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Top 25 Scores and Early Games Roundup: Ohio State Escapes, Georgia and Michigan State Cruise

By Caleb Calhoun

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Here are the Top 25 scores and roundups from the early afternoon games:

No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes Beat Indiana Hoosiers 42-27

Player of the Game: Jalin Marshall- 5 Receptions for 95 Yards and 3 Touchdowns, 1 Punt Return for a Touchdown

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Urban Meyer were faced with a serious scare through the third quarter of this game. Turnovers and mistakes gave Indiana a 20-14 lead in the third quarter after a 90-yard Tevin Coleman touchdown run.

But then it was time for Jalin Marshall. Marshall returned a punt for a touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 21-20 lead. Then, he caught touchdowns passes of 6, 15, and 54 yards in the fourth quarter. All of a sudden, the Buckeyes were up 42-20 and held on for a 42-27 win.

At No. 5 in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s Top 25, Ohio State probably did not want to struggle in this game. But honestly, that never should have mattered to begin with.

All the Selection Committee should look at is wins, losses, head-to-head, conference champions, and schedule strength. But if style points are going to be a factor, consider that Ohio State made every mistake in the book and still managed to win pretty comfortably.

We’re not lobbying for them to get a spot in the College Football Playoff. But we are saying that the way they looked today shouldn’t be what keeps them out.

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No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs Beat Charleston Southern Buccaneers 55-9

Player of the Game: Hutson Mason-10 of 12 for 187 Yards and 3 Touchdowns

The Georgia Bulldogs managed to dominate this game without Todd Gurley. Honestly, we could have had Nick Chubb as the player of the game once again.

But Hutson Mason’s efficiency made us go with our hearts and give him the player of the game award.

But honestly, we don’t need to analyze for you how the Georgia Bulldogs won this game. They played Charleston Southern. Not much science to that.

Still, they remain in the SEC Championship race and just barely in the College Football Playoff race. A showdown against Georgia Tech is next, and that’s a huge chance to pick up another quality win. Technically they don’t but probably the Dawgs do control their own destiny.

And we still have plenty of crucial games left to determine that.

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No. 11 Michigan State Spartans Beat Rutgers Scarlet Knights 45-3

Player of the Game: Jeremy Langford- 16 Carries for 126 Yards and 2 Touchdowns

In typical Michigan State fashion, it was almost impossible to pick a player of the game because they run such a balanced offense. The Spartans had a 250-yard passing game and 2 touchdowns from quarterback Connor Cook along with the 126 yards from Langford.

In reality, this was just a complete win against a very good college football team.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are going to a bowl game, and Michigan State flat-out dominated them from start to finish.

Yes, they had that bad loss to Ohio State, but this is still one of the New Year’s Six teams in our book as of right now.

To hold Gary Nova to 11 of 26 passing for only 108 yards and 2 interceptions was remarkable. And with 520 yards of total offense, the Spartans showed how complete of a team they are.

Despite a small step back this year, Mark Dantonio is still doing a great job building the program slowly, and they are about to become a staple among the college football powerhouses.

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