After a tough loss to their rival Michigan Wolverines in the last week of the regular season, the Ohio State Buckeyes are spending championship weekend looking, watching and hoping for chaos to make the College Football Playoff.
Do the Buckeyes still have a shred of hope to make the College Football Playoff? Here are the scenarios that the Buckeys are facing to get a chance at their first National Championship since 2014.
How Ohio State Can Make College Football Playoff
After the Washington Huskies beat the Oregon Ducks 34-31 in the Pac 12 Championship Game, one spot was officially confirmed for the final four-team College Football Playoff.
While the Buckeyes don’t control their own destiny, there is still a path for them to make the playoff, but it’s a complicated one.
The Texas Longhorns came into championship weekend ranked one spot behind the Buckeyes at No. 7 but took care of business with ease over the Oklahoma State Cowboys by a score of 49-21 with a 35-point first half. With a conference championship under their belt, they will likely move ahead of the Buckeyes on Sunday when the final rankings are revealed.
There is still a path for the Buckeyes to make it. However, they will need some help to get there, as they did last season when they made it as an 11-1 non-conference champion.
SEC title game: This one definitely needs to go Ohio State’s way more than the others. With Alabama already having one loss, they will need to lose to the undefeated Georgia Bulldogs to prevent the committee from doing what it did in 2021: put a 12-1 Georgia team without a conference championship in, regardless of if they win the game or not.
Big Ten title game: Iowa needs to not just upset Michigan, but they need to blow them out. Give the committee a reason to not believe that the Wolverines are one of the best teams. A 55-24 loss to Iowa in 2017 kept the Buckeyes out of the playoff in 2017,
ACC title game: Florida State is already being discussed as the first-ever Power Five undefeated conference championship being left out due to the loss of quarterback Jordan Travis. If Louisville pulls out the win, that would be a major impact on the Buckeyes’ chances.
The Buckeyes will need help from all three games in order to have a chance to make the playoffs, but even then, will it be enough? We know that both Georgia and Washington would be guaranteed to be in, with Big 12 champion Texas, Michigan, and Ohio State being the other options for the final two spots.
Where the Buckeyes Stand Now
Sitting at sixth, the Buckeyes are the only team in the top eight that isn’t playing in a conference championship game. It’s a tough one when it comes to making the Playoff.
Back in 2014, the TCU Horned Frogs were ranked third, and the Baylor Bears ranked fourth. Neither team played in a conference championship game, as the Big 12 wasn’t playing the game then, and they fell to five and six, respectively, one week later when the final rankings came out.
The strength of schedule debate will be a fascinating one. They do hold wins over both top ten team Penn State at home and on the road at top 20 team Notre Dame. Michigan holds wins over two top ten teams in Penn State on the road and Michigan at home, while Texas beat top 10 team Alabama on the road and top 25 teams Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.
It is tough sledding for the Buckeyes to get that final spot, but we have seen crazier things happen with the College Football Playoff.