Ohio State football presents dilemma for College Football Playoff committee

Ohio State doesn’t need to win the Big Ten to make the College Football Playoff.

If Ohio State football has one more game canceled, they won’t be eligible to play in the Big Ten Championship Game due to Big Ten rules. However, the Buckeyes don’t need to win the Big Ten to make the College Football Playoff which doesn’t have a minimum number of games required to be eligible for consideration.

That said, if Ohio State is hypothetically 5-0, would that be good enough to hold off a one-loss SEC team like Texas A&M? Or a one-loss Notre Dame? Or an undefeated Cincinnati?

Can Ohio State make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?

That’s the dilemma that the playoff committee finds itself in after not mandating a minimum number of games requirement for inclusion and based on how they put Ohio State at No. 4 despite only playing four games.

So if the playoff committee thinks Ohio State is the fourth-best team in the nation despite only playing four games, by their logic, it stands to reason that they would still be in the top four at 5-0 or 6-0, right?

The committee is hoping they won’t have to make a decision like that and they will be hoping Ohio State will be able to play in the Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern to prove they belong.

So long as Michigan State and Michigan are able to play their games with Ohio State and the Buckeyes beat Northwestern, I think the Buckeyes will make the playoff with Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame who will lose the ACC Championship Game to Clemson. That would be the same four teams in the initial ranking, albeit in a different order.

However, if Ohio State has one more game canceled, I think it will be tough for the Buckeyes to get in, even if they are undefeated. The limited number of games and their strongest win coming against Indiana just won’t be enough in the eyes of the committee to make it.

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