College Football Playoff 2017: Case for the Ohio State Buckeyes

Case for Ohio State

With the head to head victory over the Nittany Lions, it is quite simple for the Buckeyes to make the Big Ten Championship game. They would have to lose two of the next four games in order to allow Penn State back into the race, if Penn State even wins the rest of their games.

The Buckeyes’ remaining schedule is no cakewalk like a lot of their games earlier in the season. They travel to Iowa and Michigan while hosting Michigan State. Illinois should be fairly easy at home. The Buckeyes have a ton of momentum with six straight wins. Just keep up the winning and they’ll easily be in Indianapolis. Beat Wisconsin for the conference title and I just see no way the committee keeps a 12-1 Ohio State team with a conference title out of the playoff.

As it stands now, the Buckeyes are on the outside looking in as they slot in as the sixth team in the rankings. With how college football is, there is a very good chance there will be some losses by the current top five to allow the Buckeyes a chance to get into the top four at the end of the season.

Based on the first playoff rankings, Oklahoma is ahead of Ohio State based on the Sooners head to head win. An Oklahoma loss in November is likely and would also bolster an Ohio State playoff bid.

Ohio State looks like a complete team now except for those pesky special teams that used to be an Urban Meyer specialty. The Buckeyes are ranked second in the nation in points scored at 46 per game and they have a top twenty scoring defense. Having the brand name and huge fanbase helps their case as well. If the Buckeyes win out, they are in for sure.