College football media reacts to Ohio State leaping Alabama in CFP rankings
By Scott Rogust
The College Football Playoff committee revealed their latest rankings, and Ohio State has officially leaped over Alabama.
It is Tuesday night, so it meant that college football fans were bracing themselves for the latest College Football Playoff rankings? Well, there was not many surprises on the Week 13 edition of the list, with Cincinnati finally cracking a playoff spot. But there was a bit of a shakeup in the Top Four.
In the latest rankings, the Ohio State Buckeyes have leapfrogged over the Alabama Crimson Tide for the No. 2 spot. Now, the defending national champions are sitting at the third-ranked position. With this decision, the college football media reacted to the news of this latest shuffling of the rankings.
https://twitter.com/cfbplayoff/status/1463301904126169093?s=21
New CFP rankings:
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 24, 2021
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati pic.twitter.com/ozn4g2Q9Su
Ohio State moving up to No. 2, which I think is the right decision. They've looked way better than Alabama and finally have a legitimate win to point to after beating Michigan State.
— Shehan Jeyarajah (@ShehanJeyarajah) November 24, 2021
Hey look at that, Oregon loses and now Ohio State is ahead of Alabama.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 24, 2021
Ohio State jumps Alabama and moves up to No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 24, 2021
Michigan is No. 5 in the #CFBPlayoff rankings. Ohio State with a chance for another marquee win on Saturday.
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) November 24, 2021
Ohio State became the No. 2 team in the country the moment the committee checked its phone and saw 49-0 at half against Michigan State.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) November 24, 2021
Ohio State jumps Alabama for No. 2 in the #CFBPlayoff. #Buckeyes #RollTide
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) November 24, 2021
College Football media reacts to Ohio State jumping over Alabama in the latest CFP rankings
As is the case every week, College Football Playoff committee chair Gary Barta joined the ESPN broadcast to share his reasoning for their picks. When it comes to the Ohio State-Alabama flip, it is due to the Buckeyes blowing out the Michigan State Spartans that caught the committee’s attention. Additionally, Barta said that Ohio State is getting better on a weekly basis, while Alabama has not, where they are specifically struggling on defense.
Gary Barta on Ohio State vs. Alabama: “Two great teams ... this past week though, the dominating win over Michigan State certainly got the committee's attention.”
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 24, 2021
Barta said Ohio State has played better week after week and Alabama isn’t showing as much the last few weeks, especially on defense.
— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) November 24, 2021
It is true, especially after what college football fans saw this past weekend. Ohio State essentially had the win clinched before halftime, thanks in part to a 423-yard and six-touchdown performance by quarterback C.J. Stroud. They had a 49-0 lead at halftime and cruised to a 56-7 victory.
As for Alabama, they had their hands full with the Arkansas Razorbacks. In fact, the Crimson Tide did not seal the 42-35 victory until the final moments of the fourth quarter. It was far from the greatest performance by Nick Saban’s team, hence why they fell one spot in the rankings.
Both teams will be in for some huge games this upcoming weekend. Ohio State will take on the Michigan Wolverines, who ranked as the fifth-overall team by the committee, while Alabama takes on the Auburn Tigers in the Iron Bowl.
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