Ohio State Football: How the Buckeyes Can Still Reach the Big Ten Title Game

I know what you're thinking.

This writer has fallen off his tree. He's lost his marbles and has gone bucknuts. How on earth can he possibly even consider Ohio State a contender for the Big Ten's first title game when the Buckeyes have three conference losses, the most recent being to Purdue?

Well, my friends, although it is highly unlikely, completely improbable and probably a little absurd, it's still attainable.

Ohio State (6-4, 3-3) currently stands in third place behind Penn State (8-2, 5-1) and Wisconsin (8-2, 4-2). Two games remain in the regular season, which means the Bucks still have a little time to turn things around and march into Indianapolis. 

However, for this to happen, everything must go smoothly for OSU throughout the next few weeks and the dice have to fall perfectly. Still, that one small chance is something to hold onto moving forward and the Buckeyes have to go for gold no matter what.

Here's the scenario and how things have to play out:

The Buckeyes Have to Win Out

This one is pretty obvious.

For the Buckeyes to even dream about taking a trip to Indy for a conference championship matchup, they need to get by Penn State and Michigan. Both teams are playing very well this year and could potentially send Ohio State on a three-game losing streak heading into the Bowl season.

But they can also open a path for a one-way ticket to Pasadena.

Ohio State is favored by a touchdown for this upcoming Saturday's showdown with the Nittany Lions, who are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Penn State ranks 102nd in scoring offense (21.0) and is 1-4 vs. OSU since 2006.

The Bucks have won seven straight over arch-rival Michigan, dating back to 2003. Last season's "The Game" featured Wolverine standout quarterback, Denard Robinson, shut down by Ohio State's defense. He will once again be the key factor in this year's ruthless battle.

Illinois Has to Beat Wisconsin

Wisconsin goes on the road to take on a depleted Illinois football team this weekend, and it's crucial that the Fighting Illini find it within themselves to pull off the upset.

The Badgers are currently in second place in the Leaders Division, but a loss here would give them three on the year—tied with Ohio State—and ultimately blow their chances of a conference title appearance.

The Buckeyes own the tiebreaker over Wisconsin, which means they'd be picked first if both teams finished with the same Big Ten record.

Illinois (6-4, 2-4) started 2011 off hot by winning its first six games of the season. However, the Illini now find themselves losers of four in a row and are now fighting to salvage something. A win here would be good enough for me.

Wisconsin Has to Beat Penn State

Even if Penn State loses to Ohio State this Saturday, they are the front-runner to win the Big Ten Leaders Division. This is why the Buckeyes need Wisconsin to put the Nittany Lions out of their misery in the final week of the regular season (Week 13).

That would make the race look like this:

Ohio State 8-4 (5-3)

Wisconsin 9-3 (5-3)

Penn State 9-3 (5-3)

Both the Nittany Lions and Badgers would have better overall records than the Buckeyes, but just the conference games matter in this situation. Ohio State would own tiebreakers on both teams, making it the winner of the division and giving access to the first-ever Big Ten title game.

We Pray That I Didn't Jynx the Bucks

As you can see, it's not impossible for Ohio State to make this remarkable (yet ridiculous) run.

Of course, for this to happen, the Buckeyes must play better than they have the past two weeks. A performance like the one against Purdue is nowhere near championship worthy, and if coach Fickell doesn't have his team prepared by now, then they simply don't belong on such a big stage.

But I expect OSU to be ready for what these last two games have in store.

We're shooting for a miracle here, but this is still college football. This is still the same sport that featured "The Play" with Cal and Stanford in '82, the insane day where Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in the Big House, and a two-loss LSU squad won the National Championship (2007).

So why can't the Leaders Division be won by a four-loss Ohio State team? There's still a lot to be done, but it's pretty interesting how this could all unravel.

The Buckeyes may be down, but they're sure as heck not out.


Follow me on Twitter @Tyler_Waddell for more updates around the sports world.