Defense wins what?
The statistical leader in defense, Michigan, gave up 62 points to Ohio State and lost a chance to make the College Football Playoff. OSU quarterback Dwayne Haskins broke the Big Ten records for single-season passing yards and single-season touchdown passes in the game.
Oklahoma is 5-0 since 2015 when its defense allows at least 600 yards.
Alabama is the second team in college football history to outscore its first 12 opponents by at least 20 points (Yale, 1888)
Clemson’s 744 yards in a 56-35 win vs. South Carolina were the most ever allowed by the Gamecocks.
UCF has won 24 consecutive games and scored at least 30 points in all 24 games, both leading the nation.
Anomalies happen. It's a long season. Especially in this day and age where myriad rule changes has basically hamstrung the defense. It's a passing game now and the defense isn't allowed to touch the offensive player, so yardage was bound to go up and it has. Anyone with half a brain can deduce that. Which explains the simpleminded logic of your post in regards to the Wolverine defense.
The
plain fact is that Bama and Clemson average 14 points per game given up defensively. Georgia 17 and ND 17. Those are the facts.
OSU will probably get in because they will be the Big Ten 'Champion'. If so they will probably play Alabama, or Clemson, possibly Georgia. Either way, I can't even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to that. Oklahoma would probably give Bama, Georgia or Clemson a better game than the Buckeyes, but that is arguable I suppose. Their offense is more explosive on a consistent basis than OSU's. If the Committee has any smarts they'll figure that out. Just remember the Oklahoma/Georgia game of last year.
IMO Michigan was undisciplined and over-pursued defensively on Saturday bit on way too many misdirection type of offensive stunts and tricks, I saw it time and time again. Hesitation, backtracking and just plain overrunning, that shit will kill you defensively. The Buckeye OC had a plan to take advantage of that sort of hyped up defensive frenzy and it worked to perfection. An undisciplined defense will get itself in loads of trouble.
Motivation and emotion has a lot to do with things and can slant things in odd ways, both good and unfortunately also bad. I knew OSU was going to whup Michigan. And I said as much.
I also knew that Georgia was going to crush Ga Tech. Motivation. Tech had 7 points through to the end of the 3rd qtr. Tech is a one trick pony offensively.