College Football Playoff 2017: Case for the Ohio State Buckeyes
By Shane Lunnen
Case against Ohio State
It is more likely the Buckeyes win out than they lose another game based on their remaining schedule. While the opponents will present challenges, the Buckeyes will be heavily favored in all of them. They tip the scales when it comes to having better talent than all their remaining opponents.
In the unlikely event the Buckeyes lose two games down the stretch, they can kiss their playoff chances goodbye. Now let’s play an interesting case against Ohio State. What if the Buckeyes lose the game against Michigan in the regular season finale. Let’s say Penn State wins out, but the Buckeyes go to the Big Ten championship with the tiebreaker. Finally, Ohio State wins the Big Ten but has two losses.
This scenario played out last season with Penn State winning the title with two losses and Ohio State went to the playoff. It is possible the committee this time elects to send Penn State, especially if the Lions blow the doors off the rest of their opponents.
Another scenario exists where all the teams ahead of Ohio State currently win out. This is unlikely but could happen. One team will have to lose between Georgia and Alabama in the SEC championship game, which could leave one of those teams out. If Oklahoma remains a one loss team they should go into the playoff over Ohio State by virtue of their head to head win.