Kirk Herbstreit had a truly wild take after Ohio State backs into College Football Playoff

Kirk Herbstreit had the strangest take about his alma mater Ohio State when it came to making the College Football Playoff.

Had USC taken care of business vs. Utah, Ohio State would not have even made the College Football Playoff.

Despite getting smoked at home to eventual Big Ten champion Michigan over Rivalry Weekend, the 11-1 (8-1) Buckeyes finessed their way into the four-team field. This is largely because only two Power Five champions were deserving of inclusion this year. Heck, a one-loss, Big 12 runner-up TCU team got the No. 3 seed over the No. 4-seeded Buckeyes in the final rankings for the year.

While watching the final rankings be unveiled, Herbstreit had one crazy take about his alma mater.

"“There’s no team that has been more disrespected than Ohio State,” said Kirk Herbstreit during the College Football Playoff selection show on Sunday afternoon."

Ohio State can be described in many ways, but being considered “disrespected” is not one of them.

Herbstreit may have played quarterback for the Buckeyes in the 1990s, but this take is ridiculous.

One could easily argue the 2022 Buckeyes are the least deserving team to make the College Football Playoff in the nine-year existence of the four-team format.

Kirk Herbstreit believes no team has been more disrespected than Ohio State

In the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff, this the third time the Buckeyes have gotten in amid controversy. They got the No. 4 seed in the inaugural playoff in 2014 over Big 12 co-champions Baylor and TCU. While the Bears and the Horned Frogs may have felt like they got screwed over then, Ohio State beat Alabama and Oregon to win the first College Football Playoff.

The second time Ohio State essentially finessed its way in was in 2016. Ohio State only had one loss during the regular season, but did not win the Big Ten. A two-loss Penn State team did, but the Nittany Lions got left out. Ohio State made it in as a means to make up for being left out the year prior when Michigan State got in. The Buckeyes then got smoked by Clemson in the semis…

We talk a lot about the Alabama bump, but Ohio State has been given the benefit of the doubt by the Selection Committee more than anyone historically. At least when the Crimson Tide make it in, they usually win at least their national semifinal. The good news for the Buckeyes is if they want to prove that they belong in the big dance this season, they will have a great opportunity to do so.

This is because No. 4 Ohio State will have to take on defending national champion in No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. It will be a mostly pro-UGA crowd, as the Peach Bowl is right in Georgia’s backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The de facto home crowd was a huge boost in the Dawgs winning the SEC Championship Game over the LSU Tigers Saturday evening.

Georgia is only a touchdown favorite on a neutral site, but I do not think you can really play the Ohio State disrespect card and have anybody believe you. This is about on par with Alabama head coach Nick Saban essentially bargaining for playoff inclusion to the Big Noon Kickoff guys during halftime of the Big Ten Championship. It was on a network that does not even show SEC games!

In reality, there really is no disrespect card to be played for any team worth a damn this season. The closest argument for that may be TCU, but the Horned Frogs still made it in as a lesser brand after losing its conference title bout to secure the No. 3 seed. If anybody is being disrespected, it might be Michigan, a team who crushed Ohio State. Michigan is still undefeated, but sits at No. 2.

Ohio State can go out and prove everyone wrong vs. UGA, but this team is not being disrespected.

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