Looking back over the past three weeks, I think it might be fair to say that OSU hasn't looked the part of the #1 team in the country. However (as it should be), the Buckeyes still sit at #1 overall in the AP poll. But what if we didn't end up making the playoffs at the end of the year? If we had been left out for Baylor/TCU, I can say for certain we would not have begun at #1 overall. Beyond this, Cardale Jones probably isn't even being considered as the starter, but that is an entirely separate issue. So anyways, in this scenario, it makes you wonder where the good guys would be ranked. My take is that we would have started at #3 behind TCU and Alabama and would currently sit around #7 behind MSU, Ole Miss, TCU, Baylor, ND and Georgia after the past two games, assuming it played out the same way.

Give your #hottake about the hypothetical OSU ranking had the postseason Championship run never occurred.