Going into selection Sunday, a lot of people would have pegged Penn State's upset of Ohio State as the game that was going to define the College Football Playoff. However, with Ohio State in and Penn State out, ESPN has chosen another game that most impacted the 2016 season.
That game? A Week 3 contest between Ohio State and Oklahoma, which the Buckeyes won 45-24. Here is part of ESPN's explanation on the matter.
Proof that strength of schedule still matters. "I'm not sure Ohio State would have been in the [playoff] this year," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said, "if it hadn't gone and played Oklahoma." The Buckeyes wound up beating the Big 12 champion on the road, which helped them compensate for a lack of a division or league title.
This really makes a lot of sense. Ohio State probably doesn't get in if that Week 3 victory is over another Bowling Green like opponent. Not only did that win bolster Ohio State's strength of schedule, but it knocked Oklahoma out of consideration with two losses on the season.
The Playoff race was already chaotic enough with Penn State winning the Big Ten with an 11-2 record. Can you imagine if Ohio State and Oklahoma didn't play each other in Week 3, and both of those teams also wound up with 11-1 records on the season? That would have been a disaster for the committee to try and choose from.
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