The final rankings before the final rankings are now out. Ohio State dropped to #6 after losing on the road in The Game to #2 Michigan.

First Reaction: Oregon ahead of OSU?

The committee certainly could’ve been a little harsher by dropping them below Texas, but I will say that I am a little shocked.

While Oregon has been impressive in the eye test, they don’t have the resume that Ohio State does.

Ohio State has ranked wins against #17 Notre Dame & #10 Penn State. Their only loss came to #2 Michigan in what most would consider the Big Ten Championship with how the Big Ten is structured at this time.

Oregon has a ranked win against #20 Oregon. Their only loss came to #3 Washington.

With that out there, I’d argue that Ohio State should be #5 for this ranking. Of course, Oregon has the chance to overcome that with a victory this weekend to erase their only win, add a #3 to their win column and be a conference champion.

Second Reaction: OSU ahead of Texas?

I think they got this one right. But this one is more interesting.

This tells me that the committee does see value in OSU’s only loss coming to the #2 team in the country.

This also tells me that maybe the committee doesn’t value the Alabama win as much

I’ve been arguing that the Bama win isn’t as impressive as it may look on paper. Bama, at that time, was struggling & was light years behind what they’ve turned into the second half of this season.

Again.. Texas can also add a ranked win & conference championship.. but it better be a damn good win.

What does this mean for Ohio State?

There is still a lot that needs to happen for the Buckeyes, but the path might be easier than we originally thought

1. Georgia just needs to blow Bama out of the water.

Bama would be a 2 loss, non conference champ. So that eliminates a challenger.

If Bama wins, I think Georgia would have the upper hand in the 1-loss, non-conference champ bucket.

See more on point 3 on why a “blow out” could help in more ways than one.

2. Louisville needs to beat Florida State

The committee shows that they don’t care as much about the Jordan Travis injury as some think they might.

Florida State is undefeated & playing in the ACC Championship. If they win, they lock up a spot for sure. If they lose, things get interesting.

Both OSU and FSU would be 1-loss, non conference champs. Ohio State has the better wins, better loss and star players still playing.

So get ready Buckeye fans. Cheer for the Cardinals. Need all the good juju for this one we can get.

And if they let you down.. we get a chance to take them down in the Orange Bowl for some sweet sweet revenge

3. Texas doesn’t look impressive in a win or loses

The most straightforward, but more difficult result would be a Texas loss. That would make them a 2-loss, non conference champ.

Credit to my FTS partner Matt Werner on this one. I originally argued to him that if Texas wins, they’ll jump us.

He argued back & got me thinking.

Texas’ resume would be an early win against Bama, which if #1 happens they have then turned out to be a 2-loss team. They would also still have the loss to 2-loss #12 Oklahoma.

This is when eye test really comes in. Let’s say the Texas who barely beat TCU comes out there..

Is the committee really going to keep the Buckeyes out if Texas looks uninspiring in a win?

I don’t think so. I think the committee set themselves up for this argument next week by keeping OSU ahead of them now.

4. Pac-12 Championship doesn’t matter?

The Pac-12 Champ is in.

The easiest/stress-free path is that Washington beats Oregon to make them a 2-loss, non-conference champ.

The more stressful path is a close win by Oregon. That will really spark debate between the committee for the Buckeyes and Huskies.

I personally think that OSU would have the edge in this debate. Washington’s marquee win would have been avenged & OSU’s wins have no chance of changing this weekend.

Despite arguing that OSU should have been ahead of Oregon in this week’s ranking, I think Oregon DOG WALKS the Huskies. So does Vegas!

So there you have it

Georgia rolls, Louisville wins, Texas looks uninspiring or loses & the Pac-12 cannibalizes.

#1 Georgia 12-0 SEC Champ
#2 Michigan 13-0 Big 10 Champ
#3 Oregon 12-1 Pac 12 Champ
#4 Ohio State 11-1
#5 Texas 12-1 Uninspiring Big 12 Champ
#6 Florida State 12-1
#7 Washington 12-1
#8 Alabama 10-2