Losing the opportunity to play Michigan this week would be a tough pill to swallow by itself for Ohio State, but it’s made even tougher by the reality that it could also cost the Buckeyes a chance to defend their Big Ten championship.
That’s where things currently stand for Ohio State, which is now set to play only five games in the regular season, which would leave the Buckeyes ineligible for next week’s Big Ten Championship Game.
There’s still time to change that, but one way or another, Ohio State is going to need some help from the Big Ten.
Ideally – or as ideally as anything can be in a week where its rivalry game was canceled – Ohio State will still be able to play a game this weekend against someone else. If another Big Ten team has to cancel a game by Wednesday, the conference would allow Ohio State to schedule a game against that team’s currently scheduled opponent.
One potential option looked like an Ohio State/Indiana rematch after Purdue had to cancel practice Tuesday due to a COVID-19 outbreak of its own, but Indiana announced Tuesday night that it had also paused team activities due to COVID-19, which could eliminate that option.
Source: Theres pessimism about Purdues ability to play Indiana after they cancelled practice on Tuesday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 8, 2020
#IUFB update.https://t.co/ORxnBasm3d
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) December 8, 2020
If the Big Ten wants to avoid a rematch, it could also move some other games around to give Ohio State a game against a team it hasn’t played yet this year. Some have speculated that the Big Ten could have Ohio State make up its road trip to Maryland this week, though that could potentially leave Rutgers without a game. And there would likely be strong pushback from other teams if their schedules were changed solely for the benefit of Ohio State.
Multiple sources told Yahoo Sports that no Big Ten programs have been asked to move games. Thered be a resistance to switch games mid-week after 3 full days of prep and practice. I cant see any team agreeing to change an opponent with 2 days left to prep, said a B10 source.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 8, 2020
Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde reported Tuesday that “there may be other schools beyond Michigan and Purdue with COVID issues that potentially impact playing Saturday,” so there could be other potential Big Ten opponents that open up for Ohio State this week, too. While the Big Ten previously decided that any rescheduled games would have to be worked out by Wednesday at noon, the conference could still try to schedule new games after that self-imposed deadline.
From talking to people around the Big Ten, there may be other schools beyond Michigan and Purdue with COVID issues that potentially impact playing Saturday. So I'd expect the league to let the testing dust settle, so to speak, until tomorrow before any schedule decisions.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 8, 2020
Ohio State could also explore the possibility of scheduling a non-conference game this weekend, but the Big Ten would have to reverse course on its decision earlier this year not to allow non-conference games (a decision Ryan Day disagreed with at the time) after Nebraska attempted to schedule one against Chattanooga following its canceled game with Wisconsin. Would the Big Ten make an exception now that not playing this week could impact its best team’s College Football Playoff hopes?
That’s probably a long shot – and the non-conference game some people are hoping to see scheduled between Ohio State and Texas A&M is definitely a long shot – but if a new conference game can’t be scheduled for the Buckeyes this week, the Big Ten could simply remove the six-game requirement to make the Big Ten Championship Game, in which case Ohio State would clinch the Big Ten East’s ticket to Indianapolis (having already earned a head-to-head win against Indiana, the only one-loss team in the division) unless it plays the Hoosiers again on Saturday.
Day will certainly be among those pushing the Big Ten to find one way or another for the Buckeyes to get the opportunity to compete for a conference championship.
“I think it’s one of those things that was put into place early on, and decisions are made based on the information you have at the time, and then things change as we know,” Day said Tuesday when asked about the six-game minimum, less than an hour before The Game was canceled. “So there’s been a lot of changes, and I just think we have to take a hard look periodically at all this stuff. And I think this is one of those situations. And if we don’t quite get the games we need to get into the championship game, then I think that needs to be looked at hard, just like anybody else in the conference. But there’s no easy solution in times like this. So I know those guys are gonna come together and take a hard look at it and make sure that it was the right decision.”
In a statement released by the conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten seemingly opened the door for the six-game minimum to be removed, saying “the conference is committed to transparency and will continue to collaborate with its member institution stakeholders to determine Big Ten Football Championship Game participation requirements as well as tiebreakers.”
#B1G statement on the cancellation of the @UMichFootball vs. @OhioStateFB football game this weekend.
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) December 8, 2020
https://t.co/Ow4fiohWDD pic.twitter.com/JShfshSJoa
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren also said Tuesday that the Big Ten must “make sure we remain fluid and that we do remain nimble during these times” during an interview with a Sports Business Journal reporter at the Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
On one hand, it can be argued that the Big Ten shouldn’t change the rules now, in the final week of the regular season, just to benefit Ohio State. On the other hand, though, leaving Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship Game simply because it only played five games would mean putting Indiana in the conference championship game (if Indiana can even play next week) even though Ohio State beat Indiana, all the while leaving the conference’s only undefeated team out of the conference championship game – even though the Buckeyes didn’t need to win this week’s game to clinch their championship game berth.
Ohio State doesn’t necessarily need to play in the Big Ten Championship Game to make the College Football Playoff; not playing this week might impact the Buckeyes more in that regard as long as they can play a game against a quality opponent (likely Wisconsin or Iowa if not the Big Ten Championship Game) next week. Just going 6-0, even without a Big Ten title, might be enough for Ohio State to make the CFP.
But it might not, and even if it is, winning a fourth straight Big Ten title is one of Ohio State’s biggest goals. After already losing the opportunity to achieve one of its other biggest goals by winning the rivalry game this week, Ohio State is now at risk at losing another opportunity next week – even after doing everything it could to be able to play Michigan State last week and preserve its Big Ten Championship Game eligibility – unless the Big Ten exercises some flexibility to provide the Buckeyes that chance.
