Lee Corso criticizes College Football Playoffs over Ohio State ranking

After the first College Football Playoff rankings were releases Tuesday night, everyone across college football weighed in on the controversial decisions. College GameDay host Lee Corso became the latest to criticize the CFP Selection Committee on Saturday, calling out the Ohio State and Oregon rankings.

“Thing that surprised me is Ohio State not being number three,” Lee Corso said on College GameDay. “Ohio State is great football. They will be in the top-three because Ohio State was bombing everybody after that one loss. Ohio State should be number three.”

Moving Ohio State to three forces someone out of the playoff picture. Co-host Kirk Herbstreit raised that fact to Corso, asking where he places Oregon in his alternate rankings.

“Out,” Corso responded.

After lengthy discussions about the CFP field, Corso also endorsed the Cincinnati Bearcats – who host College GameDay this week – for a higher seed.

Oregon vs Ohio State debate

When Ohio State and Oregon scheduled a 2021 meeting, it became must-watch television. When the teams brought their squads to the field, it became clear the game would have CFP implications.

The Ohio State offense and Oregon defense squared off in a 35-28 thriller. The Ducks came out with a road win and an upper hand. However, a slip-up against Stanford and several key injuries jeopardized Oregon’s season.

Ohio State’s offense has started clicking and brought back the high-powered numbers many anticipated. The recent results left many wondering whether the eye test or head-to-head result would rule the day.

“Everyone has their own opinions – but as you go through with the 13 members, head-to-head is certainly talked about when you talk about Oregon and Ohio State,” said Barta. “Oregon has had some nice wins, they played very good football. They’ve been through a lot of challenges losing their starting running back and some others – Thibodeaux being their best player – early on. But they beat Ohio State at Ohio State and that was really important to the committee.”

It became clear – as ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit pointed out – that the committee valued these head-to-head meetings, setting the tone for the top four.

Not only can Ohio State jump the field with an unexpected loss from Alabama or Oregon, it holds its own destiny against Michigan State. A second chance at head-to-head bragging rights keeps Ryan Day’s team firmly in the playoff picture.

“Ohio State is playing great football, since that time they’re on a roll,” said Barta. “At the end of the day, that’s why they’re one slot behind Oregon, because of the head-to-head. But right up there near the top because of how terrific they’ve been playing.”