The chairman explained the thought process behind the order in the rankings.
The College Football Playoff committee made its decision on Sunday, ranking TCU No. 3 and Ohio State No. 4 in the final rankings of the season. That means that the Buckeyes will play No. 1 Georgia in the playoff instead of getting No. 2 Michigan in a rematch.
It might have been tempting for the committee to put Ohio State and Michigan against each other, as the ratings for that game would no doubt be impressive. However, committee chairman Boo Corrigan said that was never a motivation.
“It was not talked about in the room,” Corrigan said, via Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger. “We were looking at getting the right four teams.”
In the final game of the regular season, Michigan blew out Ohio State 45–23 in Columbus, the second straight season that the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes with a Big Ten Championship appearance on the line.
Ohio State would have definitely loved a shot at revenge instead of playing the undefeated defending national champions in Georgia. Additionally, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was openly lobbying to play the Buckeyes after beating Purdue in the Big Ten championship game.
The Wolverines will instead get TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Maybe college football will get a rematch of this rivalry, but it has to come in the national championship game.
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