Take Two: Did the CFB Playoff Committee snub the Buckeyes?

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

MORE: Could Lamar Jackson take on the Tide? | Leonard Fournette's Bama struggles

Storyline: A one-loss Texas A&M team was selected in the initial College Football Playoff rankings over Washington. The Aggies lost last week to Mississippi State so it looked like Ohio State would have a chance to move to No. 4.

Instead, the committee took undefeated Washington – which, it was argued, deserved the spot over Texas A&M in the first place. So why take Texas A&M one week, only to then not take one-loss Ohio State the next, especially after it pounded Nebraska by 59 points?

Was Washington the right pick for the College Football Playoff or did the Buckeyes get snubbed?

First take: “I think the Buckeyes are right where they need to be. Many Ohio State fans thought that Texas A&M being ranked No. 4 last week was a bit of a miscall but if the committee is about weighting big wins, Ohio State did get a little bit of a bad deal there. But at this point I don’t have any problem with an undefeated Washington team being ‘in’ the top-four. It is all going to sort out at the end and if the Huskies run the schedule and beat Wazzu in the Apple Cup, how do you not have them in there? Ohio State will be a heavy favorite in its next two games and if the Buckeyes are able to dispatch the Wolverines, this whole conversation will just be empty talk.” Kevin Noon, BuckeyeGrove.com

Second take: “They got snubbed. Ohio State lost to Penn State, not a great loss, but the Nittany Lions are now in the top 10. Ohio State has the Oklahoma win. The reason Washington was pushed in there was because the committee didn’t want to lose face again. They put a one-loss Texas A&M above Washington and they were made to look foolish. Now if they put a one-loss Ohio State in there and they lose, it’s all about perception. The committee chose Washington because they were afraid to go with another one-loss team but Ohio State has the resume to be fourth.” - Farrell

Storyline: Clemson’s offense will surely take a hit after this season as it was reported earlier this week that quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Wayne Gallman and receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott will all be leaving early.

That could be a tremendous hit for the Tigers but does it mean the ACC power will fall back behind Florida State, and maybe some others in the conference, or is Clemson at the point now where it can reload like many other national powers?

The defense will be phenomenal. And Clemson is recruiting its tail off on the offensive side of the ball with five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson and many other weapons coming in next recruiting cycle.

First take: “It depends on where you set the bar as well as whether we’re specifically talking the 2017 season or the next few years as a whole. Watson specifically is a rare transcendent talent. So to expect the Tigers to not experience any drop-off at the most important position, especially immediately, just isn’t realistic.

“But this will hardly be a repair job, either. The defensive line is as much a factor in Clemson’s identity, and the majority of the standout cast is back – headlined by under-heralded Christian Wilkins and mammoth Dexter Lawrence. The Tigers have stockpiled young talent with consecutive top-six classes, and the 2017 haul carries the No. 3 per-prospect star rating in the country behind Ohio State and Alabama.

“So odds are there is a loss or two here or there that Clemson has managed to dodge the last two seasons with Watson as its clutch trump card. But the Tigers own plenty of pieces to keep them in the top-15 mix.” – Paul Strelow, TigerIllustrated.com

Second take: “They’ll reload. Losing Watson is the biggest question mark. How do you find a quarterback to replace him? But the Tigers have enough young talent there at multiple positions and they’ll be even 10 times better on defense next year. Clemson is just reloading. It will be fine. Do I think the Tigers will be national title favorites or one of the top two? No, but I still think they’ll be favored to win their division in the ACC over Florida State.” - Farrell

Storyline: Alabama has been obliterating opponents. Michigan has been dominating teams. What would happen if the two powers met in the national title game? Could the Wolverines hang with the champs this early in Jim Harbaugh’s rebuilding efforts?

The Crimson Tide and the Wolverines play in similar ways - tough, hard-nosed, suffocating defense with strong, yet not dominating offenses. It would certainly be interesting to see Harbaugh and Alabama's Nick Saban matching wits against each other for the national title.

The question really might be: Can any team stop Alabama? It has been so dominant, so commanding and it seems to dictate to every opponent what it wants to do and when it wants to do it. Alabama is winning by an average of 40-13. Michigan is outscoring opponents 48-11.

Does Michigan have the stuff to knock off the Crimson Tide? We could find out in just a few short months.

First take: “Michigan wouldn't be favored by anybody in a showdown with Alabama, but anyone insisting that means the Wolverines couldn't win hasn't watched much college football. The Wolverines have the weapons – offensively, defensively, and on special teams – to give the Crimson Tide a fight.

“From an emerging passing attack under Wilton Speight, to Jabrill Peppers' efforts as a wildcat QB, Michigan has a variety of ways to attack a defense. And Alabama, schematically, isn't a bad matchup for the Michigan defense. It says here Michigan has a shot.” – John Borton, TheWolverine.com

Second take: “No, Michigan couldn’t beat Alabama if they played today. There are two ways of beating the Crimson Tide. The first is you need to have a dual-threat quarterback that can spread the Tide out and drive them insane. The second is you have a defense that is as staunch as Alabama’s and will stuff the run and get after Jalen Hurts. The Wolverines have the defense but they don’t have the quarterback. When you’re talking about both sides of the football, Alabama is just the more talented team.” - Farrell