The Ohio State Buckeyes throttled Michigan on Saturday, but there’s still quite a bit more than needs to happen if this team is going to get into the College Football Playoff.
This was supposed to be the year that Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines finally took down the Ohio State Buckeyes, won the Big Ten Championship and made it to the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes had other plans.
After a competitive first half, the Buckeyes dominated the Wolverines in all three phases of the game. Explosive plays from the offense, defensive stops and even a blocked punt returned for a touchdown helped the Buckeyes 24-19 lead at halftime into a 62-39 victory.
Despite the win, the Buckeyes still have a tough road to be a top-four team to make it into the College Football Playoff. The most recent CFP rankings have the Buckeyes all the way down at No. 10, and there are a number of deserving teams ahead of them.
Assuming that Alabama and Clemson get the job done in their respective conference championships, there’s going to really only be one open spot with Notre Dame not having to play next week. That spot will be hotly debated between a couple of teams.
The most obvious start to making a case for a CFP spot would be for Ohio State to absolutely thrash Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship. Northwestern has had a great season, but they’re still not a powerhouse by any means, and less than a dominant outing from the Buckeyes would reflect poorly on them in the eyes of the playoff committee.
Thanks to a tough loss to Washington, the Washington State Cougars are likely out of the CFP conversation now. That really only leaves Oklahoma as a potential contender with Ohio State for that final spot. The Sooners are playing the only team to beat them in the Texas Longhorns next week, and are hoping for revenge.
In the event that the Sooners lose, or even struggle in a close one to Texas, Ohio State will have a shot for that CFP spot. Of course, this scenario gets much more interesting if Georgia is somehow able to upset Alabama in the SEC Championship, but most analysts assume that would put both SEC teams in the playoff, leaving Oklahoma and Ohio State on the outside looking in.
There are also those that think a two-loss Bulldogs team would still have an argument could get in.
2-loss Georgia (when they lose to Alabama) > Ohio State. Still. Stand with me, those who see the light.
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) November 24, 2018
Still, there is so much football left to be played that the entire CFP landscape could be flipped on its head next week. The Buckeyes played a great game against the Wolverines, however, and with a little luck they’ll have a chance to play for a national championship in about a month and a half.