First, the Sankey number you’re relying on is an average of different SOS rankings. In some rankings, Ohio State has a higher strength of schedule than BYU.

But even putting that aside, you aren’t looking at it correctly. You are assuming that because BYU has a better SOS than Ohio State, that means all BYU’s wins are much more impressive than Ohio State’s. That just isn’t true.

Ohio State has the best win between the teams: @ #3 Penn State. And while they’ve played a weaker schedule, they have played in only three one score games: @ #1 Oregon, vs. Nebraska, and @ #3 Penn State. Those games happened in a row, so it’s easy to argue that Ohio State overlooked Nebraska a little bit.

But aside from that? The next closest game was a 31-7 game over Northwestern. So you can argue, “Hey, BYU has played better teams, but Ohio State has crushed everyone on their schedule *and* beaten elite teams/lost super close to elite teams.

BYU hasn’t beaten an elite team. SMU is their best win. After that, it’s Kansas State, who is falling apart, but was a solid win. Who is it after that?

6-4 Baylor
4-6 Arizona
3-7 Oklahoma State
4-6 UCF
4-6 Utah
4-6 Kansas

So Ohio State played a few elite teams, then crushed a bunch of bad teams. BYU played a few good teams, then a bunch of bad teams. So, pretty similar, which is why our SOS is only 8 spots apart. There isn’t some huge gap you’re making there out to be.

How did BYU do against the bad teams? We struggled with Oklahoma State and Utah, then lost to a bad Kansas team. All of that matters.

Ohio State rolled through their schedule, aside from the #1 and #3 teams in the country and the trap game in the middle.

BYU has two good wins in September, and has needed last second miracles to beat two bad teams, then lost to another.

In short, BYU’s wins are not “that much better than Ohio State’s wins.”