COLUMBUS – Saturday’s Top 10 matchup between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Michigan State will have a big impact on the conference and national championship conversations.
Ohio State held onto its No. 4 spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, following Georgia, Alabama and Oregon with Cincinnati still sitting at fifth.
There was no movement in the top seven after all those teams won last week.
Michigan was still No. 6 and Michigan State at seventh, heading into the big game.
(4 CFP/5 AP) OHIO STATE (9-1, 7-0 Big Ten) vs. (7) Michigan St. (9-1, 6-1)
Ohio Stadium, Columbus OH; Sat., Nov. 20 (Noon/ABC)
The Buckeyes, Spartans and Wolverines — atop the Big Ten East Division — all have 9-1 records and are in position to get to the conference championship game in Indianapolis in December and the national playoff, a reminder of the strength of the league and the importance of winning games in the final weeks of the season, Buckeye head coach Ryan Day said.
“There’s been some unbelievable games, there’s been some really good matchups, and it’s week-in-and-week-out. I mean, I think you’re finding out who can sustain in November,” Day told reporters at his weekly news conference Tuesday.
Of those three teams, only Ohio State is unbeaten in the conference with games against the Spartans and Wolverines remaining. OSU and MSU are undefeated in the division with Sparty having beaten Michigan in their game.
There’s also a chance the Big Ten can get shut out, as it did in 2017 and ’18.
That happens if the West winner — No. 19 Wisconsin leads — captures the conference title game.
GameDay returns to Columbus
ESPN’s College GameDay is back for a record 20th appearance on the Ohio State campus ahead of the showdown between the Buckeyes and Spartans and Ohio State Buckeyes.
The show will originate from the horseshoe area adjacent to Woody Hayes Drive outside St. John Arena for the first two hours before moving inside Ohio Stadium for the final hour.
Miller reinstated after DUI charge reduced
Quarterback Jack Miller III is back on the team. He was reinstated after his drunken-driving charge from earlier this month was reduced to a minor misdemeanor traffic offense.
Ohio State University student-athlete Jack Miller has been reinstated to the Ohio State football team. The charge issued against him of operating a vehicle while impaired has been reduced to a minor misdemeanor traffic offense. Miller has fulfilled all of the obligations required of him and the legal case is now closed. -Dept. of Athletics statement
The redshirt freshman was stopped in the university district on Nov. 5 by an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper who said Miller’s pickup truck was weaving.
After a field-sobriety test, he was arrested on the suspicion of drunken driving and refused to take a breath test.
The charge was reduced during Miller’s arraignment in court on Thursday.
He pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a $150 fine and court costs.
2022 season tickets on sale Nov. 23
Season tickets for the eight-game 2022 Ohio State home football season go on sale this Nov. 23 at 10:00 a.m., according to the Department of Athletics.
The home slate features games against Notre Dame, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan, as well as Arkansas State, Toledo, Rutgers and Indiana.
“We are looking for more opportunities for our fans to experience Ohio State games and lowering ticket prices is a way to accomplish that,” Athletics Director Gene Smith said.
Under a new “per-seat contribution” model, which has replaced the annual giving model, the price of the cheapest season tickets has gone from $710 to $559, a price reduction of more than $150 per season ticket. Single game ticket prices in some sections of the stadium will also be reduced.
Under the new plan, Ohio Stadium is divided into six pricing zones, each with a different ticket price and PSC, ranging from $0 to $1,500.