As I talked about last week - human beings have a propensity to overly bias the most recent observation and ignore broader evidence. This week, the playoff committee engaged in the most extreme and obvious example of this illogical propensity. From the perspective of the Network Ranking, Ohio State, ranked 11, has no business being in the playoff.
I'll create a Professors' ranking similar to what I did yesterday as soon as the other 6 rankings are available. Perhaps some of the rankings that include win margins will push Ohio State into the top 4 in the composite. But, in the meantime, here's the Network Ranking:
Top 25 (Explanation; Full Ranking):
- Florida State (nc)
- Alabama (nc)
- Oregon (nc)
- TCU (+1)
- Mississippi State (-1)
- Ole Miss (nc)
- UCLA (+1)
- LSU (+1)
- Michigan State (+1)
- Auburn (+1)
- Ohio State (+1)
- Baylor (+3)
- Oklahoma (-6)
- Arizona (nc)
- Georgia Tech (-2)
- Clemson (nc)
- Nebraska (nc)
- Georgia (nc)
- Arizona State (+1)
- Kansas State (-1)
- Texas A&M (nc)
- Boise State (nc)
- Louisville (nc)
- Utah (+2)
- Missouri (-1)