact way Tulane (or any other team) can make the American Conference championship game on Friday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m. CST. Each of the criteria is preceded by the American by-law subsection.
10.3 Championship Game Participant Determination
10.3.1 The two teams that complete the conference season with the highest winning percentages will be the participants in the Conference Championship Game.
10.3.2 The conference’s tiebreaking procedures will be used to break all ties for first or second place.
10.3.3 The team that wins the championship game will be the American Football Champion.
10.4 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PARTICIPANTS (UNBALANCED SCHEDULED)
10.4.1 For teams to be considered in a tie-break scenario to compete in the American Football Championship, teams must play at least seven conference games in years where eight games are scheduled.
10.4.2 The championship participants will be determined by the best winning percentages within the conference. In the event of an unbalanced schedule where there is a tie for the best, or second best, record in the loss column, head-to-head results will take precedence over the winning percentage as long as the required number of conference games were completed and the team with fewer games defeated all other tied teams. If the teams remain tied, the tie-breaking procedures will be applied to determine the American game representatives.
10.4.3 This procedure will be applied to determine the two championship game representatives and the championship game host.
10.4.4 This provision is subject to review by the Commissioner and the Athletic Directors from the institutions that are not in contention to be championship game participants.
10.5 Two-Team Tie
10.5.1 If there is a two-team tie for first place, both teams will play in the championship game.
10.5.2 If there is a two-team tie for second place, the head-to-head result shall determine the championship game participant.
10.5.3 If there is no head-to-head result, and one of the tied teams was ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings and doesn’t lose in the final weekend of regular-season conference play, it will be declared a championship game participant.
10.5.4 If there is no head-to-head result, and one of the tied teams was ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings and loses in the final weekend of regular-season conference play, then a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) will be used to determine the championship game participant.
10.5.5 If there is no head-to-head result, and both tied teams are ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings, the higher-ranked tied team that doesn’t lose in the final weekend of the conference regular season will be a championship game participant.
10.5.6 If there is no head-to-head result, and neither of the tied ranked teams wins in the final weekend of the conference regular season, a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) after all games concludes the final weekend of the Conference regular season will be used to determine the Championship Game participant.
10.5.7 If there is no head-to-head result, and neither of the tied teams is ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings going into the final weekend of the conference regular season, a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) after all teams conclude the final weekend of the conference regular season will be used to determine the championship game participant.
10.5.8 If still tied, win percentage against all common conference opponents.
10.5.9 If still tied, the team with the highest overall winning percentage (conference and non-conference) excluding exempt games.
10.5.10 If still tied, a coin toss will be conducted by the commissioner.
Think That's It? Oh no, there's more...
10.6 Multiple Team Tie
10.6.1 If more than two teams tie for first or second place, the tiebreaker procedures will be applied separately to identify the two participants in the championship game.
10.6.2 If only two teams remain tied after any step in the tiebreaking process, the two-team tie procedures shall be used to break the tie.
10.6.3 The conference records of the tied teams are compared in a mini round-robin format. If within the mini round-robin, any of the tied teams did not play each other, the group of teams shall remain tied unless one team defeated all other tied teams.
10.6.4 If the highest-ranked of the tied teams in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings doesn’t lose in the final weekend of regular-season conference play, it will be declared a championship game participant.
10.6.5 If the highest-ranked of the tied teams in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings loses in the final weekend of regular-season conference play, then a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) will be used to determine the championship game participants.
10.6.6 If there are multiple tied teams ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings, the highest-ranked team or teams that win in the final weekend of the conference regular season will be championship game participants.
10.6.7 If none of the ranked tied teams win in the final weekend of the conference regular season, a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) after all games conclude the final weekend of the conference regular season will be used to determine the championship game participants.
10.6.8 If no teams are ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings going into the final weekend of the conference regular season, a composite average of selected computer metrics (Connolly SP+, SportSource TR116 SOR, ESPN SOR, KPI) after all games conclude the final weekend of the conference regular season will be used to break a tie and determine the championship game participants.
10.6.9 If still tied, win percentage against all common conference opponents.
10.6.10 If still tied, the team with the highest overall winning percentage (conference and non-conference) excluding exempt games.
10.6.11 Drawing to be conducted by the Commissioner.
When it comes to determining who will host, we'll get to that if Tulane is in the running later this season.
Courtesy American Athletic Conference
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.