College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 12
By Zach Bigalke
The Buckeyes avoided the trap in East Lansing, escaping with a one-point victory over Michigan State on Saturday. Mike Weber rushed for 111 yards and the winning touchdown, but while the Ohio State running game was working J.T. Barrett managed just 86 passing yards while completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes. The Buckeyes defense managed to nab two Tyler O’Conner interceptions and held the Spartans to just 13 first downs. They might drop a spot in the Top 25 this week below Michigan, but they control their own destiny.
Whether or not the Buckeyes play for the Big Ten championship, they are probably going to get a long look from the College Football Playoff committee for one of the two semifinal bowl games. If anything, an 11-1 Ohio State team that gets left out of the title game on a tiebreaker might have a better chance of making the playoff than an 11-2 Buckeyes team that loses in the championship game, though either would remain highly ranked in the Top 25 of both the AP poll and the CFP rankings. Urban Meyer will stress that his team can only control whether they get the 11th win against Michigan.