Ohio State Football: Big Ten title or not, Buckeyes are playoff team

After Ohio State football’s game against Michigan was canceled, there are plenty of unknowns. But as long as the Buckeyes don’t lose, they should be in the College Football Playoff.

The 2020 college football season hasn’t gone as expected and now, we will lose one of the best rivalry games out there as Ohio State football and Michigan won’t play Saturday.

Due to an outbreak out positive cases within the Wolverines program, the game was canceled which puts Ohio State in a precarious position.

According to the Big Ten rules, Ohio State football would need to play six games in order to qualify for the Big Ten championship game. So unless the conference makes a change, which Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel suggested was possible, the Buckeyes won’t play for the title.

And some seem to believe that would put Ohio State’s College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy. Here’s what Manuel said about it Tuesday:

Reducing the number of games needed to make the Big Ten championship is one option, because at this point with a win over Indiana, there is no doubt Ohio State football is the best team in the Big Ten East.

And since Indiana just beat Wisconsin, a top team in the West, on the road with its backup quarterback, you can make a strong case that the Buckeyes would beat any team in the West Division. You’d arrive at the same conclusion watching Ohio State play too.

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To put it simply, Justin Fields and company pass the eye test. Frankly, I’m sure the Buckeyes would love the chance to play Texas A&M or Notre Dame this week, both of which are off.

But the Big Ten wouldn’t allow Nebraska to play outside the league after a cancellation, so it’s doubtful the Buckeyes will be allowed too either.

But if those teams did play, I’m confident Ohio State football would win. Maybe Notre Dame is better than I think and they did beat Clemson, but right now, it seems pretty clear cut to me.

Ohio State is a top four team and nothing we have seen suggests otherwise. Yes, the strength of schedule isn’t what it is for some others, but do we really think Notre Dame is beating the Buckeyes on a neutral field? I don’t.

And if the Buckeyes can’t play against Northwestern, they could still play Wisconsin and that would give them another chance to show what they can do.

But the idea that the Big Ten would send Indiana to its conference title game when its clearly the second-best team in the division is ludicrous.

So is the idea of a College Football Playoff without an unbeaten Ohio State.