Why Ohio State was No

The Ohio State-Michigan game is the biggest wild-card game of the remaining regular-season contests. The Orange Bowl then chooses the next highest-ranked team from the SEC, Big Ten or Notre Dame. While the Committee is clearly not impressed with the Big-12 as a whole, the Mountaineers could move past USC if they beat 9th ranked Oklahoma on Saturday.

Michigan’s rival, Ohio State, is sitting at No. 2 but is one of the biggest storylines because of the Big Ten situation. Would Clemson’s victory over Louisville loom larger than the subjective eye test with the Cardinals already clinging to seven wins of more than 30 points with two games remaining?

Strength of schedule was cast aside in the Washington vs Wisconsin debate for No. 6. The Utes and Buffaloes, both of which are ranked in the top 12, also play on November 26.

Penn State rounds out the top eight, and that is the line of demarcation at the moment.

Who will the top four end up being?

Let’s check out the entire top 25 with additional analysis after the break. Ohio State and MI are in the top-four, sitting at No. 2 and 3, respectively, while Nebraska is hanging around at No. 18. MI (9-1) 4. Clemson (9-1) 5. However, a 12-1 B1G champion with wins over four top-ten teams (OSU, PSU, UW, CU) would certainly make the Playoff. 7 and 8, respectively, as the Badgers held steady while the Nittany Lions continued their climb, jumping up from tenth.

Ohio State has two top-10 wins (Wisconsin and Oklahoma), both on the road. Colorado (8-2) round out the top 10. Oklahoma State 12. Utah 13. Even the beleaguered Big 12 Conference has a glimmer of hope with No. 11 Oklahoma in striking distance.

The Buckeyes were ranked No. 5 after having lost one game to Penn State in Week 7.

“They’re an excellent football team and there’s a reason they are No. 1 in the country”, Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen said after his team lost, 51-3, to the Crimson Tide. At 10-0, they have rolled over opponents with an efficient QB and run game, along with a great defense.

Jumping to the No. 2 spot in the poll is Ohio State.

The Cowboys still control the Mountain West’s Mountain division too, so Boise State could miss out on the MWC title game. There were some pretty bad losses that actually had to be left off of the list.

Western Michigan, the only undefeated team besides Alabama, is #21 this week. While Boise has a win over No. 22 Washingon State, the rankings leap comes just after Wyoming’s loss to UNLV. So by not playing in the conference championship game, the Buckeyes avoid a potential second loss that could knock them out of the top four.