Scarlet Sunrise: CFP chair talks difference between Ohio State, USC

On3 imageby:Andy Backstrom11/30/22

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College Football Playoff chair talks difference between Ohio State, USC

College Football Playoff chairman Boo Corrigan — also North Carolina State’s athletic director — was peppered with questions Tuesday night about this week’s CFP rankings in the selection committee media teleconference. First, it’s important to note that Ohio State dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the wake of its 22-point loss to now-No. 2 Michigan, as was the case in the AP Poll.

Most notably, Corrigan was asked what differentiates No. 4 USC and No. 5 Ohio State.

“Ohio State has nice wins over Penn State and Notre Dame, and, again, that Michigan game was a whole lot closer early in the fourth quarter than it was,” Corrigan said. “But then you look at USC and their recent wins over UCLA and Notre Dame. They also have a win over Oregon State. Their one loss is, you probably remember this, a two-point conversion against Utah in an emotionally-charged game.”

In a nutshell, USC’s loss was closer than Ohio State’s, right? Not so fast. When Corrigan was asked if that, indeed, was the difference, he turned that conclusion away.

“No, I think you’ve got to take into account the way USC is playing right now, the wins over UCLA, the win over Notre Dame, the win over Oregon State earlier in the year, and you need to measure that against Ohio State and their wins over Penn State and Notre Dame.”

OK, so from that answer, it appears as if the committee is more concerned with comparing teams’ good wins than the degree of their loss or losses. What’s interesting, though, is that Corrigan referenced how well USC is playing right now. Because earlier in the teleconference he was asked about recency bias — essentially in regard to USC surging right now, while Ohio State just lost badly — and he had this to say:

“The recency bias is something we do talk about on a regular basis to make sure, as we’re going through this, that we’re looking at everything and looking at the full body of work. It was talked about in the committee room that going into really early in the fourth quarter the [Ohio State-Michigan] game was still close.

“That being said, you can’t completely dismiss the way the fourth quarter ended with Michigan kind of taking over the game there late.”

Corrigan added: “There’s a lot of respect for Ohio State in the room and the wins they’ve had this year, so again, taking the full body of work, it was certainly something we looked at, but it wasn’t, ‘It’s a blowout, let’s move on.'”

Corrigan also clarified that just because one-loss Ohio State is No. 5 and two-loss Alabama is No. 6 right now, doesn’t mean the Buckeyes will be guaranteed to rank ahead of the Crimson Tide next week, even though neither team is playing in a conference championship.

This could be a contingency for Michigan losing to Purdue in the Big Ten title game — although unlikely, that outcome would make Ohio State’s one loss look worse. Of course, it’s hard to really pinpoint what exactly Corrigan and the rest of the committee are thinking.

Here are the top six in the CFP rankings, as of Tuesday night:

  1. Georgia
  2. Michigan
  3. TCU
  4. USC
  5. Ohio State
  6. Alabama

Tim May Podcast: Former Buckeyes stars dissect what went wrong in latest rivalry loss

The Tim May Podcast is back. Former Buckeyes players Marlon Kerner and Matt Wilhelm join Lettermen Row’s Tim May to break down Ohio State’s 45-23 loss to Michigan this past weekend. The show homes in on the Buckeyes’ defensive implosion in the Big Ten East clash, as first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit gave up a season-high 530 yards and a single-game program-worst 8.83 yards per play.

The defeat, Ohio State’s second straight loss to Michigan and first in Columbus since 2000, cost the Buckeyes a trip to the Big Ten Championship and maybe a spot in the CFP.

It’s all discussed in this post-rivalry edition of the Tim May Podcast. The discourse and Lettermen Row’s two very special guests make this episode a must-listen as the dust settles from The Game.

Check it out in the link below and find more episodes — and all Lettermen Row video content — on our YouTube channel.

Buckeyes collect All-Big Ten honors

The regular season coming to an end means it’s peak award season. The Big Ten recognized its all-conference defense and special teams performers Tuesday.

Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and defensive ends Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau headlined the group. They all received first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Here’s who else was recognized:

All-Big Ten Third Team:

All-Big Ten Honorable Mention:

READ: Tommy Eichenberg highlights Buckeyes presence on all-Big Ten defensive team

Speaking of awards…

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was named a finalist for both the Davey O’Brien Award and the Maxwell Award, given annually to the top quarterback and most outstanding player, respectively, in college football.

READ: Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud named finalist for pair of major awards

What’s more, Stroud’s favorite target this season, sophomore Marvin Harrison Jr., was recognized as one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation’s best receiver.

READ: Marvin Harrison Jr. named Biletnikoff Award finalist

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 361 days

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