Ohio State Football: Buckeyes' Road to College Football Playoff
The Ohio State Buckeyes aren't the top-ranked team in the country anymore, but they're in prime position to make another run at the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes have owned the No. 1 spot in the AP and Coaches polls every week since the preseason, but the 12-member selection committee slotted Urban Meyer's squad at No. 3 in the first official playoff rankings Tuesday night.
What does that mean for Ohio State and its quest to repeat as national champions?
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Where Ohio State Stands
Those familiar with the logic behind the College Football Playoff standings weren't surprised by Ohio State's No. 3 ranking.
The selection committee doesn't factor in a team's potential or future opponents—it compiles the ranking based on past performances and strength of schedule. That's why the Buckeyes were slated behind No. 1 Clemson, which has the country's best victory over fifth-ranked Notre Dame, and No. 2 LSU, which boasts wins over No. 20 Mississippi State and No. 10 Florida.
| 8-0 (4-0) | No. 3 | 68th |
At No. 3, the Buckeyes are in excellent position to make it into the final four. They're still the odds-on favorite to win the title (h/t DJ Byrnes of Eleven Warriors), and they're comfortably ahead of title contenders with Alabama at No. 4, Notre Dame at No. 5, Baylor at No. 6, Michigan State at No. 7, TCU at No. 8, Iowa at No. 9 and Florida, which rounds out the top 10.
Help Needed
If the Buckeyes take care of their business, they won't need any help getting into the playoff.
That wasn't the case last year, when they premiered at No. 16 in the first College Football Playoff ranking. The Buckeyes used impressive victories over Michigan State and Michigan to climb the rankings before breaking through with a 59-0 rout of Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game.
This year, Ohio State will have the same opportunities against Michigan State and Michigan, in addition to a potential berth in the conference title game. But this time around, those games will give the Buckeyes a chance to earn the No. 1 overall seed in this year's playoff.
Committee chairman Jeff Long spoke highly of the Buckeyes when ESPN revealed the rankings Tuesday night.
"Ohio State is strong," Long said, via Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "The Buckeyes are undefeated and they have three wins against teams with better than .500 records."
Their resume would be rock solid if they can get wins over No. 7 Michigan State and No. 17 Michigan. And if the Buckeyes draw an undefeated Iowa team (that currently checks in at No. 9) in the Big Ten title game and come up with a victory, the Buckeyes would be a near lock for the No. 1 seed.
Final Bowl Prediction
Ohio State will narrowly beat Michigan State and Michigan to cap a perfect regular season before cruising to the Big Ten title game and routing an undefeated Iowa team.
That three-game stretch will put a 13-0 Ohio State team at No. 1 in the final College Football Playoff standings, which will pin the Buckeyes against an undefeated No. 4 TCU squad in the Orange Bowl. No. 2 Alabama (12-1) will be matched up against an unbeaten and No. 3 Clemson team in the Cotton Bowl.
The Buckeyes will win a 45-38 shootout against the Horned Frogs, and the Tide will bowl over the Tigers 27-16, setting up a rematch of last year's thrilling Sugar Bowl between Ohio State and Alabama for the national title.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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