Virginia Tech vs. Ohio State: How Hokies' Upset Reshapes Playoffs

When Braxton Miller was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, many were quick to write off Ohio State as a contender for college football's four-team playoff. 

It took just two weeks for those opinions to be validated. 

The No. 8 Buckeyes dug themselves into a big deficit in the first half against unranked Virginia Tech Saturday night and weren't able to complete a comeback, falling 35-21 at home. 

A spot in the Final Four isn't completely out of the question. If Ohio State runs the table the rest of the way, it would be 12-1 with a victory over Michigan State in Lansing, as well as a win in the Big Ten Championship game. 

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler is already looking forward to "The Game":

It would obviously depend how the other big conferences play out, but that's a pretty good resume. The problem is, the chances of that happening if Ohio State plays like it did Saturday night are somewhere between pigs flying and J.T. Barrett hitting a five-foot-wide target from 15 yards away. 

Barrett, the talented freshman quarterback, has simply been thrown into the mix too early. He displayed his tremendous playmaking ability on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries (that takes into account his sacks, as well), but he completed just nine of 29 throws for 206 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. 

Grantland's Bill Barnwell joked, while Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel noted he wasn't getting much help from the run game:

Bleacher Report's Michael Felder also chimed in after Virginia Tech dialed up the blitzes and continually put Barrett on his back in the fourth quarter:

No matter who you want to put the blame on, Ohio State's offense was a mess for most of Saturday night, and the team's 2014 outlook isn't pretty at this point. 

It's also interesting to note what this might mean for Michigan State. 

The Spartans lost at Oregon Saturday, but they looked very good for 35 minutes and are believed by most to be the class of the Big Ten. Should they run the table, it's going to get tricky for the selection committee. 

Ohio State lost, Michigan was dominated by Notre Dame and Nebraska nearly fell against McNeese State. The conference is not making a great case for having a spot in the Final Four. 

There's still a lot of season left to play, but it's probably time for the Buckeyes to readjust end-of-the-season expectations.