Will Ohio State still make it to the College Football Playoff?

Let it out, Ohio State Buckeyes fans, it’s okay. Be angry. Be upset. I hate the team up north. It’s okay.

Your team is still in the playoffs, right?

Will Ohio State still make it to the College Football Playoff?

Ohio State is reeling. Columbus hurts. There’s a stink in the air (trust me, I live here).

The game once again went in the Wolverines’ favor and Ohio State was eliminated from the Big Ten Championship Game picture as a result. But has their spot in the playoffs always been viewed as a lock?

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And to answer that very simply:

Yes, Ohio State is poised to make the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes will almost certainly make the playoffs as an overall team, but now they are subject to seeding by the College Football Playoff Committee.

More importantly, where might they be after the loss to Michigan?

To make this conjecture as informed as possible, we must have some historical precedent. Let’s go back to a week ago, when Indiana lost to Ohio State and fell from No. 5 to No. 10. Of course, Indiana lost to No. 2 Ohio State, while the Buckeyes lost to an unranked opponent in Michigan.

Basically, the Buckeyes are likely to fall out of the top five spots. You can probably put them right where Indiana is now and finish all the way down at No. 9 or No. 10.

Georgia and Tennessee, ranked 7th and 8th respectively, won their Week 14 games and are almost in the playoffs. SMU – ranked No. 9 – is headed to the ACC Championship Game and will likely need to win the ACC title to keep its spot in the top 10.

That’s probably why OSU is right at No. 8. That would put them above SMU and Indiana, but below Georgia and Tennessee.

Of course, this assumes No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Miami also win in Week 14.

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You’re looking at No. 8 Buckeyes, but it’s not that simple. If the conference champions earn the top four seeds, that would push either Boise State or the Big 12 winner into the four seeds and the Buckeyes into the No. 9 spot when it comes to the bracket.

That most likely means Ohio State will have to travel due to its loss to Michigan in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

And that hurts more than the pepper spray on the field on Saturday.