INDIANAPOLIS The question is not whether Ohio State, after almost brutal in its totality, deserves entry into the first College Football Playoff. That is not the question because I am
Kareem Hunt Jersey not qualified to answer it, but then again, neither is any single member of the committee empowered to choose the four participating teams.Whether youve worked as an athletic director, a sportswriter, a conference commi sioner or the Secretary of State, no individual po se ses the omniscience to declare one team unequivocally most qualified to be a part of the field among three that own roughly interchangeable qualifications.Combining the evaluations of these people to form a consensus achieves what, exactly? It directs the blame away from any individual. It creates the illusion there is more weight to the selections. It is not the committee members fault that theyll get this wrong, though. Because the correct answer is not available to them.HAYES: | BENDER: | The only correct answer is to involve more teams.The most recent round of conference reshuffling left five historically significant football-playing conferences, and five others in Division I. Oh, and Notre Dame of course. That the champion of any one of the Power 5 leagues, or a similarly accomplished Fighting Irish squad, would be excluded from a championship playoff is ludicrous.Did anyone imagine when this format was conceived that the champion of a league with the Big Tens history, influence and vast public appeal could finish its season with a single lo s, a road win over a top-10 team, utter destruction of its opponent in the league championship game and still no place in the CFP field?Some portion of Ohio State fans who remained into the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes
Ozzie Newsome Jersey 59-0 victory over Wisconsin, and most all who attended found boundle s entertainment in such a profound beating, chanted We want Bama!No doubt OSU would want Bama, and it very well might win such a game if it were to be arranged. But the chorus that rang through Lucas Oil Stadium late Saturday might have been empty. Ohio State was ranked No. 5 when the committee released its most recent rankings in its weekly charade, er, playoff update.Is there sufficient reason to believe the magnitude of this result should alter those rankings?We deserve it, wide receiver Devin Smith said after catching three touchdown pa
Britton Colquitt Jersey ses from game MVP Cardale Jones. To win in the fashion we did today, fight this season through the adversity we have, we deserve it.Ohio State compiled 558 yards total offense and recorded the first shutout in the Big Ten title games brief history. The team set 11 offensive and defensive championship-game records. Thats not even to mention the bunch they tied.Ive been doing this a long time, been ble sed to coach the game and play the game, and see championship teams this is a championship team, OSU athletic director Gene Smith said. The talent is there, the great coaching is there. The chemistry on this team is unbelievable.Were better.There seems
Terrance Mitchell Jersey little doubt the nature of the system led to the nature of this result. When OSU was leading 45-0 in the four quarter and the Buckeyes called for a trick play, back Jalin Marshall attempting a pa s to quarterback Cardale Jones, you knew something was up. OSU scored the last of its touchdowns with 2:25 remaining.We just won 59-0 against one of the top teams in America, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. We proved why we should be there tonight.They lobbied on the field through the nearly four hours required to complete a result that was obvious within 20 minutes. They lobbied after the game, but only after an elaborate locker room dance.They should not have to lobby at all. Their Big Ten championship should be the only qualification they need.We do a di service in our society so often, because we forget about the accomplishment of the gantlet, Smith said. The gantlet is the season. They went through all those games and won a Big Ten championship, and we cant even celebrate that because were so busy talking about the national championship.If a Power-5 league title meant automatically entering the
Morgan Burnett Jersey College Football Playoff, though, the Buckeyes would have been able to celebrate with no reservations. Theyd be in. Thats how it should be.
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