Ohio State Football: Is the mindset of the CFP Committee wrong?

The second CFP rankings were released on Tuesday and we are starting to get an idea of the selection committee’s mindset.

For teams other than the Ohio State football team, LSU and Clemson you better be on your best behavior if you wish to earn a berth into the College Football Playoff. The Selection Committee has arguments for nine teams to fill the 4-12 spots and they could be in a range of different orders.

Does Alabama fall out of the top four or does Minnesota make the gargantuan leap into the field? Will Oklahoma’s close win over an unranked team be held against them like Clemson’s? What about the Pac-12? And does Ohio State hold their No. 1 ranking?

These were some of the questions we had heading into tonight’s rankings. Alabama slid to No. 5 right behind SEC-counterpart Georgia while Minnesota used their upset win over Penn State to catapult into the top 10 at No. 7. Oklahoma was further penalized for their efforts on the field while LSU was rewarded for theirs in overtaking the No. 1 ranking as expected.

Every year so far we’ve had chaos and confusion when debating the teams for the CFP and fanbases have gone frantic politicking their team’s case. But each year it seems to work itself out. However, this year that may not be the case.

There are far more teams in position and in play than in previous Novembers which immediately warrants discussion for expansion to an eight-team playoff.

Alabama lost a close game at home to LSU, but on paper it wasn’t really that close or that great of a loss for the Tide. The Tigers once led by 20 and gained nearly 600 yards of offense while plastering 46 points on Saban’s defense.

Despite losing by five on the scoreboard, it was an embarrassing performance for Alabama’s standards. Great for TV, but not for Nick Saban.

The committee held it against the Tide, but they did get the eye test pass to remain in the playoff picture despite lacking a win over a ranked opponent with less than three losses. How did we get to the point where a “good” loss is better than actually winning? The eye test and subjectivity with brand and ratings sprinkled in there are to blame, but it shouldn’t be that way.

Georgia checking in at No. 4 may be the biggest storyline of the evening. Using logic from previous years, a bad out-of-conference loss is detrimental to a team in contention, especially at home. The Bulldogs seem to be getting a free pass as their ranked wins over Notre Dame and Florida are balancing out the loss to unranked South Carolina who just fell to Appalachian State.

Clemson has been playing far better than in the first few weeks of the season yet the media still praises Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma’s electric offense as they just ignore the fact the Sooners still don’t have a legitimate defense. Comparing the resumes they’re pretty similar, but in reality, Clemson does have a real defense.

Another storyline no one is talking about is the lack of defense in both Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa. What if Alabama really is overrated this year and the legend Nick Saban is having an off-year? LSU and Alabama both have elite offenses with Heisman caliber quarterbacks who are distracting us from the fact they don’t play defense. In fact, their offenses are masking their defenses or lack thereof.

Ohio State is undoubtedly the most complete team in the country, but silently so is Clemson. The North Carolina win is holding so much weight, but the Tigers are still elite too. LSU and Alabama are getting free passes because of the eye test rather than using the metrics to determine which teams are the best.

All things considered, the committee has their hands full this year. What if Ohio State and LSU both finish undefeated? The margin seems to be slim between the two teams but LSU is getting the nod based on their wins over high-caliber teams.

Will it be the eye test that holds as the ultimate trump card or will logic and analytics finally put their foot down and determine Ohio State is the No. 1 team because they’re more complete and more trustworthy?

The Buckeyes have more opportunities down the stretch to add to their resume with games against Penn State, Michigan and potentially the Big Ten Championship Game, whereas LSU just faces Georgia in Atlanta. We’ll see what the committee does moving forward.