CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan explains why USC is ahead of Ohio State

There was one key difference when the latest College Football Playoff rankings were released Tuesday. USC replaced Ohio State in the top four after the Buckeyes suffered their first loss of the season, 45-23, to Michigan, while the Trojans defeated Notre Dame 38-27 in the final week of the regular season.

In the post-rankings reveal press conference, CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan compared the resumes of the two teams. Corrigan noted several key wins from USC in the past few weeks, pointing to that as the reason they are ranked ahead of the Buckeyes despite both teams having one loss.

“I think you’ve got to take into account the way USC is playing right now,” he said. “The wins over UCLA, the win over Notre Dame, the win over Oregon State earlier in the year. You need to measure that against Ohio State and their wins over Penn State and Notre Dame. It’s a full body of work, but it’s more a point of we’re looking at … both teams and trying to make the best determination.”

Ohio State ranks No. 4 in ESPN’s strength of record compared to No. 6 for USC, and also is 34th in strength of schedule compared to 57th. However, the Trojans’ only loss of the season came by just one point to Utah, which it now has an opportunity to beat in a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

That is a huge advantage USC has over Ohio State, which will not compete in the Big Ten Champioship following its loss to Michigan. It seems obvious that the Trojans are in the CFP if they beat Utah. If they don’t, then the Buckeyes would trade places with them once again.

Ohio State could also potentially get in with a loss from TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game, though many believe the Horned Frogs (12-0) would still get in over them. For that reason, it seems Buckeyes fans will be cheering hard for Utah this weekend.

Kickoff for the Pac-12 Championship Game is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday in Las Vegas.