The Ohio State Buckeyes should obviously want to win the rest of their games and face Oregon in the Big Ten Championship and then defeat the Ducks on the neutral-field game to get their revenge from a few weeks ago.
That’s the ideal way the next few months ago.
Sure, let’s add in that they make the College Football Playoffs and win it all as well. That’s the ideal world. In the non-ideal world, the Buckeyes could lose to Penn State, Indiana or Michigan — all relatively formidable foes left on their schedule.
If the Buckeyes go 10-2, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt still believes this team is in.
At 10-2, the Buckeyes are in the CFP ‼️ @joelklatt believes what Ohio State would rather do is win out and get a rematch in the @bigten Championship with Oregon 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wAYd3nKyf9
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 30, 2024
Brand recognition certainly plays a part. Having gone toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country on the road certainly helps.
Regardless, there is a non-zero chance the Buckeyes don’t win the rest of their games, and should they drop just two, it is nice to know most national media wouldn’t automatically turn their backs on them.
While some may, at least for Ohio State, Klatt wouldn’t.