Why is Ohio State number 1? Exploring the committee’s reasoning behind the #1 College Football Rankings

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee released their first rankings of the season on Tuesday night. Many expected the top four teams to be the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Florida State Seminoles in some order.

The quartet were indeed in the the top four, but surprisingly, the back-to-back national champions aren't the top-ranked team. Instead, the committee named Ohio State as the top-ranked team.

Chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, Boo Corrigan, explained why the Buckeyes were atop the rankings:

“The win against Penn State, the win at Notre Dame, the win Wisconsin. They’re proving they can do it at home. They’re proving they can do it on the road.”

There's no question that Ohio State has the best two wins with Penn State and Notre Dame, so the playoff committee showed that resume is important to them this year.

Along with their resume, Boo Corrigan also talked about how dominant the Ohio State Buckeyes defense has been has been impressive. Although the Buckeyes have been known for their offense, Corrigan says that their defense stuck out and played a role in being ranked #1.

“Marvin Harrison, Jr. is clearly one of the top players in the country. As we look at it a is part of the overall evaluation but a top-five defense that’s giving up about 10 points per game really does play into it as well...

"To pick completely on one side when the other side is so dominant and the offense is really, really good. We take all of that into account. To pick completely on one side when the other side is so dominant, and the offense is really, really good, so we’ve got to take all that into account as we’re looking at it. We came to the conclusion as a committee that they deserved the No. 1 ranking.”

Although Ohio State is ranked number one right now, there are still plenty of games that will determine the four teams that go into the playoffs.

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Ohio State Buckeyes has a big game against Michigan

The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to go on the road to play Rutgers on Saturday, as they have four games left on the season.

Ohio State's will be massive favorites in their next three games, as they play Rutgers, Michigan State and Minnesota. Their most important game is on Nov. 25, though, which is the final game of the season, when they go to Michigan to play the Wolverines.

The winner of that game will punch their ticket into the playoffs and the Big 10 Championship game. Although the Buckeyes are number one now, their season could come down to the showdown at Michigan.