Ad Disclosure
CFP Committee chair Rob Mullens expects ‘vigorous’ debate for No. 1 spot following Championship Weekend
Published:
Entering Saturday’s slate of conference championship games, the Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers, and Georgia Bulldogs occupy the top-four spots in the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings.
With No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Georgia squaring off in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta (4:00 PM ET, CBS), the door is open for the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners or No. 7 Baylor Bears to sneak into the picture if the Bulldogs can pull off the upset.
Meeting in the Big 12 Championship Game, the Sooners and Bears will kick at 12:00 PM ET on ABC from AT&T Stadium – home of the Dallas Cowboys – in Arlington.
Reclaiming the No. 1 spot from Ed Orgeron’s team after topping Penn State on November 23, CFP Committee chair Rob Mullens explained why the Buckeyes got the nod over the Tigers on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday.
“They’ve (both) had great years,” Mullens started. “Both are great teams. Several wins against great opponents.
“I think Ohio State’s consistency and their ability to dominate their opponents are what gives them the slight edge (over LSU).”
Rece Davis followed this response up by asking if LSU could jump in front of Ohio State once again with a victory over junior quarterback Jake Fromm and Georgia.
“Well, the discussion has certainly been vigorous,” Mullens shared of the committee’s talks.
“We’ve moved around; so, yes, LSU has been dominant. A great team and great offense. We saw what their defense can do last week. So, I’m sure we’ll be debating that after the results.”
The latest of Saturday’s nine league-deciding tilts, Ohio State and No. 8 Wisconsin will battle in the B1G Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at 8:00 PM ET. Airing on FOX, Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and “The All-American Girl” Jenny Taft will be on the call.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.