BCS Rankings 2013 Week 14: How Baylor's Loss Impacts Ohio State's Path to Title

The Ohio State Buckeyes won their game against the Indiana Hoosiers like everybody thought they would, but they still end up being the biggest winner in college football in Week 13. Why, you ask? Because their path to the national championship game became a whole lot clearer after the Baylor Bears lost on Saturday night.

Rank	Team	Record	Conference	Pvs
1	Alabama	11-0	SEC	1
2	Florida State	11-0	ACC	2
3	Ohio State	11-0	Big Ten	3
4	Auburn	10-1	SEC	6
5	Clemson	10-1	ACC	7
6	Missouri	10-1	SEC	8
7	Oklahoma State	10-1	Big 12	10
8	Stanford	9-2	Pac-12	9
9	South Carolina	9-2	SEC	11
10	Michigan State	10-1	Big Ten	13
11	Baylor	9-1	Big 12	4
12	Oregon	9-2	Pac-12	5
13	Arizona State	9-2	Pac-12	17
14	Wisconsin	9-2	Big Ten	19
15	LSU	8-3	SEC	22
16	Fresno State	10-0	MWC	15
17	Northern Illinois	11-0	MAC	16
18	Central Florida	9-1	AAC	18
19	Louisville	10-1	AAC	21
20	Oklahoma	9-2	Big 12	20
21	Texas A&M	8-3	SEC	12
22	USC	9-3	Pac-12	23
23	Duke	9-2	ACC	NR
24	UCLA	8-3	Pac-12	24
25	Georgia	7-4	SEC	NR

With a road win over the 10th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, Baylor would have overtaken Ohio State for the third spot in the BCS rankings.

Instead, Baylor’s high-octane offense was shut down by Oklahoma State, who held Bryce Petty and the Bears to just 17 points and 453 total yards. For perspective, they were averaging 685 yards and 61 points per game entering the contest in Stillwater.

The Cowboys dominated the game en route to a 42-10 victory to hand the Bears their first loss of the season. Baylor’s loss is Ohio State’s gain, as it all but eliminates the Bears from championship contention.

As a result, Ohio State is left as the last team standing to challenge the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles for the right to compete in a national title game.

To be clear, the Buckeyes don’t totally control their own destiny. They still need one of those two teams to lose next week, but Ohio State will take their place in the championship game if that happens.

With only one game left on the schedule, Ohio State will learn its destiny soon, and all eyes in Columbus will be focused on the Iron Bowl as the No. 6 Auburn Tigers host Alabama.

The Seminoles face the Florida Gators in what should be a fairly straightforward game for Jameis Winston and Florida State, but winning in Auburn is no easy task for the two-time defending champions.

The Tigers are playing very well right now, and they will be extremely motivated against their hated rivals. Baylor’s loss clears up the questions surrounding the title game and avoids any scenario in which the BCS would have to make a difficult choice next week.

Instead, the BCS picture has become very clear. An Alabama or Florida State loss would allow the Ohio State Buckeyes to put Urban Meyer’s winning streak to the test.

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