Ohio State and the College Football Playoff
It is very important to note that there is no official number of games that need to be played in order to be eligible for the College Football Playoff. So, not making the Big Ten Championship Game has little impact on what the Committee thinks about OSU.
The Buckeyes could play only one more game, be 5-0, and still be considered one of the four best teams. However, not having an opportunity to stake their claim against perhaps an undefeated Northwestern team, or win another title, will factor into comparing teams against others.
As an example, the Committee already placed a one-loss Clemson over OSU in the initial rankings. Partly because of the eye test, but also largely because the Tigers are 7-1 as opposed to OSU’s 4-0. The number of games against quality competition will have a bearing, but not as much as it does in the Big Ten.
But hey, we’ve seen Ohio State be the flag-bearer for trying to break the College Football Playoff rankings almost every year, so why change things in 2020 of all years?
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