The Ohio State Buckeyes still have plenty of work to do to have any chance of making the College Football Playoff.
But the best they can do at this point is keep taking care of their own business while hoping for help elsewhere in the college football world.
This weekend, that’s what appears to have happened.
The Buckeyes beat Northwestern in Columbus, 28-19. It was the first career win for true freshman QB Luke Fahey.
And elsewhere across the nation, at least four games went Ohio State’s way.
The reality is that the Buckeyes almost certainly won’t be in the Big Ten title game with a chance at an automatic bid from winning that. Instead, they’ll need an at-large bid — and to get one of those, Ohio State needs other at-large contenders to lose.
This is how that was aided in this week of college football.
Ohio State Helped by 4 Results
The first helpful result for Ohio State actually came on Friday.
That’s when Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes stunned the Houston Cougars in an upset. The loss knocks Houston entirely out of CFP contention, one less team for Ohio State to compete with for an at-large spot.
Ohio State also got USC out of the way. Indiana beat the Trojans in Bloomington, and there’s no way USC gets to the CFP now.
Florida beat Kentucky in Lexington. That’s bad for the Wildcats, who entered the day ranked in the top-12 but will no longer be there after the defeat.
And then in a shocker, Arkansas routed South Carolina, 34-6. The Gamecocks were another team chasing an at-large bid and probably needing a strong finish. Instead, they threw up a stinker.
All four of those results went Ohio State’s way.
Houston lost yesterday and is out. USC playoffs hopes ended in Bloomington. Kentucky is about to lose to Florida. Arkansas is up 17-0 on South Carolina.
Buckeyes need more chaos but not a bad start.
Indiana Confusion
Some fans are suggesting that Indiana winning is bad for Ohio State, but that’s probably not true.
The Hoosiers were always likely to make the CFP with a strong finish to the season, and so the Buckeyes couldn’t keep up with that.
It’s USC, which would’ve been more likely to be competing for the literal last at-large spot with Ohio State, who the Buckeyes needed out of the way. The Trojans would hold the head-to-head against OSU, which would’ve been Ohio State’s undoing if they were close in the rankings.
Another USC loss, though, has pushed them out of the way. It’s a fascinating subplot with a lot on the line.
4 Results Helped Ohio State’s College Football Playoff Chances