Ohio State didn't play last week. But a lot seemed to happen in the national college football outlook.
No. 2 Iowa lost at home to Purdue, moving them out of the College Football Playoff picture, Cincinnati continued to look dominant, pounding UCF at home and Georgia continued to look like the No. 1 team in the country against Kentucky.
Here's the national consensus of where Ohio State fits into that picture.
Bowl ProjectionsÂ
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic: Orange Bowl vs. Georgia
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports: Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN: Cotton Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Mark Schlabach of ESPN: Rose Bowl vs. Utah
Saturday Tradition: Orange Bowl vs. Georgia
Action Network: Cotton Bowl vs. Alabama
Scarlet and Gray Report's TakeÂ
Ohio State didn't play in Week 7, and now many have the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff.
Whether it's as a four-seed, sneaking in as the first two-loss Playoff team according to Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, or as a likely three-seed against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, the projection now is that the Buckeyes are in the dance.
There's a lot still for Ohio State to prove though. The Buckeyes have four opponents in the top 25 left on their schedule: No. 7 Penn State, No. 25 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 6 Michigan.
But with Ohio State sitting at No. 5 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Poll, it's the favorite to win the Big Ten anyway as the highest-ranked team in the conference.
So what would it take for Ohio State to make the Playoff?
It seems like the Buckeyes would have to win out, combined with a loss by Oklahoma and a second loss by Alabama — likely coming against Georgia in the SEC title game.
No matter what, if Ohio State does its job, this seems like something that will come down to the final Sunday when the Committee announces its Playoff teams.
