CFP chair talks ranking for Ohio St, Alabama and Vols

The one actual drama with the Faculty Soccer Playoff rating launch Tuesday got here with the No. 5 spot.

Alabama or Ohio State?

The committee went with the Buckeyes for the standby spot ought to USC or TCU slip up of their league title video games.

CFP choice committee chair Boo Corrigan obtained a number of questions on this decision-making course of Tuesday after the total high 25 was launched.

First off, does the actual fact each Alabama and Ohio State sit idle this weekend imply there might be no motion within the OSU/Alabama order?

“Right,” Corrigan stated on the ESPN broadcast of the rating reveal. “Now there are 4 groups forward of them nonetheless taking part in video games that we have to undergo this weekend. Once more, popping out of this week, taking a look at Ohio State and the wins they’ve over Notre Dame (No. 21) and Penn State (No. 8). You take a look at Alabama, their large wins are over Texas (No. 20) and Mississippi State (No. 24). In addition they had a few video games the place they performed shut — two shut losses. Once more, within the minds of the committee, we got here again at Ohio State No. 5 and Alabama No. 6.”

Later that night, Corrigan was requested in regards to the confusion left by that reply and the possibility of motion between No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Tennessee.

“I apologize if there’s any confusion on that,” he stated. “I apologize. No, that’s not essentially the case. I apologize if there may be confusion.”

FULL RANKINGS: The newest CFP high 25

Tennessee’s rating at No. 7 additionally got here up throughout the dialogue of quarterback Hendon Hooker’s season-ending knee harm.

“Nicely, I’ll go backward to final week by way of South Carolina sport,” Corrigan stated. “It was actually one thing that we thought-about throughout the sport, and when you bear in mind appropriately, I imagine they had been down 49-31 on the time when he went out. We do have extra info on their sport based mostly on with Vanderbilt, and we go off of what we’ve seen up to now.”

The subject of Tennessee being ranked behind Alabama regardless of the head-to-head win was additionally mentioned.

“Nicely, one, it was very a lot debated amongst the committee, and quite a lot of dialog round that,” Corrigan stated. “The worth of head-to-head is actually one of many standards that we take a look at. We’re taking a look at a full physique of labor, and whenever you take a look at their two losses by Alabama, together with one on a last-second subject purpose to Tennessee, and then you definately’re measuring — someplace in there you’ve obtained to measure the loss that Tennessee needed to South Carolina, and as we went by way of that, that was a part of the willpower as to why to have Alabama forward of Tennessee.”

Corrigan later reiterated they give the impression of being nearer on the power of wins over evaluating losses.

Alabama has last-second losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14 LSU whereas Ohio State took a 45-23 residence loss to No. 2 Michigan.

Corrigan, the NC State athletics director, later stated they’re aware to keep away from recency bias when evaluating video games like Ohio State-Michigan and different key video games from earlier within the season.

The character of the Buckeyes’ 22-point loss was additionally a subject.

“Early within the fourth quarter, the sport was nonetheless shut,” Corrigan stated. “That being stated, you’ll be able to’t fully dismiss the best way the fourth quarter ended with Michigan form of taking up the sport there late. There’s quite a lot of respect for Ohio State within the room and the wins that they had this yr. Taking the total physique of labor, it was one thing we actually checked out but it surely wasn’t ‘It’s a blowout, let’s transfer on.’”

The ultimate playoff rankings shall be launched at 11 a.m. CT Sunday after the league championship video games. Ought to Alabama keep the place it’s, the Sugar Bowl can be the vacation spot for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on New 12 months’s Eve.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Comply with him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Fb.