College Football Mail: Ohio State Takes Out Anger On SEC Bias, Sam Pittman's Future, South Carolina's CFP Case

As we enter championship week in college football, there's a lot of speculation and arguments over how the final CFP rankings will unfold next week. But, while some teams are preparing for the playoff, others are trying to figure out how to attack the transfer portal this off-season. 

Simply put, there's a lot of craziness happening around the sport as we get closer to December 9th, which is when the transfer portal will open. Right now, there are at least fourteen teams still fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff, with a bevy of politicking going on for the final spot, if things get a little crazy this upcoming weekend. 

But, this is also the time when programs make decisions about their future, especially at the head coach position. For Arkansas fans, the news of Sam Pittman returning for the 2025 season was met with social media backlash at the Arkansas athletic department, which is honestly justified. But we will get into that in a second, thanks to one upset Razorback fan. 

READ: THE OUTKICK CFP TOP-12 PREDICTIONS AHEAD OF TUESDAY NIGHT RANKINGS. 

As you'll see, the arguments over how teams should be seeded in the upcoming CFP has been the biggest topic of discussion over the past month, and it's not slowing down over the next six days. 

What we get tonight from the committee will set the foundation for how things can play out for certain teams this weekend, heading into the final rankings on Sunday. 

Now, let's get to the mailbag, as it's been flooded with questions about rankings, along with coaching decisions in 2025. 

Hey Trey can you please explain to me why Arkansas has decided to bring Sam Pittman back next season. What if Bobby Petrino gets a head coaching job? This feels like a decision Hunter Yurachek didn’t want to make. 

—Matthew, Jonesboro, Ark.

Hey Matthew, appreciate the question, and I can tell you're not excited about this news. Honestly, I'm more surprised that this announcement did not come earlier, if the Razorbacks administration had faith in Sam Pittman moving forward, the same way Florida handled the Billy Napier situation. Having compiled a 29-31 record as head coach at Arkansas, going 6-6 this season with Bobby Petrino as the OC, this felt like a tough decision for Hunter Yurachek. 

Sam Pittman will return to Arkansas for 2025 season. Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

It doesn't help that the transfer portal opens on December 9th, with high school ‘National Signing Day’ starting tomorrow. If you were going to make a move, it had to be done sooner, not after the season ended. Trust me, as you know, the Arkansas athletic department had enough evidence to go either way, so delaying a decision made zero sense. I don't know where the Razorbacks go right now, especially if Bobby Petrino were to get a head coaching job after just one season as the OC. 

It's not as if the Razorbacks are swimming in cash right now for NIL, compared to others, and boosters decided to go all-in with the basketball team under John Calipari. But on the football side, this feels like Arkansas just punting the ball to 2025. I don’t think this turns out the way they wanted, as coaching vacancies will most likely be more robust next season. 

Everyone loves Sam Pittman, but it will be a long off-season for Arkansas fans looking ahead to 2025. 

How can folks make the argument for Alabama and Ole Miss over South Carolina right now? I know the head-to-head results, but the committee keeps talking about the ‘eye test’ on a weekly basis. 

—Timothy, Spartanburg, S.C.

Boy, this has been a massive point of discussion over the past few days, and rightfully so. Right now, South Carolina is sitting in a weird spot. This Gamecocks team is playing just as good as anybody else in the country right now, coming off the win over Clemson. The problem is that they are in the 3-loss category with Ole Miss and Alabama, while Miami currently has 2 losses after losing to Syracuse. 

So, given that the SEC is looking to get another team in, it will be interesting to see how the committee responds to this recent win. The glaring problem for South Carolina is losing both games to Alabama and Ole Miss, so the argument over head-to-head matchups will not go their way. On the other hand, the CFP committee has been so illogical with their explanations over the past month that it feels like they're winging it every week. 

If it comes down to the Gamecocks against Alabama for a final spot, there's going to be some fascinating takes on who should get in. If we're judging this by head-to-head wins, then obviously Alabama would get in over the Gamecocks. The problem is that nobody has a clue what Warde Manuel and the CFP committee is using to justify its rankings, besides some weak answer of an ‘eye test’. 

I am amazed by the SEC bias with people that are publicly ranking teams.  I am a Buckeye fan, but that doesn't matter in this case.  OSU has (2) top ten wins which is two more than TN. Their best wins are Alabama and Vandy??  OSU has two better losses than TN's losses. Not to mention the metrics that favor the Buckeyes.

—Brian

Hey Brian, thanks for the opus on the perceived SEC bias from folks. But are we going to act like there hasn't been folks shilling for the Big Ten this season? I know why you're upset, because some media members have Tennessee ranked 8th and Ohio State at No. 9 in their projections. That would mean the Vols host the Buckeyes in the first round. Yes, that loss to Arkansas hurt Tennessee, but I don’t think you can downplay Vanderbilt, compared to some of the teams in the Big Ten. 

In my opinion, Indiana has been a bit over-ranked this season, but will get another chance to prove they belong in the playoff. Yes, they are a Top-15 team, but that schedule did nothing to prepare them for the Buckeyes. So, with Tennessee beating Alabama at home, along with having one of the best defenses in the country, their argument still holds weight. Ohio State lost to a Michigan team that could only run the football, and they did it enough to beat the Buckeyes. 

Here's how I look at it, just based off the CFP committee’s previous move. If they dropped Georgia nine spots after losing to Ole Miss on the road, why shouldn't Ohio State be punished enough for losing to Michigan at home? I'm not implying the Buckeyes should be relegated to the 11-12 spot, but I am saying they need to be punished for the home loss, no matter what you did in the loss to Oregon in week two. 

Personally, I think Ohio State gets the 8 seed, and hosts a playoff game. But the committee has given us all some very perplexed answers this season on rankings, and I don’t expect that to stop over the next six days. 

I appreciate the questions, and I will certainly respond to each person I didn’t get to in this week's edition. You can email me at any time at Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com, and I'll get back to you!