Ohio State can still make the College Football Playoff, it just needs a lot of help

Ohio State can make the College Football Playoff, but the Buckeyes’ pathway in is a narrow one.

Although getting blown out at home to arch rival Michigan to lose the Big Ten East will not help in the slightest, Ohio State still has somewhat of a chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Through the first window of Rivalry Week games on Saturday, six teams are still alive to make the playoff. There were seven, but Clemson falling at home to South Carolina to suffer its second loss on the season has eliminated the Tigers, and the ACC as well. While Ohio State cannot play for the Big Ten championship, the Buckeyes do have a case in with a 11-1 (8-1) overall record on the year.

Here is essentially what needs to happen for the Buckeyes to get in as a one-loss, at-large team.

What has to happen for Ohio State to make the College Football Playoff now

With Georgia and Michigan still undefeated at 12-0 heading into their conference championship games, the Dawgs and the Wolverines are pretty much locks to get in at this point. Georgia would still get in with a loss to LSU in Atlanta. Michigan probably gets in if the Wolverines were to lose to either Purdue, Illinois or even Iowa in Indianapolis, but those three teams are way worse than LSU.

Should TCU beat Iowa State to stay undefeated at 12-0, the Horned Frogs are probably in the same situation as Georgia and Michigan heading into the Big 12 Championship game. They might be able to overcome a tight loss in Arlington to either Kansas State or Texas and still get in, but the Frogs will not get the benefit of the doubt like Michigan would, and Georgia totally would, at 12-1.

With Clemson completely out of it, the two other teams Ohio State must monitor are LSU and USC. If the Bayou Bengals beat a bad Texas A&M team in College Station and then beat Georgia in Atlanta, they are getting in, and so would Georgia. USC has to beat Notre Dame on Saturday night, as well as either Oregon or Washington in the Pac-12 championship for the Trojans to even get in.

For Ohio State to get in as a one-loss, at-large team out of the Big Ten, the Buckeyes will need Michigan to beat either Purdue, Illinois or Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, Georgia to beat LSU in the SEC Championship and for USC to lose one of its next two games. Having TCU lose one of its next two helps, but the Horned Frogs losing is not as important as LSU and USC going down again.

Basically, a four-team playoff with Ohio State part of it would have to include Georgia and Michigan. LSU beating Georgia probably eliminates the Buckeyes. If TCU wins the Big 12, the Horned Frogs will get in over the Buckeyes. If USC wins the Pac-12 with only the Utah loss on its resume, the Trojans will get in over them. Not winning a Power Five championship will cost them.

If Ohio State makes the playoff, so will Georgia, Michigan and either TCU or USC; not LSU, though.

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