Ohio State doesn’t make the College Football Playoff

All of the debating, the comparisons, and the arguing are now over, and we now know that the Ohio State Buckeyes will not be a part of this season’s College Football Playoff. The Alabama Crimson Tide claimed the fourth and final spot without having played in their conference championship, much like the Buckeyes did last season. With the Tide and the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs both in the field of four, it marks the first time in playoff history that two teams from the same conference will make the semifinals.

Coming into the final CFP selection show of the year, the debate was whether Ohio State’s two top-10 wins and a Big Ten championship would overshadow their 31-point loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. As proved correct, the Alabama Crimson Tide was believed to be their biggest competition for the spot, as ‘Bama only had a single loss, but only played 11 FBS schools, and didn’t have a win in the top-15, nor did they win their division in the SEC.

It appears that the fact that the Tide just looked like the better team, despite their less-competitive schedule, was enough to get them in over the Buckeyes in the committee’s eyes.

Now that we know that the Buckeyes won’t be in the final four, we just have to wait and see where they land in this year’s New Year’s Six bowls.

We will be updating the rankings live as more is revealed. The full Top-25 is expected to be announced around 2:00 p.m. ET, and the New Year’s Six bowl matchups should be revealed at about 3:00 p.m. ET.

However, for now, here is what we know so far: