Ohio State Takes Over No. 1 in College Playoff Rankings
Ohio State's closest win of the season was nevertheless impressive enough to vault the Buckeyes over LSU and into the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Buckeyes defeated No. 8 Penn State, 28-17, on Saturday despite three turnovers.
No team had come within 24 points of OSU all season, but Penn State's Top Ten status and the double-figure margin of victory counted with the 13-member Playoff Committee more than the turnover issues.
Clemson remained third; Georgia is fourth, followed by Alabama and Utah.
The rest of the Top Ten includes Oklahoma in 7th, Minnesota 8th, Baylor 9th and Penn State 10th.
Michigan is No. 10 in The Associated Press poll, but the Wolverines are 13th in the Playoff rankings.
The No. 1 seed is important for OSU to maintain for two reasons:
- It can avoid a Playoff semifinal match-up with No. 3 Clemson and get a seemingly-easier first game against the No. 4 seed.
- It gets first choice of semifinal sites, most likely choosing Atlanta over Glendale, Az., because of its proximity to Columbus and the ease with which its fans could arrive.
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