Ohio State Buckeyes 42, Indiana Hoosiers 27

Jeff Heuerman (5) and the Buckeyes didn't dominate Indiana but remained No. 6 in the playoff poll on Tuesday as that team that the playoff debate now hinges on.

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Eleven thoughts on the latest College Football Playoff poll, which saw the entire top seven stay the same from the week before, with No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 5 TCU, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 7 Baylor.

1. Ohio State is officially the most interesting team in the rankings. ESPN devoted a big chunk of its show to figuring out how the the Buckeyes fit in now and should fit in if they win out.

The greatest debate in college football is the balance between how the Buckeyes are playing in the last two months vs. the Virginia Tech loss vs. the overall strength of their schedule in the Big Ten. Ohio State is the lynchpin of the playoff at the moment. The debate any more really isn't who will be No. 4.

It's whether Ohio State gets in or not.

2. Ohio State's win over Indiana, in which the Buckeyes were trailing deep into the third quarter, wasn't impressive, and the committee noticed. But, basically, Baylor's win over Oklahoma State wasn't enough to have the Bears jump the Buckeyes.

"That was a win that was good enough to keep them ranked at their current spot," College Football Playoff selection committee chair Jeff Long said of the Buckeyes on a conference call with reporters. "We are certainly aware of the fact it was a win over a sub-.500 team."

3. Minnesota may be the second-most interesting team in the poll. The Golden Gophers were No. 25 when they played Ohio State, lost at home, and stayed No. 25. Now they moved to No. 18 with a win over Nebraska.

At 8-3, they have losses to No. 5 TCU, No. 6 Ohio State and Illinois, which is not a good team. And the Gophers don't have a win over a current top 25 team.

At 8-3, Ole Miss is the only team to beat No. 1 Alabama, and the Rebels have losses to No. 15 Auburn, LSU and Arkansas. I know LSU and Arkansas are the bottom two teams in the SEC West, and I know Ole Miss has lost three of four.

But Ole Miss beat Alabama. I don't get Ole Miss at No. 19 behind the Gophers.

4. But, Minnesota moving up is good for both Ohio State and TCU. Both teams beat the Gophers, but I asked Long on the conference call how the committee might compare those wins.

TCU won at home against Minnesota, 30-7, in week three. Ohio State won on the road at Minnesota, 31-24, in week 12.

"Common opponents are something we look at," Long said, before adding his caveat that it's just part of a body of work. "They fact they are a common opponent gives us a reference point. Margin of victory is not something that factors in. We are aware of it, but it's not a determining factor."

The committee does seem to take road games into more account than home games, though. So ... it may be fair to assume that Ohio State gets as much credit for its Minnesota win as TCU does.

Minnesota and quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) lost to both Ohio State and TCU and are a common reference point for two teams fighting to make the playoff.

5. Minnesota ahead of Ole Miss is also good for Ohio State. Mississippi State is playing at Ole Miss on Saturday, but the Buckeyes already beat the Gophers. It seems like an indication that the Buckeyes will eventually pass No. 4 Mississippi State if they keep winning.

6. Rivalry weekend is coming for everyone. And the committee will take that into account. If Ohio State doesn't dominate 5-6 Michigan, or Florida State doesn't throttle 6-4 Florida, the committee gets it.

"I think everyone in that room understands rivalry games are special," Long said. "We do know there have been a number of unexpected outcomes in rivalry games."

7. But what matters is the context against the other contenders. So if TCU destroys 6-5 Texas on the road while Ohio State struggles, that can matter.

8. Some people are getting hung up on Long's words each week on ESPN and in the conference call that follows with reporters, and using them to claim that the committee shouldn't be doing these rankings or that the weekly are damaging the process for the final rankings.

I think the process is fine. I think explaining it is hard.

Long is speaking as one voice on behalf of 12 people who all judge things in different ways. Each week he is certainly backing positions that he himself may not support. For all we know, he's voting Florida State No. 1 on his personal ballot each week then having to come out and explain why the undefeated Seminoles are only No. 3.

Trust the committee process. It's common sense and collaborative and yes, a little messy. But it's harder to talk about than it is to execute.

9. Long was asked about bad losses, with Alabama's loss to Ole Miss and Ohio State's loss to Virginia Tech the two losses mentioned specifically in the question. In the process of the answer, Long said, "I'm not sure I would agree with the ones that you listed there," and reporters took that to mean he didn't think Virginia Tech was a bad loss.

Virginia Tech is 5-6 and in last place in the ACC Coastal Division. Ole Miss is 8-3, ranked No. 19, and tied for third in the SEC West, the toughest conference in football.

I think Long was not agreeing with Ole Miss as a bad loss with his statement. Really, it's not a bad loss.

I think Virginia Tech was just lumped in. The way the committee has talked about that loss all year, and the fact that Virginia Tech just lost to Wake Forest 6-3 in double overtime - yes, that still is a bad loss.

Again, people are getting caught up on exactly what he said in a rushed conference call instead of what he logically meant. I don't think Virginia Tech has been washed away yet when it comes to evaluating Ohio State.

10. The good news for undefeated Marshall is that it finally entered the top 25 at No. 24. The bad news is that Boise State entered at No. 23. Those teams are fighting to be the highest-ranked team from a non-power conference, which comes with a spot in one of the four most prestigious bowls after the two playoff semifinals.

Long said 9-2 Boise State got the nod off a much better strength of schedule than 11-0 Marshall. While Boise's schedule strength will improve, Marshall's won't.

If Boise State doesn't lose, Marshall won't make it.

11. The more it's discussed, the more complicated it sounds. But the committee is working. And the weekly rankings are fun.