Why is OSU in the title game? It's a rehtorical question for the purposes of this here blog. For the same reason the guy you barely notice ends up getting that Senior VP spot at your place of work. You lay low, which is what the buckeyes did.

USC, when they lost to Stanford, basically got drunk at the company holiday party and were on the dance floor grinding with the bosses assistant to "Gonna Make You Sweat". SC's one of your best workers, you can make a great case for him, but every time you talk yourself into giving him the job, you simply hear eh eh eh eh eh (Stanford), and that keeps him from getting the promotion.  

Georgia didn't win the SEC. Do you realize the hell you would from HR if you promoted someone that's a little more attractive at the moment instead of the fat old man in Rockports who smells like mustard but topped everyone else in his division? Bulldogs don't win the SEC, even though they were ranked higher than LSU teh week prior......sorry, out.

Oklahoma is burned you too many times guy. One of the best workers you got, a top producer, but when you tried to give him the lead on the big account, he went down in flames, opened with a Jewish joke to a client named Rosensteinwiess. After Boise last season and SC in 2004 last thing the boss needs is added risk. Oklahoma is added risk.

Yes Hawaii is the only undefeated squad, but hey, I love our guy in the mailroom, he does a heck of a job, I never have to worry about packages getting out and being where I need them to be on time, but he's still a mail room guy, and needs to do a little more before he gets to rub elbows at Matsuhisa with 10 million dollar deals that need to be closed.

Ohio State lost its only contest 3 weeks ago to a pretty decent Illinois team, that's far enough in the past that a 14-3 win at Michigan has replaced it in most peoples memories. It's the guy who didn't fraternize with others in an attempt to gain popularity and expose that he likes internet porn (see Virgina Tech at LSU) and was smart enough to take on mid level jobs instead overly difficult ones, with the hopes that 5 average accomplishments would equal one spectacular one. See contests against Akron, Kent State and Youngstown state. It's a safe hire, one that's hard to poke holes in, and that's what most bosses, at least the most successful ones, like best.