Brian Kelly doesn’t care what the College Football Playoff Selection Committee or anybody else says.

The Notre Dame coach thinks that Ohio State, who his team will take on in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. ET, is the best in the land.

It’s quite normal to see a coach build up its opponent. After all, a team wants to look like it earned a quality loss or a quality win.

And the Buckeyes were the first unanimous No. 1 in the history of the Associated Press poll. Nobody will argue the talent of the defending national champs.

But surprising is the fact that Kelly said this even though his team got a face-to-face meeting with No. 1 Clemson this year. The Tigers, of course, are college football’s last remaining unbeaten and they’ll take on Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Also surprising is the fact that Kelly dismissed the likes of Alabama and Michigan State, both of whom are rolling into their semifinal showdown.

It isn’t that Kelly said Ohio State is the “most talented” team in the country. He said that they are better than everyone. The comment will likely raise a few eyebrows across the college football world, and even some in B1G country that watched Michigan State beat the Buckeyes in Columbus.

Perhaps this was just Kelly’s way of providing some anti-bulletin board material.