The Ohio State Buckeyes finished their season with an exclamation mark as they blew away the No. 10 Michigan Wolverines for a lopsided 42-13 win to improve to 11-1 on the season. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, their lone loss came against the one team they couldn’t afford to falter against: Michigan State. That loss opened the door for Sparty to compete in the Big Ten Championship as the top team from the East division and at this point, it looks as though Ohio State’s chances of reaching the playoff have passed them by. However, it’s not inconceivable that the Buckeyes still get in although they will certainly need a lot of help. Here is a look at four things that have to happen for Ohio State to reach the College Football Playoff.
Clemson Falters In ACC Championship Game
Clemson has been ranked No. 1 by the College Football Playoff committee since their initial rankings were released earlier in the year and there is every reason to think they will stay in that seed as long as they take down the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Championship game. However, a loss to the Tar Heels would drastically change the outlook for the Tigers’ season and could be enough to bump them out of the top four entirely. North Carolina has won 11 straight games and they could end up being a real thorn in Clemson’s side. If votes feel that Ohio State’s resume as a fellow one-loss team is more impressive than what Clemson accomplished this season, they might opt for the defending champs.
Alabama Stumbles In SEC Championship Game
The Tide have a handful of impressive wins including victories over Wisconsin, Mississippi, Texas A&M and LSU, so it’s no surprise that with one loss they are still ranked No. 2 in the country. However, Alabama still has to beat Florida in the SEC Championship game this week and a second loss could be enough to push them out of the top four. If Alabama were to somehow stumble, it would be a very egregious mistake as Florida has been very weak over the last month of action.
Oklahoma is locked in as the No. 3 seed after clinching the Big 12 Championship and the winner of the Big Ten Championship showdown between No. 4 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State will take another spot, so that means both Clemson and Alabama will have to lose to open the door for the Buckeyes to have an outside chance.
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Michigan State Wins The Big Ten Championship Game
The winner of the Big Ten Championship game should be a lock to reach the playoff but considering the situation, it’s likely that Ohio State will want the Spartans to beat Iowa. Michigan State is the only team that beat the Buckeyes this year and if they knock off Iowa in convincing fashion, then Ohio State’s last-second loss to the Spartans won’t look nearly as bad. It improves the quality of that loss. The Buckeyes never once looked in jeopardy of having their perfect season ended until the final moments versus Michigan State, so they should be hoping for a Spartans’ win.
The Committee Regards Their Resume Ahead Of The Rest
If Clemson, Alabama and Iowa all lose, then it could be enough to shake things up and put Ohio State back in the playoff picture as a one-loss team but even then it will come down to how highly the committee regards their resume among the contenders. Oklahoma and Michigan State would be considered locks and that would leave the Buckeyes, Stanford, North Carolina and Florida as the other potential contenders. Ohio State has had a dominant enough campaign to think that they do deserve to get in should the teams ahead of them falter and they are the defending champs, so that counts for something. Ultimately, it will be the committee that decides whether or not they get in. The Buckeyes are considered an afterthought for the playoff right now and will need a lot to happen but they still have an outside chance to make it and considering the crazy things we have seen over the years it definitely isn’t impossible.
