Ohio State Football: Breaking Down the First College Playoff Rankings

The Ohio State football team is ranked higher than they were last year in the first playoff rankings of the season. What does their ranking mean going forward?

Ohio State landed at sixth in the first week of the College Football Playoff rankings, released earlier this week. After a bad loss to Penn State and an ugly win over Northwestern, Ohio State fans must be feeling great that the Buckeyes stayed in the top 10.

But how does the rest of the rankings compare? What has to happen for Ohio State to move into the top four? There’s a lot to take in with the first set of rankings.

First off, the Big Ten has turned itself around after years of underperformance. There are a total of four teams (Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska) in the top 10 and Penn State made it five in the top 12.

It’s an indication of a conference that stepped its collective game up now that Urban Meyer is in town. The coaching is better as are the players. It’s been a conference wide win for the Big Ten.

For Ohio State, this is a huge benefit. Wins over a top 10 Wisconsin and a number 14 Oklahoma are already in the books. With the potential for a lone loss to a highly ranked Penn State and potential wins over top 10 Nebraska and Michigan, Ohio State could take full advantage of a strong end of the schedule.

This is especially true when you look at the teams ahead of the Buckeyes. A win over Michigan certainly drops them down, that is easy to see. That said, Texas A&M still has to beat Ole Miss and LSU without the benefit of a conference title game if Alabama rolls along in the SEC West.

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That all said, Buckeye fans need to root for Penn State and Oklahoma behind them. A loss to Penn State if they are surging in the polls and a win over Oklahoma if they win the Big 12 is a huge boost to the Buckeyes’ case to the playoff committee.

Penn State just has to win, as there is not a ranked team left on the schedule ahead of them. Maybe Michigan State gets up for a game and plays to their talent level, but it’s likely they can keep the momentum going.

Oklahoma faces a much tougher road with West Virginia and Baylor left on the conference schedule. Win over those teams moves the Sooners up in the polls and makes a resounding win by the Buckeyes in Norman, Oklahoma better and better.

It still comes down to Ohio State winning out. They must beat Nebraska on Saturday night and then take care of business the rest of November. The biggest benefit could be a Big Ten Title game against whoever emerges from the Big Ten West.

It could be Nebraska, Iowa, or Wisconsin at this point of the calendar. A rematch against Nebraska or Wisconsin would be the most beneficial to a playoff case, but it’s always tough to beat a team twice in the same season.

This all assumes Ohio State wins out, which given their play of late, is not a certainty. In fact, it is a necessity. Two losses would relegate the Buckeyes to a lesser bowl game and out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

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Starting off at six helps a great deal, as only two more spots get them in. With the potential carnage ahead of them in the polls and the potential quality wins down the stretch, Ohio State could force its way in.

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