COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes moved up two spots to No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, on the bubble for a spot in the final four, which will be released Dec. 6.
Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Iowa are the current top four teams, followed by Michigan State.
Both the Tigers (12-0) and Crimson Tide (11-1) head into their conference championship games Saturday needing just a victory to lock up a playoff spot.
Iowa plays Michigan State for the Big Ten title Saturday in what effectively is an elimination game for the playoffs.
Oklahoma’s season, like OSU’s, concluded last Saturday with the Sooners at 11-1.
Ohio State (11-1) will most likely benefit from an Alabama loss, which would certainly drop the Crimson Tide from the top four, leaving a vacancy that could accommodate the Buckeyes, but only if the selection committee is willing to take a second Big Ten team over two-loss teams Stanford or Notre Dame.
If Clemson is upset by North Carolina (11-1) in the ACC title game and the Tigers fall from the top four, the dilemma remains the same: Are two one-loss Big Ten teams worthy of playing for a national championship?