News Article
Published
Oct 16, 2026 at 02:18 PM EDT
Ohio State will seek revenge in Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game rematch against Indiana. Another loss could put the Buckeyes' backs against the wall.
The Buckeyes enter Bloomington ranked one spot ahead of the undefeated defending champions despite losing at Texas last month. On3's Andy Staples noted that another defeat could put Ohio State in danger of missing the College Football Playoff.
"Look at the rest of the Ohio State schedule," Staples said on Yahoo Sports' College Football Enquirer podcast. "There's no guarantee the Buckeyes make the Playoff if they lose this game."
Steven Godfrey laid out the path for Ohio State to remain a high CFP seed if the program falls to Indiana on Saturday.
"You lose to Indiana, you've lost to Texas, you've got to start stumping for the quality of the Big Ten," Godfrey said. "You got to go on the road and beat USC, and make it look like the greatest game in the world. You better hope Northwestern keeps that 25 [AP poll ranking] next to its name ... Whatever Oregon is in November, you got to hold serve at home against that. And then the other hope, I think, is you got to get Nebraska ranked when you play them."
Godfrey and Staples both agreed that the Buckeyes should still make the Playoff if they rebounded from a Hoosiers loss with five straight wins. However, Staples doesn't think they can expect strong seeding in that scenario.
"If they lose this game, they are going to be happy to be there in the Playoff," Staples declared.
...
Recent precedent shows the Buckeyes can overcome a pair of shortcomings. Ohio State made the first 12-team CFP with two losses in 2024 and won the national title as a No. 6 seed.
Along with jeopardizing its attempt at a Big Ten title, losing to Indiana likely gives Ohio State no margin for error down the stretch. Another road loss to a title contender shouldn't be a death blow to Ryan Day's squad, but a win Saturday afternoon could help the Buckeyes earn a much higher CFP seed.