CHICAGO — In his element for the last time, Jim Delany stood in front of hundreds of reporters at the conference’s media days and took a question Thursday about where the Big Ten has been under his guidance for the past 31 years, and, more important, where it’s headed after he officially retires Jan. 1. Delany got sidetracked during his answer.



“I still don’t know how Ohio State was ranked sixth last year, by the way,” he said. “They were ranked sixth behind a (conference) runner-up.”



Nobody understands why the final 2018 College Football Playoff standings worked out that way, not even the commissioner of the Big Ten, who is one of the most powerful men in college football. Ohio State didn’t understand it, the media didn’t understand it and the fans didn’t understand it. Everyone just had to accept it, which is why we’re in July, a month away from a new season, and people still are talking about...