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College Football Playoff committee chair Rob Mullens explains why LSU jumps Ohio State for No. 1
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The biggest decision of the day came down to which team was in the top spot. Would it be Ohio State maintaining its position atop the College Football Playoff rankings? Or would LSU leap past the Buckeyes for the No. 1 spot?
Ultimately, the selection committee took LSU (13-0, SEC champions) over Ohio State (13-0, B1G champions) for the No. 1 ranking. The Tigers will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta while the Buckeyes play No. 3 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix.
After the top four were announced, College Football Playoff committee chair Rob Mullens talked with ESPN about the decision to put LSU ahead of Ohio State in that top spot.
“You got two complete teams, obviously. They both added a conference championship. When you’re comparing schedule strengths you’ve got LSU at 4-0 against teams in the top 13 and Ohio State 5-0 against teams in the top 21. It was really close,” Mullens said. “We’ve spent the entire season with one going above the other. The last couple weeks we saw an LSU defense that was healthy and better. This week we just felt LSU deserved that No. 1 seed going into the Playoff,”
Mullens also said that Joe Burrow’s play throughout the season, and LSU’s explosive offense, was a factor in the decision.
Both LSU and Ohio State have spent time in that No. 1 spot, but the Tigers are sitting at the top when it matters most. Could we get a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup for the national title? That sure would be a lot of fun in New Orleans.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB