With conference championship weekend quickly approaching, debates surrounding which teams deserve to round out the College Football Playoff picture are sure to intensify in the coming days.
At the center of the conversation has been Ohio State (11–1) and Alabama (10–2), two teams the CFB world has seemingly been torn over in regards to which side has the stronger case to make the final four if any of the favorites, namely USC, fall out of contention. The Buckeyes and Crimson Tide ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the latest AP Top 25 poll, behind No. 1 Georgia (12–0), No. 2 Michigan (12–0), No. 3 TCU (12–0) and No. 4 USC (11–1).
On Monday, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt decided to add to the OSU-Bama debate with a resounding take that will certainly have its fair share of supporters and critics around the country. Needless to say, Klatt did not mince his words when revealing that he’s firmly backing Ryan Day’s Buckeyes despite the program coming off its first loss of the year in a 45–23 blowout against the Wolverines on Saturday.
“Alabama does not have an argument against Ohio State, they don’t,” Klatt said. “It’s so clear to me, it’s not even funny. And everyone calls me a Big Ten homer. First of all, I have Georgia ranked No. 1, they don’t even have the best win overall of the season by any team. That win is now clearly Michigan’s on the road against Ohio State. And I still have Georgia ranked No. 1.”
After arguing that Ohio State having one loss to Alabama’s two should end any debate from the start, Klatt added that, while he think the SEC has been the best conference “for a long time,” there are no metrics from this season that suggests the Tide has an edge in the rankings.
Klatt then cited Ohio State’s streak of 11 straight double-digit wins–the most of any team in the country–prior to losing to the best team in the nation as another strong factor that helped them stand out. On the flip side, Klatt slighted Bama’s 3-2 mark in one-possession games, which includes a one-point loss to then-No. 10 LSU, before wrapping up his case.
“It’s not even like they had played that ‘terribly tougher schedule’ and been all that much more dominant. In fact, they haven’t been dominant at all,” he said. “So, now all of a sudden you’re looking at this based on those metrics, it’s not even close.
“This is a moot point, it’s totally ridiculous. The only one out there that are gonna be shoutin’ about Alabama are absolute, SEC-colored glasses honks. Period.”
With the regular season now officially over for Ohio State and Alabama, both teams will have to anxiously wait to see if any upsets shake up the CFP picture over the weekend.
