Ohio State is currently in risk of missing out on the Big Ten Championship Game. The game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Illini was postponed on Saturday owing to further COVID-19 positive readings. The game will be played at a later date this year.
If the game had been played as scheduled, then the winner would have advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Since it has been rescheduled for a future date, then there is no guarantee that it will be played at all. If it is not played then the Big Ten tiebreaker system would determine who plays in Indianapolis. Ohio State trails Michigan by record within the conference so they would play next if the game has not been held yet.
In addition to the game with Illinois being postponed, the start time of all other remaining games in the conference schedule have been changed without notification to the opposing coaches. It is possible that some of these games could be moved to a different day or time before they are actually played. For example, Maryland's next game after postponing its match against Indiana has been moved from Friday to Sunday. This means that if the Hoosiers win on Friday then they will play next Monday instead of Maryland. A similar situation exists for North Carolina which plays Virginia on Friday now instead of Wednesday as originally planned.
To win a football game at any level, but especially in college football and at Ohio State, you must prepare emotionally for any game. And when those games are taken away, it's difficult to regain that momentum.
Following the cancellation of Saturday's rivalry game against Michigan, Ohio State coach Ryan Day stated on Tuesday that the Big Ten should reconsider its rule requiring teams to play at least six games this season in order to be eligible for the conference championship game.
Because No. 4 Ohio State (5-0) is unable to face Michigan due to COVID-19 concerns inside the Wolverines' program, the Buckeyes will not qualify under the current regulation, and Indiana will represent the East division against Northwestern on December 19 at 12:00 ET.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are in the College Football Playoff after winning their 39th Big Ten Conference title. Third-seeded Ohio State defeated second-seeded Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, 49-28, to avenge last season's playoff loss. Fourth-seeded Georgia defeated fifth-seed Alabama in the Rose Bowl, 27-23, to advance.
Ohio State will face fourth-seeded Texas in the semifinals on January 13th at the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. The Buckeyes beat Texas, 42-20, last year's semifinal game. If Ohio State wins that game, they'll meet University of California, Los Angeles in the national championship game on January 26th in Atlanta.
Texas was selected over ninth-ranked Oklahoma by default when the Sooners declined to play due to concerns about head coach Bob Stoops' health. Stoops has since announced he is retiring at the end of this season.
Georgia won its first Peach Bowl in program history by defeating Alabama, 27-23. The Bulldogs finished the season 12-1 (8-1 in the SEC). This is also Alabama's third straight losing season for the first time since 1943. The Crimson Tide dropped to 3-3 all time in the Peach Bowl.
No. 1 Ohio State is defeated by the Illinois-Ohio State Buckeyes, 28-21. Columbus, Ohio (USA) Illinois came into Ohio Stadium and did what no other team had done all season: execute its offense flawlessly, restrict Ohio State's opportunities, and capitalize on mistakes, all of which resulted to a 28-21 upset win against No. 1 Ohio State. It was the first time in history that Illinois has beaten the Buckeyes.
Ohio State beat Michigan, 44-24. The victory secured the No. 1 spot for Ohio State in the AP Poll. It was also their second straight undefeated regular season (12-0).
Illinois won its first game of the year against Wisconsin, 24-7. The victory guaranteed Illinois a spot in the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game vs. Nebraska. It was also the first time since 1907 that Illinois had won its opening game. The Illini will play Nebraska in Chicago on December 5th at Soldier Field.
Wisconsin lost its first game of the year against Iowa, 42-7. The loss dropped the Badgers from contender status this season down to also-ran.
Iowa beat Penn State, 49-14. This marks the first time since 2004 that Iowa has started 3-0. The previous time was 2003 when they started 3-0 before losing their next game to Michigan State, 34-28 in double overtime.
Penn State beat Maryland, 31-30.
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