This week’s Femme Football is not game coverage; instead, it is an analysis (and questioning) of the College Football Playoff Committee’s decision to put Alabama in the fourth playoff position over Ohio State.
The Committee considers multiple things when ranking teams for the playoffs, and one of those things is not what conference a team is in. While most people argued that Ohio State had a shot after winning the Big Ten Championship game, it is clear that no matter how the Buckeyes performed, it didn’t matter because the Committee still picked Alabama. Alabama did not play for the SEC Championship after they lost to Auburn. Auburn went to the SEC Championship game only to be obliterated by Georgia, but both Georgia and Alabama were selected to play for the National Championship.
Penn State fans are probably rejoicing in the fact that Ohio State didn’t make it; last year’s Big Ten Champions were passed over by the Committee to let Ohio State into the playoffs. However, the official protocol for CFP selection provides “enough flexibility and discretion to select a non-champion or independent” that is “unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country.” So, what happens when two teams are both eligible for the fourth spot in the bracket?
One of the criteria that the Committee considers when choosing between comparable teams is championships won. Ohio State won the Big Ten, but Alabama did not win the SEC. This is a blatant fact. Again, the “ideals” of the Committee should provide enough wiggle room to allow a non-champion in, but I must say that a team that wins their conference should be more eligible for a spot than a team that did not. For example, last year Ohio State was essentially a wild card selection for the final spot in the playoffs, arguably gypping Penn State, the Big Ten Champions. Ohio State got thwacked by Clemson, not scoring a point. Are non-champions even contenders? It’s a matter of opinion, but the logical choice is to send the best in the conference.
The next item to be considered is the strength of each team’s schedule. Ohio State’s schedule was ranked the second toughest in the country; Alabama’s was tenth. The Buckeyes knocked off two top ten teams (Penn State and Wisconsin). The Crimson Tide’s best win was their first game against then No. 3 Florida State who finished 6-6. It was an out-of-conference game, but it was the highest ranked team they played all year, aside from No. 18 Mississippi State (who they beat by just one touchdown and an extra point) and No. 19 LSU. Yes, Ohio State lost to Oklahoma at home, but Oklahoma is now in the playoffs. Yes, Ohio State lost to Iowa on the road, but they also lost to Virginia Tech in 2014. Clemson also lost to Syracuse, but everyone seems to have forgotten about that while the Buckeyes have gotten their eyes pecked out about the loss to the Hawkeyes. All in all, Ohio State played teams with some level of potential, while Bama was playing teams like Mercer in mid-November.
The final two criteria for choosing between comparable teams are head-to-head competition and comparative outcomes of common opponents, neither of which are applicable here because Alabama and Ohio State are in different conferences that rarely overlap, even for out-of-conference games.
Then what happened?
The clear difference is the Iowa loss. Iowa was unranked, and they finished the regular season 7-5. However, that should be vastly outweighed by the strength of schedule. Alabama played out-of-conference games like Fresno State and Mercer, while in-conference they played two “strong” teams. The bottom line is that teams in the Big Ten have a larger amount of more difficult games, but that also leaves room for more impactful losses.
It’s sad that veteran quarterback J.T. Barrett and his crew of seniors won’t get one more swing at the National Championship, but the Buckeyes still have a bowl game to play. Catch the boys on December 29 at 8:30 p.m. as they take on No. 8 USC in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
Remember, there’s always next year.