Dwayne Haskins looked like a Heisman finalist leading Ohio State to a Big Ten championship but will that be enough to get in the College Football Playoff?
Ohio State is back-to-back Big Ten champions, the first time the Buckeyes pulled that off since 2007-2008. The Buckeyes pulled away from a tough Northwestern team in the fourth quarter behind a pair of touchdown passes from Dwayne Haskins.
It was a record-breaking performance for Haskins who became the first quarterback to throw for more than 400 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game and his four touchdowns tie the record set by Penn State’s Trace McSorley. Haskins finished with a staggering 499 yards and five touchdowns and one interception on 34 of 41 passing.
The performance should guarantee a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony next Saturday. He should be joined by Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Haskins may not win the Trophy, but he likely earned some first-place votes with his finish to the season in which he had 17 total touchdowns in the last three games.
Haskins led the nation with 47 touchdowns, which is the most by a Power 5 quarterback since Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford threw 50 in his Heisman-winning season in 2008. Haskins also led the nation in yards and could have a difficult decision to make about whether he should declare for the NFL Draft or return for his redshirt junior season next year.
While Haskins has a trip to New York next week, Ohio State is unlikely to make the College Football Playoff after Oklahoma won the Big 12 Championship earlier in the day with a win over Texas. If not for a 29-point loss at Purdue, the Buckeyes are likely in the playoff and getting ready for a game with Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29.
Ohio State’s best certainly qualifies as one of the four best teams with their impressive wins over Penn State, Michigan and Northwestern. But it’s the low point of the season that will haunt them.
While that will be debated at length, what’s not up for debate is the back-to-back Big Ten championships for Ohio State. The dominance for the Buckeyes continues, even when they have a down year by their lofty standards. As a consolation prize, Ohio State will play in the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Washington on Jan. 1.