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CFP chair Kirby Hocutt discusses gap between Alabama and Ohio State, OSU’s loss to Iowa
By Adam Spencer
Published:
When the newest College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night, there was a lot of discussion around Alabama being at No. 5 and Ohio State sitting at No. 8.
Ohio State plays No. 4 Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday, so the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Buckeyes can jump ahead of the Tide with a win or not.
After the rankings show on Tuesday, CFP chair Kirby Hocutt weighed in on the Buckeyes-Tide debate, saying there isn’t much of a difference between teams 5-8 in the committee’s minds.
“Reflecting on the discussions over the last two days, obviously there’s three spots that separate them right there, but it’s close separation from team No. 5, Alabama; 6, Georgia; 7, Miami; 8, Ohio State,” he said. “Those teams are close. Very little separation in the committee’s eyes between teams 5 through 8.
He added that Ohio State’s two losses — one a blowout loss to Iowa — do weigh on the committee’s minds when discussing the Buckeyes.
“It’s a factor,” he said. “You know, two decisive losses sit on their resume: The Iowa loss that you mentioned, also the loss to No. 3 Oklahoma. That’s obviously something that’s on their resume and the committee references when we talk about Ohio State.”
What will happen when the final rankings are released on Sunday? That remains to be seen, but for now, both Alabama and Ohio State have some legitimate Playoff hopes.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
