How Ohio State can secure a spot in the Big Ten title game
11/18/2024 04:01 PM
It feels like the season just started, but there are somehow just two weeks left of the regular season in college football. With more teams in each power conference and no divisions, the races for conference title games are getting intense. The Big Ten has four teams that are hoping to find a way to Indianapolis, and one of them is the Ohio State football team.
The Ohio State football team is currently 9-1 on the year and they are ranked #2 in the country. They seem to be in good shape for making the Big Ten title game, but the Buckeyes still have a top-five matchup looming that could stop them from making a trip to Indianapolis.
On Saturday, Ohio State will be hosting #5 Indiana, and the winner of that game will more than likely face Oregon in the Big Ten title game. The Ducks improved to 11-0 last weekend with a win over Wisconsin, and they will be playing rival Washington for their last game of the season. Oregon will likely head to Indianapolis with a 12-0 record.
So, who will the Ducks be facing? It will either be Penn State, Ohio State or Indiana. The Nittany Lions need a lot of help, but the Buckeyes and Hoosiers both control their own destiny.
If Ohio State beats Indiana on Saturday, they will be 10-1 with their lone loss being to Oregon. The Buckeyes, Hoosiers and Nittany Lions would all have one loss at that point, but the Buckeyes would have head-to-head wins against both teams. Ohio State would just need to take care of business against rival Michigan to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game if they beat Indiana.
If Indiana wins this Saturday, they will be 11-0 and they will just need a win against Purdue, who has just one win on the year, to punch their ticket to the Big Ten Championship.
Ohio State should be able to find their way to Indy
With what Ohio State has these next two weeks, it looks like they should be able to take care of business and find their way to the Big Ten Championship. Indiana is obviously a good team as they are undefeated and ranked #5 in the country, but can anyone really see the Hoosiers going to Columbus and coming out with a win? It seems very unlikely. It should be a good game, but the Buckeyes are expected to win fairly comfortably.
If Ohio State wins that one, they just need to get a win against struggling Michigan. Ryan Day has had an issue with the Wolverines during his tenure, but he has a golden opportunity to beat them in a couple weeks. Michigan has a completely new team this year from a player and coach standpoint, and they are currently 5-5. They are not nearly as good as past teams and Ohio State shouldn’t have any problem taking them down in front of their home crowd in Columbus.
Right now, Ohio State is just thinking about this top-five matchup this weekend against Indiana. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers will kick off at noon ET from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and the game will be airing on Fox. Ohio State is currently favored by 12.5 points.
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