Chairman Boo Corrigan compares Michigan, Ohio State in CFP rankings

The Big Ten sits in excellent shape in the College Football Playoff race, at least assuming Michigan and Ohio State continue to take care of business. In the latest edition of the CFP rankings, unveiled on Tuesday night, Ohio State checked in at No. 2 and Michigan at No. 3.

So what exactly is the committee looking at when it ranks the Buckeyes ahead of the Wolverines?

“Again, we put them up and we talked about each team individually,” committee chair Boo Corrigan explained. “We talk about them in groupings to make sure that we’ve got it in the right area or in the right spot as we go through this.”

There were some positive factors for both teams that had them ranked ahead of TCU, at No. 4.

For Michigan:

“The win over Rutgers this weekend, the second half in particular, the way that they played,” Corrigan said. “They’ve done a good job of pulling away from teams.”

And Ohio State:

“You look at Ohio State, they both have the win over Penn State, but Ohio State has that win over Notre Dame. Both have top-10 scoring offenses, top-10 scoring defenses and we’re going to continue to evaluate it as we move forward. … That non-conference schedule from Michigan has been a factor.”

Michigan and Ohio State will square things on the field

The one luxury both Michigan and Ohio State have when it comes to the College Football Playoff rankings is that both can prove themselves still by beating the other.

A loss won’t necessarily preclude either team from reaching the College Football Playoff, but it would put matters into the committee’s hands.

Given the explanation Corrigan provided for Ohio State being ranked ahead of Michigan currently, the Buckeyes seemingly have a little more ammunition to climb back up into the top four should they suffer a loss.

The two teams will meet in the regular-season finale on Nov. 26.

The winner, of course, will still have to face the Big Ten West champion in the league title game.