Ohio State needs big finish to stay in chase

This could be the closest Michigan Week has come in years to spoiling things for Ohio State.

It’s a little bit of a stretch, but think about it.

The Buckeyes were originally scheduled to host the Wolverines this past Saturday. It’s customary. One of the greatest rivalries in sports always takes place in late November – and, since 2010, the last Saturday in November.

Or did, until tradition, like everything else, got trampled by the pandemic.

Saturday there was no Michigan. There was no game, period. The Buckeyes’ trip to Illinois was canceled because of a surge of positive COVID-19 cases within the OSU football program. Coach Ryan Day has the virus and is in self-isolation for 10 days, per Big Ten protocols, so he’ll miss the Dec. 5 game at Michigan State. If it even happens.

Almost overnight, Ohio State’s bid for a Big Ten title and national championship have been seriously jeopardized. The Buckeyes have had two of their last three games canceled and are one more cancellation away from failing to meet the six-game minimum for eligibility to play for the conference championship.

Right now, Ohio State would settle for the Big Ten being more flexible about amending its rules on championship game eligibility and player availability.

There’s a lot of doomsday scenarios out there. The most popular is Indiana representing the East Division in the Big Ten championship game simply because the Buckeyes – who beat IU head-to-head – couldn’t meet the minimum-game standard.

Could happen, but will it happen? As much as you might believe the Big Ten has bungled the last nine months, there’s a clause out there that hasn’t been written yet that will make sure an unbeaten Ohio State team, currently ranked No. 4, will play for a league title and keep its playoff hopes alive.

Even if there’s no 11th-hour clause and no change in the rules, there are crossover divisional games to be played in what is being called the Big Ten Championship Weekend. Matched by division ranking, Ohio State would at worst be in the East’s No. 2 slot and presumably play Wisconsin, red-hot Iowa or one-loss Northwestern. A win against any of those West teams might boost Ohio State’s resume in the eyes of the CFP committee, which is not working with any minimum-game standards.

So what if the Buckeyes don’t win the Big Ten? It’s not a deal-breaker. It didn’t keep them from making the playoffs in 2016.

Everything at this point depends on how Ohio State contains the virus and how rigid the Big Ten is with the rules in place.