All talk, no change
Penn State wins Big Ten, can’t sway panel
The College Football Playoff committee didn’t deliver any surprises this time.
Two years after the 12-member panel dropped an idle TCU from No. 3 to No. 6 in its final rankings and out of the playoffs, there was concern in Columbus, Ohio, that the idle Buckeyes, despite an 11-1 record and victories over three top-10 teams, might suffer a similar fate. No worries. Ohio State, ranked No. 2 by the committee heading into a week of four Power 5 conference championships games, dropped a spot in the final rankings, but stayed in final four because of a resume that overcame the fact
it did not play in or win its conference championship.
“Every year is going to be different,” CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said. “Football seasons are like snowflakes, they’re all different. Next year we’ll be
standing here talking about some other way it fell out. And that’s great.”
It worked out great Sunday for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington.
The committee stayed with the same top four it picked going into championship weekend, leaving out No. 5 Penn State (11-2) even though the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten title game and beat Ohio State earlier in the season.
The Buckeyes are the first team in three years to reach the playoffs without winning their conference.
No. 1 Alabama (13-0) will face No. 4 Washington (121) in one semifinal and second-seeded Clemson (12-1) meets third-seeded Ohio State (11-1) in the other on Dec. 31.
The only change in the
final four was Clemson moving up to No. 2 after beating Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game while Ohio State, which did not play, dropped to No. 3.
Many questioned why Ohio State deserved a spot, especially over Penn State. Selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt made it clear that the 12-man committee did not.
Ohio State’s three victories against top-10 teams (at No. 7 Oklahoma, at No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 6 Michigan) and only one loss, by three at Penn State, won the day over the Nittany Lions.
Penn State lost to Pitt and Michigan (by 39) early in the season before closing with nine consecutive victories.
Several times, Hocutt cited Penn State’s noncompetitive loss to Michigan and Ohio State’s strong nonconference victory at Oklahoma.
The final spot, as it turned out, came down to Penn State (11-2) and Pac-12 champion Washington.
The Huskies’ only loss was to ninth-ranked Southern California and its nonconference schedule featured FCS Portland
State, Rutgers and Idaho. Penn State played Pitt, which defeated second-seeded Clemson on the road, Temple and Kent State out of conference.
“I think because of Washington’s strength of schedule, their margin for error was very slim,” Hocutt said. “I think our discussions and our decision would have been much easier if Washington would have had a stronger strength of schedule this college football season.”
Washington possibly benefited because it did not play a difficult nonconference opponent. But if Penn State beat Pitt it would have benefited from playing a difficult nonconference schedule.
Hocutt said the committee dug deep into the Huskies and Nittany Lions.
“As we looked at those key statistics from an offensive standpoint, from a defensive standpoint, from starting field position differential, the edge was to Washington,” Hocutt said. “You look at turnover margin, Washington ranks first
in the country in turnover margin compared to Penn State, ranking 50.”
If there is a pattern to be found in the committee’s work over three years it may be this simple: For the most part, the teams are ranked by the number in the loss column.
No two-loss team has made the playoff. Even a close headto-head victory over Ohio State and a conference title was not enough for Penn State to overcome two losses.
Hancock said expansion of the playoff is not up for consideration by the conference commissioners. The CFP is in year three of a 12-year television deal with ESPN.
Ohio State’s Urban Meyer said he empathizes with Penn State and would not mind seeing a system that rewards all conference champions.
“I’m not sure there’s an easy answer,” said Meyer, who has won two BCS championships and the first College Football Playoff. “I think we’re heading in the right direction.”