Ohio State needs to stay ahead of four of these teams
Let’s look at the seven teams with potentially better resumes than Ohio State. We’re going to show what needs to happen for their resumes to fall behind the Buckeyes. Also remember, there is an eighth team that could potentially jump Ohio State–the Minnesota Golden Gophers. If Minnesota beats Wisconsin, then Buckeye fans are hoping that five of these seven resumes fail to materialize. Let’s start at the top.
LSU Tigers
Honestly, just pencil LSU in to the Playoff now. The only way the Tigers fall behind the Buckeyes in our scenario is if LSU loses its last two games. Losing just to Georgia won’t help, because the Bulldogs would jump the Buckeyes instead. The only way 12-1 Ohio State ends up ahead of both LSU and Georgia is if both lose this week, then Georgia turns around and beats LSU next week.
Clemson Tigers
If Buckeye fans want to feel safe about being ahead of 12-1 Clemson, then hope that the Tigers lose the ACC Championship Game to either Virginia or Virginia Tech. A loss by Clemson to South Carolina might keep the Buckeyes ahead of the Tigers–Ohio State would certainly have a vastly superior resume. Whether the selection committee gives the “defending champions” some last-second benefit of the doubt is anyone’s guess, though, so it’s far better if Clemson loses next week (or both, obviously).
Georgia Bulldogs
One more loss, either this week or next, means that Georgia will be behind a 12-1 Ohio State team. If the Bulldogs win out, though, it’s very likely they would jump the Buckeyes in our case. Georgia’s resume would be just as strong in terms of wins, and the conference championship would make up for the much worse loss.
Utah Utes
If Utah loses one more game it will be locked behind the 12-1 Buckeyes. There’s a chance that 12-1 Utah (and every team further below on this list) doesn’t jump 12-1 Ohio State anyway, but that will make Buckeye fans very nervous on Selection Sunday.
Oklahoma Sooners and Baylor Bears
I would expect either of these teams at 12-1 to jump a non-Big Ten champion 12-1 Buckeyes, though Oklahoma has the better chance. Again, it’s possible that they don’t jump the Buckeyes even at 12-1, but another loss by both would absolutely seal the deal.
Alabama Crimson Tide
I cannot imagine 11-1 Alabama jumping in front of 12-1 Ohio State. Buckeye fans like to be cynical about Alabama getting in over Ohio State, but the Tide actually had a decently superior (or at the very least equal) case in 2017. That is not true in the slightest this year. Alabama would have one ranked win to Ohio State’s four, and a far worse overall SOS. Alabama won’t jump the Buckeyes unless Ohio State loses its final two games. Still, if it will make you feel more safe, there’s no harm in rooting against Alabama this week anyway.