COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State debuted at No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff rankings reveal on the strength of two marquee wins no other contender could match.
If the Buckeyes fall to No. 2 behind Georgia Tuesday night, it likely won’t be because the selection committee wasn’t impressed by the win at Rutgers. It will be because one of the best wins on their resume has already lost some luster.
As of last Tuesday, no undefeated Power 5 team had a road win as strong as OSU’s 17-14 victory at Notre Dame on Sept. 23. At the time, the Fighting Irish were also ranked in the top 10. Even after a second loss a couple of weeks later, to Louisville, Notre Dame was still deemed worthy of the No. 15 spot in last week’s rankings.
Then came a 31-23 loss at Clemson last Saturday. The Tigers were 4-4 and coming off back-to-back losses. The setback knocked Notre Dame from 12 to 22 in the AP Top 25.
It’s possible Notre Dame will no longer count as a top 25 victory, per the selection committee’s rankings, by Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Georgia beat Missouri — No. 12 in the rankings last week — 30-21 at home. While that is the Bulldogs’ first victory over an opponent with a winning SEC record, it begins to equalize the head-to-head resume comparison with OSU.
The Buckeyes still have a 20-12 victory over last week’s No. 11, Penn State. That value could change over the course of the next week as well. The Nittany Lions play host to last week’s No. 3, Michigan. If they can’t muster more offense and hang with the two-time defending Big Ten champs, their stock could plummet as well with a second loss.
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