BUCKEYES ARE IN:
Ohio State have been the most talked about team ranked in the top four of the playoff rankings because of its lack of games. Saturday’s Big Ten championship win was the Buckeyes’ sixth game this season.
No. 5 Texas A&M beat Tennessee on Saturday 34-14 and will finish the season at 8-1, but it’s hard to imagine the Aggies will jump an undefeated, conference champion with this Buckeye team.Â
Two components the playoff committee keys in on are the eye test and a conference championship. The Buckeyes are Big Ten Champions and have two quality wins against No. 11 Indiana and No. 14 Northwestern. When looking at Texas A&M, their best win came against a Florida team who fell to 5-5 LSU last weekend. The Aggies also faced No. 1 Alabama early in the season and ended up losing 52-24.Â
The Buckeyes controlled the second half of the Big Ten Championship, making a statement as their defense pitched a shutout and Sermon had one of the performances we’ve seen this college football season, breaking Ohio State’s rushing record with 331 yards.
This Buckeye team making a playoff appearance will be a huge victory for the Big Ten as it was one of the first conferences to cancel the season in August, deciding to overrule that and start a season in late October. Ohio State had three games canceled due to COVID-19 (Maryland, Illinois, Michigan).
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields met with the media after winning the Big Ten title, saying it’s a no brainer the Buckeyes deserve a playoff spot.
“We’re one of the top four teams in the country,†said Fields.
THE REMATCH:
The Clemson Tigers took control against Notre Dame in the ACC championship winning 34-10 setting up a potential back-to-back playoff meeting with the Buckeyes. Last year the Buckeyes faced off with the Tigers in the Fiesta Bowl and left with a bad taste in their mouths as Justin Fields was picked off in the final moments as Chris Olave fell down in the endzone running a route, leading to a 29-23 victory for the Tigers.
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