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Kirk Herbstreit believes Ohio State ranking sets up potentially chaotic final week

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•11/28/23•

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 31 Semifinal Game Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit is on the field prior to the college football Playoff Semifinal game at the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ohio State Buckeyes on December 31, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire)

There has been a clump of one-loss teams in the College Football Playoff rankings over the past two weeks. Alabama, Oregon, and Texas were all grouped together but as they continued to win games, there was no movement between them. The Ducks maintained the top spot at No. 6, while Steve Sarkisian‘s head-to-head win over Nick Saban was thought to be a tiebreaker for the Longhorns.

After their loss to Michigan, Ohio State got involved in the one-loss party. The biggest question entering Tuesday’s rankings was where the Buckeyes would slot in, with the committee placing them at No. 6. Oregon got to move up one spot to No. 5, while Texas and Alabama stayed put at No. 7 and No. 8, respectfully.

“I think everybody thought after Ohio State lost, curious to see where they would end up,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said on Tuesday. “I think many thought they would be behind teams like Texas and Alabama. Clearly, ahead.”

Ohio State’s regular season is over. There will not be a Big Ten Championship game appearance for Ryan Day, making it three years in a row. More likely than not, Selection Sunday in Columbus will be finding out which New Year’s Six Bowl game they will be playing in.

In ESPN’s latest bowl projections, they are sending Ohio State to the Orange Bowl to face off against Louisville.

Bigger questions surround Texas and Alabama if they were to win the Big 12 and SEC. No team has jumped into the College Football Playoff from lower than No. 6 in the format’s history, occuring twice with Georgia in 2017 and Oklahoma in 2019.

Chaos could unfold and the committee could have a difficult decision to make. Alabama might have the best win in the country over Georgia but would it be enough? Texas would finish with a 12-1 record and win the Big 12 title for the first time since 2009. Is there a way to get them into the top four, dependent on the ACC and Pac-12 champions?

All the scenarios set up for what could be an incredibly chaotic championship weekend and in turn, Selection Sunday.

“If [Alabama] were to somehow upset Georgia, from eight to the top four? Texas is at seven,” Herbstreit said. “You got Oregon and Washington ahead of them. Would they skyrocket up? It really sets up for an interesting Sunday depending on the results Saturday night.”