College Football Playoff rankings: Ohio State ranked fifth

On Nov 30, 2022

As expected, Ohio State fell from its No. 2 spot in the College Football Playoff after its 45-23 loss to Michigan on Saturday.

But it could have been worse for the Buckeyes, who dropped to No. 5 in the rankings announced Tuesday evening.

Ohio State (11-1) remains ahead of Alabama (10-2), which is significant. Because neither team advanced to its conference championship, their resumes are finished. It’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the selection committee would flip-flop those teams in the final rankings on Sunday.

CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan said the committee ranked Ohio State over Alabama because the Buckeyes’ victories over No. 8 Penn State and No. 21 Notre Dame were more impressive than the Crimson Tide’s best wins over No. 21 Texas and No. 25 Mississippi State.

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Ohio State would still need help to make the playoff. Georgia at No. 1 and Michigan at No. 2 are locks. TCU, which is the only other undefeated team, is seemingly in strong position for a spot even if the Horned Frogs lose narrowly to Kansas State (9-3) in the Big 12 championship game.

If TCU lost in a blowout, that might put their status in doubt. Southern California (11-1) is No. 4. If the Trojans avenge their only loss to Utah in the Pac-12 title game Friday night against the Utes, they are assured of a playoff berth. If USC loses, Ohio State likely would get the nod.

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Ohio State lost by 22 to Michigan, but Ohio State trailed only 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter.

“It was talked about in the committee room that going into really early in the fourth quarter, the game was still close,” Corrigan said. “That being said, you can’t completely dismiss the way the fourth quarter ended with Michigan kind of taking over the game there late. But there’s a lot of respect for Ohio State in the room and in the wins they’ve had this year.”

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But Ohio State’s last game was its worst, and recency bias could give it enhanced importance if that’s not taken into account. Corrigan said it is.

“Recency bias is something we do talk about on a regular basis to make sure as we’re going through this, that we’re looking at everything and looking at the full body of work,” he said.

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