Ohio State Moves To No. 2 For CFP — Rightfully So?

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer wasn’t as worried as his fans wanted him to be after their offensive struggle in the loss to Penn State, coupled with another poor offensive performance in a win against Northwestern the following week. After the identical thrashings his Ohio State team put on No. 10 Nebraska then Maryland the following week (both scores were 62-3), the College Football Playoff Committee rewarded the Buckeyes with a No. 2 ranking in this week’s playoff standing.

While Ohio State’s trajectory appears to be on the right track, there are many factors that will be in their way before they can breathe and relax. For starters, they must take care of rivals Michigan State and Michigan. Meyer has shown a history of letting teams who emphasize execution over talent get the best of him. Secondly, Ohio State needs a Penn State loss to further help their cause for playoff security and a shot at the Big Ten Title.

Ironically, although both teams are ranked below Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State both control their own destiny. If Penn State wins and Michigan loses to Ohio State, Penn State goes to the Big Ten Championship game to face most likely Wisconsin, because they own the tiebreaker between with Ohio State. But if Ohio State does win out and goes to the playoffs, many believe they deserve entry into the game. But as it was two seasons ago, it won’t be without backlash.

If Ohio State wins out and gets in the CFP, it won't be without controversy But it'll be deserved…just like the first time.

— Mekka Don (@MekkaDonMusic) November 13, 2016

What really helps Ohio State is the strength in numbers their conference, the Big 10, provides. Besides a key, out-of-conference top 15 win against Oklahoma, Ohio State has two victories against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 10 (Nebraska, Wisconsin). Add in a loss to current AP No. 9 and No. 8 in the playoff-ranking Penn State, and a victory over No. 3 Michigan, Ohio State’s resume would stand out — even without a Big Ten Championship game birth. According to an ESPN article, the Big Ten’s strength may pay off for Ohio State.

“Alabama is the undisputed top dog, but the Big Ten is the Big Show in the third College Football Playoff rankings, which followed a stunning weekend of losing among highly ranked teams.

“Ohio State climbed from No. 5 to No. 2, while Michigan stayed put at No. 3 after losing to unranked Iowa. Of course, those two play on Nov. 26, with the stakes being both huge and curious.

“Along with No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 8 Penn State, the Big Ten leads all conferences with four teams in the top eight. It also leads all conferences with intrigue.”

But according to another article on ESPN, being in the playoffs isn’t considered a prerequisite in the committee’s eyes.

“With six of the top 10 teams coming from the Big Ten and ACC, CFP executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that being a division winner in a conference isn’t a mandatory consideration.

“‘The committee’s charge is to rank the top 25 teams in the nation; this is done based on the independent rankings of the 12 college football experts in the room,’ Hancock said. ‘The committee members are free to consider many different factors, and although being a division winner has not been discussed as a factor in any of our meetings, nothing prohibits it from being a factor, if that’s what any individual committee member thinks. As you know, conference champion is indeed an explicit factor, but division champion is not.'”

This is a plus for Ohio State and fifth-ranked Louisville, who both have big wins but don’t control their own destiny (Penn State and Clemson losses respectively). So does Ohio State deserve to go to the playoffs despite their ramifications? That’s an equation that can only be played out in the next few weeks.

[Featured Image by Patrick Young/Getty Images]