COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football combined a Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback and a deep receiver corps to produce one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. But can the Buckeyes claim to be one of the top five teams in the nation in 2021 based on performance? Close call, but when I filled out my final AP Top 25 ballot of the season, I said no. The four playoff teams comprised my top four. Hard to penalize teams who advance into the semifinals for those semifinal results. So the question became whether Baylor or Ohio State should go at No. 5. Based on wins and losses, the Bears deserved a slight edge. They finished with four victories against teams ranked in Football Outsiders’ top 20, compared to one for OSU. Utah, in the Rose Bowl, is the Buckeyes’ top-rated victory by that metric. Additionally, Baylor advanced to a conference championship…
Continue Reading: AP Top 25 poll: Where was Ohio State football on Nathan Baird’s final ballot in the college rankings?
