Ohio State was left out of the 2018 College Football Playoff, so here are three reasons the Buckeyes were snubbed.
Both Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban knew heading into Saturday what needed to happen in order to get in. One of the top four teams needed to lose and both programs would need a bit of luck. While many believed Ohio State needed to blowout Wisconsin in order to get in, the Buckeyes believed they’d get in with a win. At the end of the day, Ohio State narrowly defeated Wisconsin to claim the Big Ten Championship. While it wasn’t the win many believed they needed, Buckeye faithful believed their team did enough to earn a spot. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide watched as the conference championships unfolded. Alabama was left hoping they’d done enough to get in.
Therefore, the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide waited until the next morning along with the rest of the nation to find out where each would play. In the end, Alabama got in. While both teams had a nearly equivalent argument as to why they should get in. The committee threw previous criteria out the window by putting two teams from the same conference in the playoff.
However, Ohio State’s 31-point loss to Iowa was ultimately the crushing loss that prevented the Buckeyes from getting in. Alabama’s one loss, on the road, to a strong Auburn team elevated them into the playoff. Ohio State’s two losses weren’t exactly convincing, but a conference title was believed to make up for it. It didn’t. Therefore, here are three reasons Ohio State got snubbed out of a playoff spot and why the Buckeyes should’ve gotten in.
3. Strength of schedule
In the end, Ohio State’s strength of schedule slightly edged out that of Alabama. Whereas the Crimson Tide came in at No. 47 in the country in terms of strength of schedule, Ohio State finished at No. 36. Some slack can be cut for Alabama in terms of the Florida State game because nobody predicted the Seminoles to finish 6-6. However, the other teams on the Tide’s non-conference schedule were cupcakes to the Tide. Scheduling a team like Mercer usually has that impact.
On Ohio State’s non-conference resumé? No. 2 Oklahoma, an 8-3 Army team and a sub-par UNLV squad. All things considered, that’s a pretty solid non-conference schedule. On the flip side, Alabama’s non-conference pairings: Florida State (6-6), Fresno State (9-4), Colorado State (7-5) and a 5-6, FCS Mercer team. Advantage Ohio State.
In terms of conference play, the mediocracy of the SEC drug Alabama down. An annual tough match against Tennessee suddenly looks like a cake walk. Home games against LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss. In addition, the Tide narrowly escaped Starkville with a seven-point win. Not to mention, a loss at Auburn. For Ohio State, the Buckeyes hosted a top 10 Penn State squad, a top 20 Michigan State team and traveled to Michigan. Again, advantage Ohio State.
While Ohio State did finish with one more loss than Alabama, its schedule was stronger. The Buckeyes’s wins were more impressive and although the losses seemed bad, they were against solid football teams. The Buckeyes came out of the season with a stronger schedule and better wins, there’s something to be said for that.