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Ohio State Football: Alabama should have made the playoff

By Charlie Lockhart

LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches player warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches player warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State Buckeyes left out of the College Football Playoff, Alabama in.

The rankings have been released and the four teams who will play in the College Football Playoff were announced. Ohio State was left out and Alabama is in. But why shouldn’t they be?

I want to make the case the Crimson Tide should have been included in the playoff.

Even though they didn’t win their division they were 11-1. And it’s Alabama.

Some will point out there wasn’t a signature win among the 11 victories, but you have to factor in one important thing. It’s Alabama.

Others will say the committee set a bad precedent by putting two teams from the same conference in the playoff. But you have to take into consideration they are from the SEC, and the second team is Alabama.

It was widely speculated when the Crimson Tide was 11-0 following their dominating win over the Mercer Bears, they would have made the playoff if they remained undefeated during the regular season. Even if they lost in the SEC Championship (And we now know that would have been  the case since Alabama lost to Auburn the next week).

However, Wisconsin was 11-0 at the time as well and it was said they couldn’t afford to lose a game. Even though, unlike Alabama, they had already won their division. The Badgers finished 12-1 and were left out of the playoff.

But that just makes sense. After all, the Wisconsin Badgers don’t play in the Southeastern Conference, and they aren’t Alabama.

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Now when it comes to getting the final spot in the playoff over Ohio State, I can only comment on what I heard on the radio today. It was said the play on the field by both teams was the determining factor.

Since the Playoff Committee’s rankings supposedly are based on a team’s performance on a week to week basis I was somewhat confused. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship yesterday but the Crimson Tide was sitting home watching the game.

Then it hit me, the committee must have been taking into account the performances in the last couple of games each of the two teams played. If that was the case, Alabama’s 56-0 victory over an FCS team and a 12 point loss to their rival was more impressive than Ohio State defeating Michigan and Wisconsin.

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Whatever criteria the committee used to determine the team to fill the final playoff spot, joining Clemson, Oklahoma and Georgia, I’m fine with it. After all, it is Alabama.

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