College Football Playoff rankings: CFP explains why Ohio State is ranked over Michigan

Ohio State maintains its lead over Michigan in the College Football Playoff rankings, but that could change soon

Ohio State and Michigan remain neck-and-neck in the latest College Football Playoff rankings with the Buckeyes at No. 2 and the Wolverines at No. 3 overall.

The two arch-rivals remain undefeated and are expected to be in two weeks' time when they renew The Game in Columbus, with the Big Ten East championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff all on the line.

College Football Playoff committee chairman Boo Corrigan says a variety of factors went into Ohio State taking the lead over Michigan in the rankings.

"We don't believe there's anything simple about it," Corrigan said.

"We're going to go through each week with a clean sheet, look at every team,continue to evaluate, continue to compare statistically, continue to compare their schedules. 

"All that being said, strength of schedule is different as we look at it. Again, we're looking at so many different factors as opposed to just one. From a protocol standpoint, we want to make sure we get it right and that's where we landed where we did this week."

Some analysts have stated that Michigan may have the better overall resume, given its dominance both offensively and defensively.

But others contend that Ohio State has the edge when considering Michigan's weaker non-conference schedule.

UM didn't play any Power Five teams in its early slate, and those clubs are a combined 10-22 on the season.

While the Buckeyes played and beat a now-ranked Notre Dame team that itself has wins over ACC title contenders Clemson and North Carolina.

Ohio State is No. 1 in college football with a 31.2 point per game margin over opponents, while Michigan is No. 2 nationally at 30.2 ppg over opposition.

Everything is on the line when Ohio State and Michigan meet. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff if it wins the Big Ten Championship Game, which it's favored to do against any West Division opponent.

The loser is likely out of the playoff picture unless there's complete chaos in the top 10 of the rankings.

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