The only thing that has been proven is that when two teams having one loss are being compared with each other, the one with more impressive wins will get the nod. In that respect, you're right, playing and beating a great team in OOC would give any team a huge advantage if it even came down to a team to team comparison. If we beat OSU next year and go 11-1, we'll in the playoffs, I'd guarantee it. But you have to win.
I think it's just playing the odds though. GP is probably realistically thinking what are the odds we'd beat OSU one time, much less both times? And if you lose, you're kind of behind the 8-ball and out of the conversation unless you roll off about 8 straight wins. He probably sees how Baylor had been doing it, and it really hasn't hurt their rankings at all and they've been remaining relevant at least through October. If you'd have a higher ranking going 3-0 against tin cans than going 2-1 with a 3-point loss to OSU, a case can be made that it's not worth the risk. It's important for our program to remain ranked and in the conversation so to speak, more so than other programs that will always be talked about no matter what.
In the current environment it's probably best to have a schedule that's good enough that you don't ridiculed by the media for it, but not so good that you have a hard time going 3-0. I'd say our 2014 schedule fit the bill with Minnesota being the opponent. We avoided all the media scrutiny that Baylor got, but let's face it, Minnesota at home in Texas in September is not a game that should be tough to win. Our lambasting of Baylor for their terrible schedule was kind of comical to me, because ours was basically "Minnesota at home" versus "at Buffalo" more difficult....in other words, not by much.
