Jim Delany had some strong words for the College Football Playoff Committee on Thursday. During the Big Ten Conference Media Days, Delany stated his belief that the Big Ten has been overlooked by the Selection Committee in recent seasons. He brought up the exclusion of Ohio State in 2018 as a recent example, expressing dismay that they were ranked sixth in the final poll.
Jim Delany on the final CFP rankings from 2018: "I still don’t know how Ohio State was ranked sixth last year." #B1GMediaDay
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 18, 2019
This isn’t quite the epitome of sour grapes, but it’s pretty close to it. Very few people outside of Big Ten or Ohio State fans believed that Ohio State should have been ranked as one of the four best teams in the country. Three of the teams ranked ahead of them (Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame) were undefeated, and Oklahoma had a much better resume.
The Sooners’ lone loss last year came at the hands of Texas in a thrilling shootout. The Longhorns edged Oklahoma, 48-45, in the Red River Showdown, but the Sooners were able to avenge that loss with a win in the Big 12 Championship Game.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ loss was an inexplicable one. They went on the road to face Purdue in the middle of the season and were blown out 49-20. The Boilermakers racked up over 500 total yards of offense, and losing by four touchdowns to a team that finished the regular season 6-6 is not how you make it into the College Football Playoff.
Jim Delany seconds Bob Bowlsby's hope that 10 Power 5 opponents should be required for a team to make the CFP: "Clearly, Alabama and Clemson have separated themselves… But I’m not sure that the strength of schedule or the conference championship has been adequately rewarded."
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 18, 2019
Jim Delany wasn’t finished trying to make his case in that regard. He later stated that schools in Power Five conferences should play at least 10 other Power Five teams, championing an idea the Big Ten has continually put forth over the last few seasons. The Big Ten has banned their schools from playing FCS opponents, but while that might make sense on the surface, it would only further the gap between haves and have-nots and coaches like Jimbo Fisher and others have spoken out against it.
This is Delany’s last season as commissioner of the Big Ten, so perhaps there’s no surprise he is stirring the pot a little. He has been one of the most important figures in college football for the last two decades, and his word carries a lot of weight in Big Ten country.
H/T ESPN
