“Ohio State should be out. Penn State won the Big Ten and beat Ohio State.”
If I have this right, both teams are in the Big Ten, and Penn State won the Big Ten. If so, then it seems to me you are right.
Ohiostate has 1 loss Penn state 2. Ohio is 3-0 against the top 25, Penn state 2-1. The playoffs are not about conference championships, they are about national rankings and include performances outside the conference and of course the polls. Ohio State is ahead in the polls.
USC beat washington, but they have 3 losses. Should they take their place in the top 4?
And they told us this new conference champion concept would eliminate all the guessing/BS of the past...