College Football Playoff: OSU Needs Decisive Wins To Overcome Weak Schedule, Virginia Tech Loss

http://thebiglead.com ^ | October 24, 2014 | Ty Duffy

[NKP_Vet]

Miami clobbered Virginia Tech 30-6 in Blacksburg Thursday night. That drops the Hokies to 3-4 vs. FBS teams on the season. Ohio State’s two-touchdown loss at home to them looks worse with each passing week. Tech’s continued slide could be devastating to the Buckeyes’ chances of reaching the playoff, despite their dominance of late.

Here is a reasonable scenario if Ohio State wins out. Florida State wins out to get to 13-0 and is a lock for the playoff. Alabama wins out and wins the SEC claiming a second place. That leaves two places for a one-loss Ohio State (B1G Champ), one-loss TCU (B12 Champ), one-loss Oregon (P12 Champ), one-loss Notre Dame (Independent) and one-loss Mississippi State (SEC Runner-Up).

Ohio State has an easy schedule. They played no one non-conference. Their B1G schedule draw missed Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa. Michigan went into the toilet. The Buckeyes, winning out and thus eliminating Michigan State from contention, would still have the weakest quality wins compared to teams from the other power conferences. Here’s a look how the teams would stack out for wins against the current SRS Top 40.

That’s also a best-case scenario for Ohio State. Minnesota could fall out of the Top 40. The winner of the B1G West could be a complete non-entity. Losing heavily to Virginia Tech, the Buckeyes also have the worst loss of those five teams.

Notre Dame: L 31-27 at Florida State Mississippi State: L – at Alabama in this hypothetical TCU: L 61-58 at Baylor Oregon: L 31-24 vs. Arizona Ohio State: L – 35-21 vs. Virginia Tech

Essentially, Ohio State will lose any arguments about resumé. The Buckeyes need a bunch of losses in front of them, or they need to close so decisively they have to be considered one of the four best teams.

Dropping 50 on Michigan or Indiana won’t impress anyone. Ohio State likely needs to beat Michigan State on the road and the B1G West champ by double-digits to even have a chance. A 24-20 win in East Lansing will get the Buckeyes into the discussion. It won’t win them the argument.

[NKP_Vet]

How a team that played one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country ends up winning the title. It's called politics folks. The minute Ohio State won 59-0 over Wisconsin that's all it took for the committee to jump over a team that played a tougher schedule than Ohio State. It's calling making money and ratings. Let's see how many pansies Oscar Meyer schedules next year now that he knows the committee could care less who he plays as long as they lose maybe one game and end up winning the conference title.

[PROCON]

Holy crap FRiend, you need to get over it.

The season is over.

I was an Oregon rooter but they lost to a superior OSU team.

Sheesh, at least you didn't post this in Breaking News.

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

O-H

[Ken H]

I

[FamiliarFace]

Are you Mark May in real life?

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

O

[Servant of the Cross]

Dude?! SRSLY?!

The war's over man. THE Ohio State University dropped the BIG ONE on Oregon (after dismantling Alabama)

             THE Ohio State University: 2015 UNDISPUTED National Champions

[Ken H]

Ohio State

Slowly I turned. Step by step...

[Servant of the Cross]

I ... O

[NKP_Vet]

With the schedule Oscar Meyer plays his teams should go 12-0 every year. But hell why not, the selection committee could care less.

[piytar]

I-O! (Was at the game! Go Bucks!)

[piytar]

I accept that TCU had a good argument to be there instead of OSU. However, OSU slaughtered M St., beat no. 1 Alabama, and shredded no. 2 Oregon. Don’t think even TCU could have done that!

[NKP_Vet]

“The playoff committee has made it clear that schedule strength will be a major component in its deliberations, and programs are making an effort to upgrade their schedules”.

WHAT A JOKE!

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/09/06/0906-ohio-state-vatech/osu-aims-to-beef-up-schedule.html

[Pox]

If I'm not mistaken, the TCU and Baylor “strength of schedule” ratings, or whatever it is called, were lower than that of OSU, and if that is true, then there is really a very weak argument being presented in this post, IMO.

I have a biased opinion as I am a lifelong Buckeye fan as I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, so my opinion may not be useful, but I am of the opinion that TCU would have met the same fate as Oregon when faced with a Championship match up versus OSU. TCU did not have a defense that could have stopped the Buckeyes, same as Oregon.

Just an opinion.

[hinckley buzzard]

Trying to change the past is a sign of mental illness. You got issues boy, you need to talk to someone.

[norwaypinesavage]

The reason they started playing football games to pick the champion instead of having bathing suit beauty pageants, is to have an undisputed champion. It’s Ohio State this year. Get over it....

[hinckley buzzard]

They also destroyed Wisconsin 59-0, who then beat Auburn.

Buckeyes got steadily stronger every week from September to now, and haven't stopped yet, in all likelihood.

[tumblindice]

BCS Lite: more disputes/less filling.
Maybe someday we’ll have real playoffs, like every other sport.
Until then, college football remains, “Just my opinion....”

[Pox]

Due to the “type” of sport we’re dealing with here, a “prolonged” playoff is neither warranted nor practical, IMO. This format is likely the best available due to the “extreme” nature of the “sport” and the “extreme” nature of the violent contact involved.

Consider that reality before demanding an imposition of even more match ups to decide a “true” national champion.

Keep in mind that most of these “unpaid” young men have their future to consider as far as staying healthy in order to secure a spot in the NFL, which is where they will actually “bring home the bacon”.

[JGT]

Ohio St. was playing on an entirely different level its last three games. They are the best team by far and would have destroyed TCU or anyone else they may have played.