GRAPEVINE, Texas — Before a nation of fans tunes in later this month, it all came down to what happened in a room at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine.
Sunday, the College Football Playoff committee announced its final NCAA team rankings made by a 13-member committee of athletic directors, journalists and former coaches.
"The committee holds LSU and Ohio State in the highest regard," said committee chair Rob Mullens. "We flipped them between No. 1 and No. 2 three times this season."
Ultimately, the committee put LSU at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, then Clemson and OU. LSU and OU will meet in the Peach Bowl, while Ohio State and Clemson will head to the Fiesta Bowl.
Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, said OU's victories over highly-ranked opponents made a difference in securing a playoff spot.
"Having three victories over the top 25 teams was a nice factor in their favor," said Hancock. "Oklahoma earned that number four spot."
Today, many questioned why Ohio State didn't rank number one. Some speculated that it was because of the team's performance against Wisconsin, when they had a tough first half before coming from behind for a victory.
"Did last night's games play a role? Sure they did. Every game plays a role," Mullens said.
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