If you don’t know the name Rob Mullens, he is Oregon’s AD. More importantly, for the sake of SEC fans, Mullens is also currently serving as the chairman of the College Football Playoff committee.

That means Mullens is in the room when the CFP committee debates and ultimately make their weekly rankings of the top 25. He is also charged with being the face of the committee and explaining the group’s thinking live on ESPN following the poll’s release.

One of the biggest questions facing Mullens following the reveal of the debut College Football Playoff rankings — why is Ohio State ranked No. 1 over LSU?

Following the release of the poll, here is how Mullen explained the committee’s decision on the weekly CFP teleconference.

Question: “You mentioned Ohio State’s consistent dominant play on both sides of the ball. Obviously all of these teams at the top have won by convincing margins in all of their games. How did the committee quantify the Ohio State dominance? Was this just an eye test thing, or were there metrics you’re relying on, and can you expound on what it was that really exemplified that dominance?”

Mullens: “Sure, it was both. Obviously we have data. They’re highly ranked in just about every statistical category, both offensively and defensively. Again, when you watch their games, they play at a consistent high level. Again, on both sides of the ball, explosive offensive playmakers, outstanding defense, probably the best defensive player in the country at this point. Very efficient, very consistent.”

Question: “I wanted to ask you, you’ve mentioned LSU’s schedule, you mentioned their marquee wins against Florida and Auburn but no mention of their road win at Texas which I realize is not in the top 25, but does LSU get any credit for a win like that, and how does that square against Ohio State’s schedule when they did not put themselves out there in the non-conference schedule against a team that was preseason highly regarded?”

Mullens: “I mean, we’re looking at the whole schedule, and sure, we recognize that LSU went on the road and beat a Texas team. We recognize that Ohio State beat a Cincinnati team that’s ranked. So sure, we look at all the games, conference and non-conference, and both these teams have strong schedules.”

Question: “Rob, my question was kind of asked before, but can you give an idea of how close it was between Ohio State and LSU?”

Mullens: “You know, two great teams, and when you’ve got two strong teams with quality schedules, both undefeated, two outstanding offenses, great quarterback play, so there’s a lengthy discussion, and at the end of the day, the committee felt that Ohio State was 1 and LSU was 2.”

So if you were questioning why Ohio State debuted ahead of LSU, you now have your answer from one of the members in the room making the CFP rankings.