J.T. Barrett helped Ohio State finish 11-2 with a Big Ten title, but it wasn’t enough to convince the selection committee the Buckeyes should be in the playoff over Alabama.
Heading into Selection Day, it wasn’t clear whether the Tide or Buckeyes would appear in the No. 4 slot. Barrett, however, expected Ohio State to receive the final place. In a video posted by AL.com, the senior explained his reaction when Alabama showed up.
“A little bit sh—I mean, not a little bit, but I was shocked thinking that, you know, we were going to be in there. But that was about it.”
Both Alabama over Ohio State had a flawed resume, but the committee chose the one-loss Tide over the Buckeyes.
The main reason, while disputed, is simple.
Although the early season loss to highly ranked Oklahoma was forgivable, the Buckeyes fell to Iowa at Kinnick Stadium. And not only did they drop the Big Ten matchup, the final score was an embarrassing 55-24. No other playoff contender had such an ugly, lopsided loss to an unranked team.
As a result, rather than preparing for a national semifinal against Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State will challenge USC in the Cotton Bowl. It’s still a marquee matchup for Barrett to close his college career, but it’s not the one the Buckeyes wanted.