Ask Farrell: Ohio State or Oklahoma for CFP's last spot?
MORE ASK FARRELL: Can Les Miles raise the bar at Kansas?
Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame are widely accepted as the top three for the College Football Playoff rankings, but the fourth team to make it is under serious debate and conversation this week after a wild weekend of games.
Michigan is out after getting crushed by Ohio State - again. Georgia will probably be fourth in the rankings now, but the Bulldogs play Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, so it’s expected one team will be eliminated (although the Crimson Tide could stay in the top four even with a loss).
Oklahoma moves up after surviving at West Virginia and will be one of the teams discussed if the Sooners can beat Texas this weekend in the Big 12 Championship Game. LSU is out after losing in seven overtimes to Texas A&M. Washington State was eliminated when Washington beat the Cougars over the weekend. Despite not losing yet, UCF probably isn’t in the running.
So now we turn to No. 10 Ohio State, which should shoot up the rankings this week after dominating Michigan. The Buckeyes and the Sooners are the two teams (pending the SEC title game) that should have the best shot at figuring into that fourth position in the playoff.
Ohio State’s only loss was a shocking 49-20 loss at Purdue on Oct. 20. The Buckeyes slipped by Nebraska in their next game, looked unimpressive in a win over Michigan State and survived a huge scare against Maryland before busting Michigan, 62-39. Ohio State finished with 396 passing yards and 567 total yards in its 14th win in 15 tries against the Wolverines.
Oklahoma has also only lost once - a 48-45 decision to Texas on Oct. 6 - and the two will meet again this weekend for the conference title. In their last six games, the Sooners have scored in the 50s five times and scored 48 in a one-point win over Oklahoma State a few weeks ago. Quarterback Kyler Murray is a Heisman front-runner and the offense is near unstoppable, but the defense has struggled - giving up 56 to West Virginia, 40 to Kansas, 47 to Oklahoma State and 46 to Texas Tech in the last four games.
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell if the choice is either Ohio State or Oklahoma for the fourth playoff spot, which team would he pick?
FARRELL'S TAKE
“This is a tough call. If Georgia loses, the Bulldogs are out, and I think both Oklahoma and Ohio State will win their respective conference title games. If that happens, I’d lean toward Oklahoma, honestly, because its lone loss is to a team that has been ranked numerous times this season in Texas. I know the defense is horrible, but Ohio State’s defense hasn’t been that great, either. And Oklahoma’s offense is more explosive than the Ohio State offense. It’s a difficult decision, but give me Oklahoma over Ohio State if everything falls into place this weekend as expected. That being said, I think Ohio State will get the nod, but Oklahoma is more deserving.”
