I will be rooting on Clemson just for the fun of ribbing back and forth with Joe!!!!!
I think you are getting too defensive Joe. I'm not really hearing anyone stand up for MSU. Nobody is really saying they should have been there or would compete. I'd guess plenty of us were "hoping" they would spank Bama.
This entire season has been a weak season for all leagues. The Big Ten looked better as a conference than they have in a while. They had more than one or two solid teams. I am not saying multiple NC teams. Just several "solid" teams. SEC showed how vulnerable they could be. Not a single stand out team. (Much like the Big Ten this year.) On any given week, there were teams in each conference that showed up and looked outstanding and there were teams that "should" have looked outstanding but left us scratching our heads. I am not saying the Buckeyes should have been in the Playoff. When they lost to MSU (due to their inconsistency and complacency), they forfeited that possibility. Nobody to blame but the faces they saw in the mirror. Total talent wise, the Buckeyes had more talent pound for pound than ANY team in college football this year. Just goes to show it takes more than talent to be a NC team. You have to have heart and drive. They didn't.
For these reasons I love college football. I couldn't give a crap about pro ball. A season like this one where any of 4-6 different teams "could" end up National Champs is what makes college football so exciting!