Why Ohio State vs. Indiana may be the most meaningless Top-5 game of all-time

The magnitude of this weekend will have a profound effect on the landscape of college football for years to come.

We've got a top-5 matchup brewing this Saturday between undefeated No. 5-ranked Indiana and one-loss No. 2-ranked Ohio State. The winner of this game not only cements themself as the likely competitor against Oregon for the Big Ten Championship, but they also punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff in its first year with a 12-team format.

However, outside of Bloomington and Columbus, this game might actually be one of the most meaningless Top-5 games of November history.

Can you imagine if this game was being played with the four-team playoff system still established? We'd be talking about elimination. We'd be talking about statements. We'd be talking about how this is one of the biggest games in the history of Big Ten's regular season, and we'd be talking about how this is the biggest game in the history of Indiana's program.

As we sit here ahead of the big matchup, though, those conversations may still be happening on a smaller scale, but they're not near as loud and amplified as they would have been. Why? Let's be real: Both teams are going to the College Football Playoff anyway.

Of course, they are playing for the right to win the Big Ten championship and keep their hopes of securing a bye through the first-round. Of course, they are playing for the hopes of hosting a playoff game — should they fall short in the Big Ten championship — instead of going on the road for the first-round.

Those are massive things to be playing for, sure, but is anyone's season really on the line in this game?

Sure, there are some who believe that if Indiana loses, the Hoosiers should be left out in favor of cramming a fifth or sixth SEC team into the playoff field, but is that really going to happen? Is the playoff committee really going to punish Indiana by dropping them completely out of the field for losing on the road to Ohio State?

Indiana's strength of schedule is abysmal, but the Hoosiers would still be an 11-1 team from the Big Ten. How are they getting left out?

You can argue whether that should be the case or not, but the reality is that Indiana is 10-0 right now and while a loss may put them as the 11th or 12th seed, it's not going to eliminate them from contention. It's not going to have the same "punch" that it would in other years because chances are, they can still lose this one and still go to the playoff.

Will they be hosting a playoff game? No. Will they have a favorable seed? No. But, their season still remains intact.

As for Ohio State? Nothing is going to derail the Buckeyes' playoff hopes at this point, unless their absolute worst nightmare played out: A loss to a bad Michigan team.

Even if Ohio State loses this one, the Buckeyes will still firmly be in the field. It won't even be a question.

In addition, Ohio State would get to skip playing in the Big Ten championship, so they'd be able to rest for another week. Is it likely that the Buckeyes don't host a playoff game if they lose? Yes, but all of their goals will still be in front of them, even with a loss on Saturday.

We're just not used to that being the case in November with college football.

It's not to say that it's a bad thing, I'm just pointing out it's a new thing. More football is always good, but we've now got situations where teams have margins for error. This has never been the case before.

They don't have to worry about losses derailing their season because — at least if they're in the SEC or Big Ten — they're forgiven almost before they ever happen. It's now more like the NFL than ever.

You don't have to win all your games, you just have to hold your position. As long as you do that, you get a chance to compete for the big gold trophy at the end.

There's no doubt that both Ohio State and Indiana fans will be buzzing about Saturday's game, as they should be. It will be a hostile environment and it may very well be an entertaining matchup to watch.

Whoever loses will have a little sting to deal with, too, but then by Sunday, they'll just be discussing their newest path to the College Football Playoff.

Then, in two weeks, this game will have bearing on the seeding of the CFP, but it won't have much of a dictation at all on the actual field of teams that get to compete for the national championship.

Read More