I seem to remember Clemson prevailing last year? Who "dominated" the final game? It was tight. I agree with you though...based on regional tv ratings, do you think ESPN wants 4 Southern teams in the playoff (AU, CLEM, AL, Okl)? They'll need an Upper Midwest or West Coast team.

I suppose if you did this exercise with AL you would make sure to include Mercer and Fresno St, right?

You don't use a Conference Championships as a "separation factor"? Or how about top 10 wins?

Who cares about someone's last 38 games? Ohio State decisively beat AL last time they met as well. Does that factor in?

Ohio State had a great out of conference road win last year at Okl which is what got them in above conference champ PSU. ALA doesn't have that this year.

The weight of that very bad loss is your opinion. However, the committee has shown in the past that they weigh Conference Championships and Quality Wins above "bad losses". (Last year, without a BIG championship, OSU got in with their great road win at Okl.) Alabama doesn't have that strong win this year that OSU had last year.

Not logical. If all the ALA skilled players are busy grabbing Clemson skilled players, Deshaun will just tuck the ball and walk into the end zone.

Sure thing. Former BCS system computed for this year have… #1 ALA #2 tOSU **Not gonna solve your gripe.

Actually, I wouldn't mind if the committee picked who plays in the conf championship games. PSU and OSU were the two best teams in the Big 10 but arbitrarily are placed in the same Region so they couldn't meet in the championship.

Why are you so pissed as an LSU fan? Also, if they cared about ratings they would just put PSU in or MICH in at #4 over Washington in a second. In 2014 OSU had a stronger SOS than TCU. They also blew out Wisconsin 59-0 with a backup QB in the B1G championship game. TCU's big conference finale was against Iowa State. If Conference Championships is the end- all be-all, then why do we even need a committee?

True but don't forget about OSU's side of the ledger. 3 wins against top 10 teams. (Only loss was to PSU via clocked field goal.) OSU this year without a conf championship has a better resume than TCU did in 2014 at end of season.

Instead of that game, I'll probably put on the 2015 Sugar Bowl and watch Elliott and our 3rd team QB run all over your "tide" defense all night. I gave an opinion on a rule. I didn't come to throw insults. You guys here are just too thin skinned and don't want to hear anything outside of your little, precious SEC bubble.

I'm an Ohio State fan. We are also one of the programs that can certainly utilize this idea if Urban Meyer wished and it would be a nice advantage to us. With that said, I hate the idea. Yes I know Saban is a genius for thinking of it and I admit it's not against the rules but I think it's a step too far beyond amateurism. Once a player exhausts his eligibility that should be it. They can coach but no more putting on pads and practicing. (One of the small hallmarks of coaching is establishing a good scout team as well.) And yes...if Urban Meyer decided to do this I would be opposed to it also.

Coaches and players aren't suppose to be in the white space. OSU got a sideline warning earlier in the game. This one unfortunately resulted in a 15 yd penalty which stalled an important early drive.

Sure. But the conversation wasn't about the B1G relative to the Sunbelt Conference. My response was about a second tier B1G team (WI) knocking off a top SEC team which is a major data point ILGSGUY purposefully omitted in his argument.

I like how you conveniently left off Wisc's last 3 matchups.

I'm curious. If OSU is undefeated and then in their last three games beats MSU, Michigan and then Iowa in the B1G Championship game (all 3 currently ranked) would you have a problem with their #1 ranking?

I'm not going to try and debate who is "better" just by looking at 3 stats. They're all incredible. Also, I don't watch the two SEC backs that much-except for a couple primetime games-but I will tell you that NFL scouts constantly rant and rave about Zeke Elliott's blocking ability and awareness in blitz pick-up. This is one of the things that comes later when transitioning to the NFL from college but Zeke is already there. (I'm sure this partially plays into Greeny's analysis. And as far as I know, Fournette and Chubb are very good at it too.)

Nice of you to match Colin's exaggeration with some exaggeration of your own. "Rip to pieces"?...how many of Alabama's Linebackers and Safety's will Cardale Jones run over this time around? Henry's a big time load but without Amari Cooper, hopefully OSU can focus on him a bit more.

As an Ohio State fan, this is just hyperbole that I don't agree with from Colin. OSU would play on par with whomever the top 2 or 3 SEC teams are any given year but not necessarily any better especially on a consistent basis. Also, I know from the outside you look at teams like Indiana, Minn, Penn State, N. Western & Michigan in a vacuum and think they're currently garbage and, against some others, they play that way. However these teams play OSU like it's their Super Bowl and it's a rougher weekly battle then you think just by looking at a team name and subjective ranking next to it on paper. OSU doesn't have back ups in during these games. These are decided late-especially last year. They're bitter rivals-especially MI & Penn State . They know OSU well and since we're currently the big dogs in the B1G these are all out battles. (Penn State took us to 2OT last year. Tevin Coleman from IN ran for over 230+ on OSU, Mich was decided very late last year, Northwestern battled until late two years ago). These aren't "glorified scrimmages". OSU's starters are on the field the whole game with just as much risk of major injury as anyone else.

Yes this is true. It was a soft agreement with GA for 2020 that was nullified in 2012. However, OSU replaced them with a home/home with Oregon-not exactly a pushover-due to a new B1G and Pac12 agreement. Yea, I could see you saying why not keep both, but who knows, the B1G might be a lot better five years from now and OSU won't need a tougher OOC schedule. Also, might not get a deal with GA going forward anytime soon. Georgia AD Greg McGarity was quoted recently as saying "once Urban came in that was off the table" (in response the Georgia actively looking for OOC opponents).

Marshall does not play in a Power 5 conference which, fair or unfair, hurts their chances with the committee. Also, they didn't beat a single team who was anywhere near the top 25 (for what the rankings are worth).

Yes. You're right. My point was that it's common practice to anoint the defending champ #1 if they return a lot of talent. Plus, we're in a new era and since they successfully navigated a "playoff" last year they're given even more a benefit of the doubt. I agree the rankings are pointless and I wish they'd eliminate the AP especially this early. If OSU runs the table I have no problem trying to justify their spot in the playoff when the time comes without the preemptive #1 by their name.

Steve, that's fine. If nothing OSU can do this current season would impress you then I'm not going to try and change your mind. Just be glad this isn't the BCS era where OSU "steals" a spot at the big table at the end. If it goes the way I hope, OSU will be undefeated with a B1G championship and we'll have one or two shots at the best in the SEC/PAC/ACC/BIG12 and, if OSU takes down both, hopefully you'll be impressed afterwards. Just like nothing Ohio State did all of last year before the Sugar Bowl probably impressed you either. Best of luck. It's a long season!

Big Daddy, my answer to your question.... Rankings are some combination of two different things. How a team currently looks and what their current resume looks like (past play on field). The reason OSU has the first unanimous #1 AP ranking is because they are defending champs who are returning 16 starters including their quarterback(s) and according to NFL scouts are littered with first round draft talent this year. SOS is a rear-looking measurement which at this point in the season measure wins/loss records from last year. We know a lot changes from one year to the next. ie. ACC teams who play FSU are getting a bump in SOS because of FSU's record last year but we all know the aren't the same team. As the season progresses, if OSU doesn't look great against inferior opponents, voters will factor that into their decisions and they'll probably lose votes. To further address your points, yes...right now they only have 1 scheduled top 25 team but things change. Other OSU teams will climb into the rankings like Minn or even VT at some point. Also their SOS will change for better or worse.

The difference between FSU and OSU is that after FSU won the crown they seemingly regressed and struggled, barely winning late almost every game last year. Winston didn't look as good either. They didn't pass the eyeball test all year but won the ACC and were given a playoff spot. It's very early but Ohio State, after hitting their stride in the postseason, seemed to carry that over this year and look like they've actually improved (most analyst's opinions). If they pass the eyeball test weekly and are undefeated, SOS will be a moot point for them in my opinion and would more than deserve a playoff spot IMO.

Your numbers are correct as of today but it's only been 1 week. Strength of Schedule for every team will change and is only accurate late in the season or at the end of the season. The only ranking that matters is the one final one that comes out in early December. We'll see if "6 of the hardest 10 schedules are from SEC" at that time and the committee will use it as a factor.

Bryanchip: Yes what you are saying is correct as of today. But SOS is something that changes on a weekly basis. No one can tell a team's "strength" after 1 week. If Wisc goes into the toilet this year that becomes an unimpressive win for AL. Similarly, if VT catches fire, it strengthens OSU's SOS. I feel confident a couple B1G teams may unexpectedly overachieve this year and OSU's SOS will climb as a result. We just have to let part of the season play out. Same goes with AP rankings. Also, tough to explain "fluffiness" but Virgina Tech was a 10-11 win team when the were scheduled.

I stuck around here because there wasn't any name calling...until now. 1) I am an OSU fan. 2) This site will only allow me to use an SEC team’s symbol therefore i defaulted to AL alphabetically. Not trying to deceive. I mentioned in one post I am an OSU fan. 3) Not in any way trolling or attacking any team or contributor. I am merely trying to defend Ohio State where needed with facts or reasonable opinions.

For the couple people who seem to care: 1) I am an OSU fan. 2) This site will only allow me to use an SEC team's symbol therefore i defaulted to AL alphabetically. Not trying to deceive. I mentioned in one post I am an OSU fan. 3) Not in any way trolling or attacking any team or contributor. I am merely trying to defend Ohio State where needed with facts or reasonable opinions.