Do you really believe this is the criteria they use when filling the top 4 spot? You don’t understand the politics of college football. They also look at the fan base and money - money talks, and OSU fans will go in droves to watch the team play. This brings MONEY to the cities where the game is played. And, OSU has a great reputation. That Iowa loss was a reall stinker though, but it seems that once a year during the season they don’t practice enough against a team they think is a sure win. I think this is why they got their butts handed to them They were looking ahead to higher-ranked teams. JMO, of course.
Frankly, if it were up to me I’d go back to the way it used to be. I think playoffs have killed off a lot of the charm that college football used to have.