Why was Ohio State No. 2 in the final College Football Playoff rankings?

Ohio State football is back in the College Football Playoff after a three-year absence, and perhaps that explains the Buckeyes’ muted response to falling to the No. 2 seed behind LSU.

Ohio State’s current roster is comprised of players who were recruited off of the 2014 national championship or the 2016 CFP berth. A standard was set in the first three years of the playoff. Then the Buckeyes fell short of the semifinals in back-to-back years.

While a fanbase fumed at another SEC team jumping OSU on the seed line, the response of the Buckeyes who spoke to reporters at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex on Sunday ranged from passive annoyance to indifference.

No. 2 Ohio State will play No. 3 Clemson — reigning national champ and owner of a 28-game winning streak — in the Fiesta Bowl for the right to play for a national championship. What fans may see as a slight, players often consider an opportunity.

“I thought it would be a toss up — I think most of us thought it would,” center Josh Myer said. “We all thought it could have gone either way.

“LSU obviously is a great football team and we’re just so happy to be in this thing. I’ve never been there. This is this is a whole new deal for me, and I’m just so excited to be in.”

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was less guarded when asked if the Buckeyes should be No. 1. (Yeah ― I mean, I’m competitive, so sure,” he said.)

His team could not have done much more with its schedule to build a case for No. 1.

The Buckeyes went undefeated, winning every game by double digits. They won five games against teams in the CFP’s final 25 — beating No. 8 Wisconsin (twice), No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan and No. 21 Cincinnati by an average margin of 24.4 points. They were among the national leaders in both total offense and total defense.

LSU can largely say the same, though the Tigers’ lacked the same balance and week-in, week-out dominance. The only teams LSU did not beat by double digits were Texas on the road (45-38), No. 12 Auburn at home (23-20) and No. 13 Alabama on the road (46-41). LSU beat CFP No. 9 Florida 42-28 at home as well.

The Tigers’ fourth victory over CFP top 25 opponent came when they plastered Georgia 37-10 in the SEC championship game. (The Bulldogs fell from No. 4 to 5 in the CFP rankings after the loss).

According to College Football Playoff committee chair Rob Mullens, that last win had more to do with the committee putting LSU No. 1 than Ohio State needing a second-half rally to beat Wisconsin.

“These are two teams that have been really close the entire time,” said Mullens, the athletic director at Oregon. “Every weekend one of them has done something to move above the other. Last night, watching the SEC championship game and LSU’s performance against No. 4-ranked Georgia, compelled the committee to put them No. 1.

“Every game plays a role. It’s more about LSU’s totally dominant performance over the No. 4-ranked team that elevated them to No. 1.”

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has been in that room, as a member of the CFP committee. (He has also been out of the room, recusing himself when the Buckeyes were being discussed, which is one reason he is glad he is not longer on the committee.)

Smith has taken part in those votes and knows how thin some margins are between neighboring seeds. He pointed out that the Ohio State may have been No. 1 last Tuesday by a 7-6 for all anyone knows, which means only one voter need be swayed over the weekend to make LSU the new No. 1.

Both Smith and Day cited LSU’s defensive improvement over the course of the season as a potential factor. The national leaders in total offense rank only 32nd nationally in total defense but were impressive there Saturday, frustrating Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm and stuffing the Bulldogs’ run game.