CFP: Ohio State strong, Pac-12 losers in rankings

As expected, the second College Football Playoff rankings of the 2020 season saw no changes at the top.

No. 1 Alabama’s path to the national semifinals is easy. The Crimson Tide are a lock to enter the playoff as the top seed by winning out and have positioned themselves to lose once and still have a very strong case for the top four.

No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson will very likely meet again in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Even with a loss to Clemson this month, the Irish are in solid shape to reach the semifinals. A blowout win by Notre Dame in the rematch would make things dicey for the Tigers, however.

No. 4 Ohio State’s largest hurdle isn’t any specific Big Ten opponent, since the Buckeyes have lapped the field in the conference, but the ability to schedule enough games. Based on the current standard set by the Big Ten, the Buckeyes need to play at least six games to be eligible for the conference title game.

But this much can be said after the second rankings: Barring scheduling snafus or an unexpected result, the top four today will be the top four Dec. 20.

The Buckeyes’ greatest asset might be a lack of options. For now, even with just four games played, Ohio State is the best choice to round out the top four as a number of one-loss teams from the Power Five jockey for position. Whether No. 5 Texas A&M or No. 6 Florida deserves to be higher than OSU is worthy of debate. The Aggies have played seven games, the Gators eight. Both have a far greater strength of schedule – among other wins, A&M beat Florida and the Gators beat No. 8 Georgia. Still the Buckeyes remain ahead, despite owning three wins (Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers) that should do nothing to move the needle with the committee. It paints a pretty clear picture: Ohio State is not going to be unseated from a place in the semifinals unless COVID-19 destroys what is left of the Buckeyes’ schedule.

Meanwhile, the Pac-12 was always going to demand perfection and help. So much for the first part, at least. Oregon’s loss to rival Oregon State dropped the Ducks eight spots to No. 23 and left no Pac-12 team even remotely in the mix for the semifinals. Joining Oregon in the rankings are No. 20 Southern California and No. 22 Washington, both 3-0.