Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings that were released Tuesday night.After defeating Nebraska 62-3 on Saturday, there was speculation that the Buckeyes (8-1) might move into the top four. Last week, one-loss Texas A&M was ahead of undefeated Washington at No. 4. But this week the playoff selection committee moved the Huskies into that spot after Texas A&M’s loss to Mississippi State.The top three teams remained unchanged: Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. Louisville was sixth and Wisconsin seventh.Selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said that a “small margin” separated Washington and Ohio State. The committee’s rationale last week was that Texas A&M’s loss was to Alabama was a better loss than Ohio State’s to Penn State, which is now ranked 10th.“But more than anything, it’s the consistency that we’ve seen week in and week out with Washington,” Hocutt said.Ohio State’s strength of schedule is 42nd. Washington’s is 67th.The Big Ten had one other team in the top 25. Nebraska fell from No. 10 to 19.Selection day is Dec. 4 after the conference title games. The semifinals will be Dec. 31 in Atlanta (Peach Bowl) and Phoenix (Fiesta Bowl). The championship game will be…
Continue Reading: Ohio State notebook | Buckeyes move up to fifth in playoff rankings
