CFP Chairman Expresses Why Ohio State Buckeyes Earned No. 2 Spot In CFP Rankings

A current College Football Playoff Chairman explained why the Ohio State Buckeyes earned the No. 2 spot in the latest rankings.

Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus walks along the sideline during the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. Ohio State won 20-13. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, the Ohio State Buckeyes currently stand as the No. 2 team in the country as the team heads into the later part of the regular season.

CFP Chairman and current Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel shared his thoughts on the Buckeyes with reporters on Tuesday.

“Ohio State is ranked No. 2. They had an impressive win on the road against a strong Penn State team and played No. 1 Oregon down to the wire in Eugene. They’ve had a good strength of schedule, and they’re 5-1 against teams with winning records.”

- Warde Manuel

The recent CFP rankings came as a shock to most Ohio State fans, as the program was ranked No. 3 in the Week 11 edition of the AP Top 25 behind Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.

When Manuel was asked about why the Buckeyes was ranked ahead of the Bulldogs, he stated that the committee felt as if Ohio State is currently a more consistent performer.

“It was a close analysis, but in the end we just felt that Ohio State was a more consistent performer at this point in time, and their loss to the No. 1; their only loss is to No. 1 Oregon, and that’s how the committee came out with the decision.”

- Warde Manuel

With the new College Football Playoff format, the No. 2 ranking does not translate to the official seeding. The top four seeds are reserved for the power four conference champions, thus projecting the Buckeyes as the No. 5 seed. This aligns head coach Ryan Day and the program to face the No. 12 seed Boise State Broncos in the first round.