Here’s a phrase from the playoff committee’s criteria that many thought would end up winning the day for Ohio State: “When circumstances at the margins indicate that teams are comparable, then the following must be considered.” The first criteria is “Championships Won.” Ohio State led that, 1-0. But Hocutt’s most telling comment may be this: “The margins weren’t close enough.” That meant the committee felt like Alabama was so much better than Ohio State that it didn’t really matter that the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title. No one is certain if this opinion would have changed if the Buckeyes blew out Wisconsin on Saturday night – they won a taut game 27-21 – but it doesn’t appear so. In other words, the “cluster” of teams ranked Nos. 5 to 8 heading into the weekend weren’t really that closely clustered. Ohio State’s victory over No. 4 Wisconsin simply opened the door for Alabama to waltz in. For the Big Ten, the decision means that it’s left out of the playoff for the first time in four seasons. Commissioner Jim Delany did some not-so-subtle lobbying to Yahoo Sports on Saturday night while leaving Lucas Oil Stadium. He poked at the SEC’s eight-game conference schedule – as opposed to the Big Ten’s nine-game slate – and the penchant for SEC teams to play FCS opponents. (Alabama played Mercer in November). “We try and play nine games and major intersectional,” Delany said. “We try and avoid the lesser.” Read More…. http://ift.tt/2noFgH9
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