The Ohio State football team found out Sunday afternoon that it didn’t quite make the cut for the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes, ranked sixth in the final CFP standings, are set to instead face Washington in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.
No. 6 Ohio State found out its postseason fate a day after beating Northwestern, 45-24, in the Big Ten title game for a second straight conference championship.
After the announcement, head coach Urban Meyer met with media members in Columbus to discuss the season, the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl matchup with the No. 9 Huskies. Here’s what he had to say:
Urban Meyer Updates
- Meyer on the season and the Big Ten title: “Hard to say I’ve ever been more proud of a group of players and people.”
- On the decision by the CFP committee this morning: “That was a tough job, now. Those are three really good teams. … We’re one of those great teams that obviously didn’t make it. That’s a tough decision to make.”
- He said he doesn’t want to devalue winning the Big Ten championship despite missing the playoffs. Winning a Big Ten title is a huge part of Ohio State’s goal every season under Meyer.
- He said he thinks the Rose Bowl matters to the players as much as it did in the past. He said he’s sure it means that much to guys like Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin, but he’s less sure about players from places like Texas. “I hope it does.”
- Meyer said he had a lesson from his father at a young age: “Never put your family, your career, your life in the hands of other people.” Taking a loss against Purdue put Ohio State’s fate in the hands of others. Said he would never stand there and criticize the committee.
- Meyer did have one comment about the current system: “Sometimes I see the criteria, and the criteria’s not fitting what’s happening.” Stressed that that doesn’t mean he’s criticizing the process.
- Meyer said he’s always dreamed of coaching in the Rose Bowl. Thought Ohio State was going to go in 2014 when they ended up in the Sugar Bowl.
- On sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins’ Heisman candidacy, Meyer said, “He’ll be in New York.”
- He said the “whole college football model will change completely” if you expand the playoff. “At first I said no, then we finish five, six, wherever it was, and we’re out.” He noted that there would be a lot of moving parts, including class schedules and conference championships.
- Meyer on Georgia being ranked ahead of Ohio State: “I was a little surprised, but I think they’re – from what I saw – they’re a heck of a team.”
- He said he really thought Ohio State was going to be in the playoff last year, didn’t feel the same way this time around.
- Meyer: “When Nick Bosa went down, that changed our team. … I know he was a great player, but he was so much more than that. Nick Bosa is your rock, man.”
The play off should stay at four if Ohio State didn’t make it better luck next time. A two loss team shouldn’t be a head of us in the fanal poll.
The play off should stay at four if Ohio State didn’t make it better luck next time. A two loss team shouldn’t be a head of us in the fanal poll.