The College Football Playoff Committee has put out their final ranking of the year, and its top four included the Ohio State University (11-1, 8-1) for the second time since they were assembled. With the Buckeyes at the third spot, the rest of the playoff will be made up of Alabama (13-0, 8-0) at No. 1, Clemson (12-1, 8-1) at No. 2 and Washington (12-1, 8-1) at No. 4.
The committee, in previous years, has been afforded the luxury of the conference champions to simultaneously be considered the best teams in the nation by the time the final rankings came out. This year, however, there were many different viable candidates to be selected to be in the playoffs.
Students, faculty, players, and coaches alike all patiently waited for the rankings to be released, and while most had a sense that OSU would be in there were no certainties given the fact that Penn State fresh off of a Big Ten Championship held the head to head victory over Ohio State.
“I knew [the committee] had to put us in,” said sophomore Tim McManus after watching the reveal at the Ohio Union. “But until you actually see Ohio State on the screen you never know what could happen.”
McManus was just one of many students anxiously watching on Sunday, but his reaction sums up the tension that had been looming in all of Columbus since halfback Curtis Samuel carried the ball into the end zone to give the Buckeyes the win over Michigan in double overtime. Until Sunday OSU could only hope that their performance in “The Game” would substitute for a conference championship.
Inside of the Ohio Union, you could feel the nervousness continue to grow as 12:30 p.m. crept closer and closer. Many people were gathered in the dining area, eyes locked on one 32-inch television hanging from the ceiling waiting, hoping, wishing for their team’s name to be called. And once it was, and excited sense of relief swept across the room.
Head coach Urban Meyer said that he was filled with a lot of hope and anxiety headed into the selection show after welcoming the birth of a grandchild earlier that morning. Meyer who was in the hospital during the show with his family, felt like they were one of the best teams in the country.
“I remember I found out with Gene Smith and my family in 2014 when America found out, when they flashed our sign on ESPN,” said Meyer. “I found out today when they flashed our sign on ESPN.”
This was not necessarily the case for junior quarterback J.T. Barrett, who will be making his first playoff appearance on the field after being sideline late in the 2014 championship season. Barrett said that he was alone eating chicken wings and watching the selection show on his tv but was nothing but grateful for the chance to play.
“It wasn’t one of those things when I saw it, you know, obviously excited,” said Barrett. “I was telling Adam, our media guy, I’m actually a healthy body. As you see, I’m not on a scooter or anything.”
The biggest snub for a playoff position came from within the same division as the Buckeyes, Penn State. It inevitably was two early losses that decimated PSU’s shot at a top four spot even after nine consecutive wins but that did not stop them from being more than happy to find themselves playing in the Rose Bowl against the University of Southern California, leaving their head coach James Franklin with one focus for the next month:
USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC, USC
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) December 5, 2016
ESPN analyst Danny Kanell was quick to criticize the committee for keeping OSU in and Penn State out. Kanell felt that it was wrong of the committee to not reward Penn State for winning its conference title and he feels like an unexpected someone would agree with him:
??? pic.twitter.com/YbficzO012
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) December 4, 2016
Ohio State will go on to play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl the night of New Year’s Eve, which could be their toughest test all year long. Clemson has arguably the best receiving corps in the nation along with two-time Heisman finalist quarterback Deshaun Watson, but they do not feel like they are going to shy away from the spotlight.
“We were clearly one of the better teams in America. We work just as hard as anyone if not harder than everyone,” said junior defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis. “We know what it’s like to overcome challenges. Now we’re just excited to get an opportunity. We’re just going to keep pushing forward.”
Clemson looked shaky at times throughout the season, narrowly pulling out a win against Troy University earlier in the year, staving off Lamar Jackson and Louisville by a matter of inches, and their loss to an average Pittsburgh team. But they were able to come out on top of the ACC, however, and they have showed that they are up for the task of playing in a playoff semifinal after beating Oklahoma 37-17 in last year’s game.
While it still remains to be seen how Ohio State will perform once the Fiesta Bowl actually arrives, their trolling level is already at 1000:
— Raekwon McMillan (@Kwon_daTRUTH) December 4, 2016
— Parris Campbell (@PCampbell21) December 4, 2016
Mood pic.twitter.com/UDJDOsvOSL
— QB REAPER (@JayHolmes_) December 4, 2016