Ohio State is in the College Football Playoff, and while most are fine with the Buckeyes, who didn't even play in their conference championship, making the field, there's a vocal minority who believe Big Ten champion Penn Sate should have been selected ahead of Ohio State.
There's certainly an argument to be made for the Nittany Lions, but it's interesting to see what league coaches think about the debate.
A look at the ballots from the final USA Today Coaches Poll of the year – where the Buckeyes finished second and the only set released for inspection/ridicule – four of the Big Ten coaches who vote in the poll, believe the College Football Playoff Selection Committee made the right call.
It's worth pointing out that the Coaches Poll does not really factor into the Selection Committee's deliberations, but here's how the five – Wisconsin's Paul Chryst, Maryland's D.J. Durkin, Penn State's James Franklin, Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Nebraska's Mike Riley – ranked the top of the league in their final ballots:
| Coach | First | Second | Third | Fourth | Fifth | SIXTH | SEVENTH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAUL CHRYST – WISCONSIN | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON | MICHIGAN | PENN STATE | OKLAHOMA |
| D.J. DURKIN – MARYLAND | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON | MICHIGAN | OKLAHOMA | PENN STATE |
| JAMES FRANKLIN – PENN STATE | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | PENN STATE | OHIO STATE | WASHINGTON | MICHIGAN | OKLAHOMA |
| URBAN MEYER – OHIO STATE | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | PENN STATE | MICHIGAN | WASHINGTON | OKLAHOMA |
| MIKE RILEY – NEBRASKA | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON | MICHIGAN | PENN STATE | OKLAHOMA |
Interestingly, Chryst and Durkin, the only two coaches in the league to face Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, all had the Buckeyes above the Nittany Lions and Wolverines. Meyer and Franklin, as you can imagine, went with their teams, but still had enough respect for each other to include their rivals in the top four.
Looking across the top fours of other coaches outside, the league, Ohio State edged Penn State on the coach's ballots, save for a few. Washington State's Mike Leach and Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin, fans of conference champions, we can only assume, had Penn State above the Buckeyes.
| Coach | First | Second | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRET BIELEMA – ARKANSAS | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | OHIO STATE | WASHINGTON |
| JIMBO FISHER – FLORIDA STATE | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON |
| TOM HERMAN – HOUSTON | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON |
| BRIAN KELLY – NOTRE DAME | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON | OHIO STATE |
| MIKE LEACH – WASHINGTON STATE | ALABAMA | WASHINGTON | CLEMSON | PENN STATE |
| GUS MALZAHN – AUBURN | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | OHIO STATE | WASHINGTON |
| CHRIS PETERSEN – WASHINGTON | ALABAMA | WASHINGTON | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON |
| MARK RICHT – MIAMI | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | OHIO STATE | WASHINGTON |
| NICK SABAN – ALABAMA | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON |
| BOB STOOPS – OKLAHOMA | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON | OKLAHOMA |
| KEVIN SUMLIN – TEXAS A&M | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | WASHINGTON | PENN STATE |
