But getting this matchup meant the committee had to sort through Clemson, Michigan, Ohio state, Penn State, and Washington to fill the remaining three spots in the Playoff four. 3 MI, pushed the Buckeyes past Penn State and back to the desert. Ohio State and MI sat at home and watched. The Badgers had a six-game winning streak before the conference championship game, where they had a 28-7 lead before losing 38-31 to Penn State while giving up the most points they had all season.
Advertisement
I can see the selection committee deciding on a Top Four, then moving three of those around (Obviously ‘Bama is #1 and always #1 and boring as hell) to get the best matchups. It’s notable to remember that the Nittany Lions were 2-2 and down three points against Minnesota in the final minute. Keep arguing if you want, but the CFP selection committee got it right.
It’s Alabama-Washington in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl.
Clemson (12-1) suffered what appeared to be a debilitating loss to unranked Pittsburgh on November 12, but followed up with lopsided wins over Wake Forest and SC. But maybe you can win or lose a chance to play for a national championship in that month.
As they say, you can’t win a national championship in September.
The CFB Playoff national championship game is set for Mon., Jan. 9, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
The nation’s No. 1 team scored off a blocked punt and an interception return Saturday before wearing down No. 15 Florida in the second half with a dominant running game.
– Auburn (8-4) will play Oklahoma (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl on January 2.
One thing that was in Ohio State’s favor was the belief held by nearly everyone that the Big Ten was the best conference in America in 2016. Oklahoma entered the week ninth and probably can’t move up higher than seventh.
The Buckeyes’ only loss came at No. 5 Penn State, 24-21, in a second consecutive nationally-televised night game on the road after playing at Wisconsin the previous week.
Clemson wrapped up its second straight ACC title Saturday night, knocking off Virginia Tech to finish 12-1. All had one loss.
“As the Selection Committee discussed Ohio State over the last couple of weeks, their body of work we believed was deserving of this No. 3 spot, and believed that they are unequivocally one of the best college football teams in the country this season”.
Colorado, which is eighth going into the Pac-12 title game, will make a claim to be No. 4 but it will be hard for the Buffaloes to climb over all those Big Ten teams. Every game counts, though some seem to count more than others and good luck figuring out which ones count most. That was domination, and it did little to help Penn State’s case. 5 and 6, left out in the playoff cold but still destined for a cushy bowl game against a quality opponent.
SEC – Florida would earn a Sugar Bowl bid by beating Alabama.
Stay tuned for more coverage of Ohio State’s playoff assignment, including comments from OSU coach Urban Meyer after 2 p.m.
Is Ohio State still safe? . Unfortunately, the Playoff has just four spots.
The committee chose a non-champion (Ohio State) because it was definitive that the Buckeyes had a top-four résumé and the best résumé in the best conference, the Big Ten. The committee has spoken glowingly about the Buckeyes, who have wins over Oklahoma, Wisconsin and MI, but we have yet to see a team that did not win its conference get into the playoff.
Advertisement
Below, we’ll take a look at the final rankings and break down the likely basis for the committee’s decisions.
