Could Ohio State really do this again?With two weeks to go until the College Football Playoff pairings are finalized, it might seem impo sible for Ohio State to claim one of those coveted final four spots,given the Buckeyes are ranked No. 9 in the Week 13 rankings. But there’s a plausible scenario that makes such an outcomepo sible.MORE: “What Ohio State needs is Alabama to win out,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit told Sporting News on Tuesday. “Beyond that, Clemson and Miami are going to play each other. Then you need Oklahoma to win out. If all of those things happen, which by the way is not far-fetched, Auburn will be below Ohio State, Georgia will be below Ohio State. … If (the Buckeyes) beat Michigan and Wisconsin, they’ll go by Notre Dame.”Ohio State will also have Dick LeBeau Jersey a hell of a case for the playoff if that scenario pans out. Just look at the board and the top 12 teams the teams most likely to reach the College Football Playoff.1 Alabama (11-0)2 Miami (10-0)3 Clemson (10-1)4 Oklahoma (10-1)5 Wisconsin (11-0)6 Auburn (9-2)7 Georgia (10-1)8 Notre Dame (9-2)9 Ohio State (9-2)10 Penn State (9-2)11 USC (10-2)12 TCU (9-2)Break that scenario down piece by piece:Ohio State wins the Big TenThat would give the two-lo s Buckeyes the drop on Wisconsin who, despite theone lo s, would have a le s impre sive resume. Ohio State would have victories against Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin at that point.Alabama wins outThat would give Auburn three lo ses, eliminating it from contention. That would give Georgia two lo ses and no conference championship to hang its hat on. Ohio State would have the drop on the Bulldogs.MORE: Oklahoma wins outThat knocks out TCU. So if that happens, No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Oklahoma would be in, with two spots remaining. The head-to-head lo s against Oklahoma on Sept. 9 wouldn’t keep the Buckeyes out.Notre Dame and USC don’t have enoughThat leaves three teams the Buckeyes have to leap to get in. How do we do that? Ohio State, in theory, would hop Notre Dame no matter what it does against Stanford and would have a two-spot advantage over T J Hockenson T Shirts USC. That leaves the board looking like this with one major question: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame or USC. it’s a discu sion the Buckeyes would seem to have the advantage of at that point, based on resume.1 Alabama (13-0)2 Miami (?)3 Clemson (?)4 Oklahoma (12-1)5 Wisconsin (12-1)6 Auburn (9-3)7 Georgia (11-2)8 Notre Dame (10-2)9 Ohio State (11-2)10 Penn State (10-2)11 USC (11-2)12 TCU (10-3)MORE: The ACC championship questionWould the committee take two ACC teams over one Big Ten champion?If Clemson wins, the Tigers would be in. Would the committee take a one-lo Jessie Lemonier Jersey s Miami team over a two-lo s Ohio State team?If Miami wins, then the Hurricanes would be in. Which two-lo s team would go: a two-lo s, Big Ten champion Ohio State, or a two-lo s, defending national champion Clemson without a conference title?”The debate will be the loser of the Clemson-Miami game and Ohio State,” Herbstreit said. “That’s a nasty debate because if Miami loses, Miami would be 11-1 and their only lo s would be to Clemson in the ACC championship game. If Clemson loses, and their lo ses would be to Miami and that Syracuse game on the Friday night where they lost.”That would get nasty because it involves Ohio State, which seemed left for dead after a 55-24 lo s to Iowa on Nov. 4. The Buckeyes, however, have defeated Michigan State and Illinois by a combined score of 100-17 the last two weeks and have two marquee victories remaining in Wisconsin and Michigan.We’ve seen it before, too. Ohio State jumped from No. 5 to No. 4 and bumped TCU out in the final rankings of2014. The Buckeyes also made the College Football Playoff in 2016over Penn State, despite losing head-to-head and not making the Big Ten championship game.If any team can leap from No. 9 to the top four in Aidan Hutchinson Jersey the final two weeks, then it’s the Buckeyes. If that last spot comes down to two-lo s Georgia, Notre Dame, USC and Ohio State teams, there’s a good chance the Big Ten comes out of it.Then you get the Clemson or Miami vs. Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl and Ohio State vs. Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.So, yes, the Buckeyes should root for the Tide to win out. The reward could be a rematch of that legendary 2015 semifinal game.It’s not as far-fetched as it seems.
Week 12 of the college football season is here, Caleb Joseph Jersey and we’ll try to sell it.There is only one matchup between ranked teams with No. 24 Michigan traveling to No. 5 Wisconsin at noon on Saturday. No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson play FCS opponents, and No. 3 Miami also plays Virginia at noon. That leaves No. 4 Oklahoma, which plays at Kansas at 3:30 p.m.WEEK 12 PICKS: | If any of the top four teams lose, that will be a shocker. It’s OK. Rivalry week and conference championship weekend are on the way, and we can’t wait to see what’s next.We’re ready for the next week. Here’s our Week 12 primer:Heisman WatchOklahoma’s Baker Mayfield has distanced himself from the Heisman Trophy field, and that will continue against the Jayhawks on Saturday. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Arizona’s Khalil Tate also could be finalists. Is there another quarterback who could slip back into the top five?Yes, and it’s a familiar name. USC’s Sam Darnold ranks sixth in the FBS in pa sing yards (3,198). He’s behind four Big 12 quarterbacks and Washington State’s Luke Falk. The Trojans are ranked No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings and can still win the Pac-12. USC also plays UCLA this week, led by Josh Rosen. That quarterback matchup is getting next-level attention, and if Darnold outshines Rosen with a huge performance and leads the Trojans to the Pac-12 championship, then he could up in New York as a finalist.MORE: Coach on the SpotArkansas fired athletic director Jeff Long this week, which puts Bret Bielema squarely on the hot seat. The Razorbacks are 4-6 this season and need the last two just to get to a bowl game. Bielema helped stabilize the program after his arrival in 2013,but the Razorbacks are just 19-17 the last three seasons. That’s not good enough, even in the tough SEC West.It won’t get easier this week. Arkansas is 1-3 against Mi si Chris Owings Jersey sippi State under Bielema. The Razorbacks also play the next two games at home. With Florida’s Jim McElwain and Tenne see’s Butch Jones already out, is it safe to a sume Bielema is next?Upset alertMichigan in a spoiler role? Undefeated Wisconsin has the toughest matchup of the weekend against the Wolverines, which have won three straight games since losing 42-13 at Penn State on Oct. 21.The Wolverines haven’t been a frequent guest in Madison of late Michigan is 1-3 at Camp Randall Stadium since 2001 with three straight lo ses.Here’s the interesting narrative at work: Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines will take way more criticism if they lose this game. As in, the usual social media storm of tweets labeling Harbaugh overrated, NFL-bound or unable to win the big game.The Wolverines might not be able Zack Greinke Jersey to go to Indianapolis, but they have a unique opportunity the next two weeks. They can ruin both Wisconsin and Ohio State’s playoff hopes before the likely Big Ten championship game. They can build momentum with a young team heading into 2018.It’s not a stretch to say Michigan has just as much on the line as Wisconsin and Ohio State in some ways.MORE: Over/underAlabama plays Mercer on Saturday.For Alabama, it’s a chance to tune up for the Iron Bowl. Criticize the scheduling maneuver all you want, but it works for Nick Saban. In 2007, Alabama lost 21-14 to Louisiana-Monroe, the most embarra sing lo s of the Saban era. The following season, the Crimson Tide beat Mi si sippi State 32-7 before facing Auburn.Since then, Alabama has feasted on FCS opponents. It has outscored those teams by a score of 386-51.YRTEAMSCORE2009Chattanooga45-02010Georgia State63-72011Georgia State45-212012Western Carolina49-02013Chattanooga49-02014Western Carolina48-142015Charleston Southern56-62016Chattanooga31-3Saban normally uses this week for a queued-up rant. This week? Daniel Descalso Jersey .Think about it How much chaos is left? Here’s a look at the College Football Playoff rankings the last three seasons with two sets of rankings left against the final rankings for those respective seasons.2014 Two left: Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Mi si sippi StateFinal: Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State2015 Two left: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Notre DameFinal: Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma2016 Two left: Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, ClemsonFinal: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, WashingtonEight of the 12 teams were decided at that point. One new team moved in 2014, two in 2015 and one in 2016. Keep that in mind over the next few weeks.