This has been a season unlike any other in CFB history in a bunch of ways.  One particular change this year, the fact that none of the big conferences have played OOC games, means that essentially there is no way to actually create FPI ratings, strength of schedule ratings or any of the calculated metrics.

Yet we still see them used and thrown about this year as if they mean anything.  They don't, and can't. 

Normally, you can use statistical methods to compare how one team fares by looking at their opponents, how they fared, their opponents, and their opponents etc etc, you can look at common opponents and so forth.  With no OOC schedule, there simply is no way to compare teams in different conferences.  It's like trying to compare a team in the British Premier League with a team in La Liga.  There's no way to do it other than the "eye test". 

Lucky for us, the Buckeyes have the recruiting and pedigree to pass the eye test and got a spot in the playoffs to prove their mettle.  Other teams like UC or A&M etc didn't.  If ever there was a year when we needed 8 playoff spots, this was it.

It just baffles me every time one of the talking heads throws out some stat about strength of schedule or fpi rating and so forth, since they are actually impossible to create this year.