Ohio State's regular season is over.
The Buckeyes will not play a replacement game this weekend after their rivalry game against Michigan was canceled, instead turning their attention toward preparing for next week's Big Ten Championship Game against Northwestern.
While Ohio State would have preferred to play a game this weekend, its options were limited due to Big Ten protocol prohibiting teams from scheduling non-conference regular season games this year. Had another Big Ten team had a game canceled by its opponent by Wednesday, Ohio State would have been able to schedule a conference game against that team, but that didn't happen.
As a result, Ohio State's regular season is over after just five games, marking the shortest regular season the Buckeyes have played since 1891, when they played only four games. While Ohio State was originally scheduled to play an eight-game regular season, its road trips to Maryland and Illinois were also canceled.
Ohio State has also played its final home game of the season, meaning last month's 42-35 win over Indiana will unexpectedly be the final game at Ohio Stadium for the Buckeyes' seniors and others who leave the program after this year.
Because the Big Ten decided Wednesday to eliminate the six-game requirement that was previously in place for the Big Ten Championship Game, Ohio State has already clinched a berth in next week's game as the conference's only undefeated team. It will play Northwestern, who has also clinched its berth in the game, at noon next Saturday, Dec. 19, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The big question for the Buckeyes now, of course, is whether a 6-0 record with a Big Ten Championship Game over Northwestern will be enough for Ohio State to hold on to its spot in the top four and make this year's College Football Playoff. All the Buckeyes can do now, though, is prepare to play their best possible football next weekend – a game for which they should have back players who tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the scheduled road trip to Illinois – as they look to win their fourth consecutive Big Ten championship and look to make a statement to the CFP selection committee that they are worthy of competing for this season's national championship.
