Ohio State Football: Why Iowa Win Puts Ohio State in Control of Its BCS Destiny

After Ohio State fell at Wisconsin in front of a national audience, the Buckeyes not only lost control over their destiny to play for a national championship, they also lost almost all control over getting into the BCS at all.

At that point, the Buckeyes were behind Michigan State and Wisconsin in the BCS with Iowa right behind them.

Two weeks later, Michigan State is no longer undefeated, Wisconsin is on a collision course with a trip to Pasadena, and Ohio State can still somehow blaze a trail to the Fiesta or Sugar Bowl.

And they have Iowa to thank because of their seismic blowout win over Michigan State, 37-6.

Because of the win, all Ohio State needs to clinch a share of the Big Ten title is to win out for the second straight year against their final three opponents: Penn State, Iowa in Kinnick Stadium, and rival Michigan.

The only way Ohio State could get to Pasadena is a Wisconsin loss along with three straight Buckeye wins due to Big Ten tiebreaker rules involving three teams, which gives the team with the highest BCS ranking the trip to the Rose Bowl.

And all indications are that Michigan State and Wisconsin should be able to win out to get to 11-1.

Now if Ohio State gets to 11-1, they will tie but will also find themselves lurking in the Top 10 of the BCS, which could get them into the BCS.

All OSU has to do is win out, which is simple on paper, especially considering the Buckeyes have outscored their prior two Big Ten opponents 101-10.

Although it was against a Purdue team missing its starting QB, RB and top WR, and a one-win Minnesota team, the feat is still something worthy of raised eyebrows.

The main focus of the season needs to obviously be against a Penn State team that came off a huge win in a Whiteout over Michigan, because this OSU team cannot overlook a PSU team that may be mediocre, no matter what the circumstances.

With two weeks to prepare for Penn State and a chance for the injury-plagued Buckeyes to finally get healthy, they should be able to continue their winning ways on November 13.

But all eyes will be on the November 20 showdown in Iowa City, which will be where Ohio State can stick its flag into the BCS for a sixth straight season.

And if they win their first two, there is no way that Jim Tressel will not have his guys fired up and ready to beat Michigan at home the following week if a BCS spot, and possibly an outside title shot, is on the line.

Considering the upsets of the past few weeks, there is no reason to think that Ohio State won't be able to wedge themselves back into the title picture somehow.

With only four undefeated teams at most left at the end of the week, OSU can move up with wins against teams with solid records in PSU and Michigan and a great record in Iowa, because they desperately need computer points.

Most importantly, though, is the health of Terrelle Pryor who needs to continue to be a big threat in the running game in addition to his improved passing game.

They need him at least at 80-90 percent to win their final three games because he needs to live up to his billing as a dual-threat QB.

Three wins is all they need to get back to the promised land of the BCS.

They did it a year ago, and should be very well poised to repeat that trend.

A return trip to Pasadena seems out of the question for the time being, but OSU could just as easily come back to Glendale for the Fiesta Bowl for the fifth time since 2002 (including the 2006 BCS National Championship Game).

But most satisfying for OSU fans at this point would be a trip to New Orleans to try to exorcise SEC demons in the Sugar Bowl against most likely Alabama or Auburn.

And if Ohio State does get back to the BCS, they should thank Iowa for giving the Buckeyes back control of their own destiny.

This article is featured on The BCS Blitz. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.