The College Football Playoff rankings are here with the first poll, and like others in the past, it's come full of criticism. It starts with the number one ranked Ohio State football team.
In the latest AP and Coaches polls, the Buckeyes were ranked No. 3 in both. Yet, on Tuesday night, those in Columbus were celebrating having the best team in the country. At least for this week. There's obviously a month left of football full of conference and rivalry games followed by conference championships that will ultimately determine the fate of the 25 teams. But for now, let's all argue for no good reason.
Most pundits and fans were under the assumption that, again, much like the AP and Coaches polls, Georgia would be ranked No. 1. The Bulldogs football team is coming off two national championships and has won 25 straight games. They had a valid argument. Instead, they were ranked No. 2 in the CFP.
Some even believed that Ohio State's hated rival, Michigan, could have been given the number one ranking. This year's Wolverines football team is undefeated and is outscoring their opponents 325-47 in eight games and is ranked second in other polls. Jim Harbaugh's team comes in with the No. 3 ranking in the CFP.
Florida State, meanwhile, has been working their way up in polls but no more than fourth, like they are in the CFP rankings.
Ohio State football has the best resume for Number 1 CFP ranking
While it's true that this year's Ohio State football team hasn't been nearly as dominating as those in years past, the wins they have gotten are important. Where the Buckeyes have the edge over the three below them is that they have two wins over then-top-10 ranked opponents.
Their late September matchup, an out-of-conference affair against Notre Dame in South Bend, is important to the Buckeyes' argument. The Fighting Irish were ranked ninth during their game against Ohio State, where it took a late game-winning drive for the Buckeyes to secure the victory. A lot went right for the Buckeyes here.
When you add in the elements of an out-of-conference road game in a hostile environment against a top-10 team, voters are going to recognize that. Notre Dame football has been through a gauntlet this year, yet they are still highly ranked (No. 15).
But winning in the conference matters just as much. That's where the win over then No. 7, now No. 11 Penn State comes in. The Buckeyes could have folded at home against a tough Nittany Lions football team, yet they continued their winning ways over James Franklin's team, who is now 1-9 against Ohio State. With the Buckeyes' win, they proved, along with their previous four conference wins, that they are the elite of the Big Ten for now, until they meet Michigan at season's end.
You can argue about Ohio State's conference schedule all you want, but no one in the top-4 has played a more meaningful schedule to date than Ryan Day's Buckeyes have, which is what makes them deserving of the top rank.
Georgia has one win over a then-ranked 20th Kentucky team. Michigan hasn't played a single ranked team, with their opponents' win-loss total being 31-33. Florida State, however, has a better argument than Georgia or Michigan. They beat a then-No. 5 LSU in their opener in Orlando, then beat a No. 16 Duke at home. LSU has since dropped another game but is ranked No. 14 in the CFP, while Duke is unranked.
Ohio State, for now, is exactly where they're supposed to be. Number one.
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