Mack Rhoades' explanation for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, and TAMU Aggies being ranked No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, respectively, in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's initial rankings did not land with USA Today's Matt Hayes.
Hayes shared that he literally laughed out loud hearing Rhoades try to justify the CFP selection committee's initial rankings having anything to do with football X's and O's. Hayes believes OSU's perceived-to-be weak schedule is the ultimate benefactor of the rankings.
The Buckeyes, according to Hayes, have benefited from not having to play a murderer's row of quarterbacks thus far.
"Mack Rhoades, athletic director at Baylor and the guy tasked with herding the cats, was talking about 'lines of scrimmage' when explaining the difference between Ohio State and Indiana and Texas A&M. I literally laughed out loud," Hayes wrote.
"The defense sure looks elite, but has faced these quarterbacks: Arch Manning (in the first road start of his career), C’zavian Teasett, Parker Navarro, Desmond Williams, Drake Lindsey, Luke Altmyer, Hunter Simmons, and Ethan Grunkemeyer.
"Riveting. And you could make an argument November gets easier.
"But, you know, lines of scrimmage."
Ohio State is a golden goose compared to Indiana, TAMU
It's fair to say that college football will always appeal to one of the six super revenue producers in the sport, like Ohio State. At least over schools like Indiana and TAMU. The CFP rankings probably weighed the Buckeyes' recent success, too.
Rhoades did damage to OSU's claim to be No. 1 by fumbling through his explanation like he did. There were coherent ways to explain their being No. 1.
Ohio State is a golden goose in many ways, though the rankings clearly proved that the sport's golden goose will always be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has a No. 10 spot in the rankings, the last team in for the 12-team field, that deserves to be discussed far more than where undefeated teams at the top do. That's the real outrage. Or at least should be.