Big Ten Daily (Dec. 20): Ohio State Make College Football Playoff, Gets Clemson in Semifinal
It turns out that Ohio State did enough after all.
Despite only getting to play six games this season, Ohio State still earned a spot in the College Football Playoff on Sunday. They were named the No. 3 seed, and will play No. 2-seed Clemson on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. No. 1 seed Alabama will play No. 4 Notre Dame on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl, which has been moved to Arlington, Texas.
"The committee decided that Ohio State was in the field because they were undefeated, they beat two ranked teams at the time and won a conference championship.'' CFP chairman Gary Barta said Sunday. "In the end, there was not dissension in the room about naming Ohio State in that third spot. There's never been a season like 2020, with an extremely unique set of circumstances.''
Ohio State finished the regular season 6-0 after beating Northwestern 22-10 in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday in Indianapolis. They only got in the game after the league changed the rules for eligibility, waiving the rule that six games were required to get in.
The Buckeyes had three games canceled because of COVID-19, but only one of them (Illinois) was their own doing. Maryland and Michigan canceled their games with Ohio State because of their own issues.
"The theme you keep hearing all year is overcoming adversity. We've done that, too,'' Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "In the offseason, before we went on quarantine, that loss (to Clemson) was fresh on our minds. And when we fought to have a season, it was with having a chance to win a national championship in mind. We'll have to play our best game to beat Clemson.
''We've got to do a great job of preparation every day. The margin for error is tiny when you play a team like Clemson.''
The Big Ten also announced that their COVID-19 protocols for sitting out after a positive test has been changed from 21 days to 17, which should help Ohio State get a few players back for the semifinals.
That's also good news for Indiana and other teams who will be playing in bowl games.
"For a lot of those guys, it's 10 days and then the cardiac workout, which is what they're working on,'' Day said. "A good amount of guys can be back (by the Sugar Bowl) and some others would be close.''
Trey Sermon ran for 331 yards and scored two second-half touchdown in the win over Northwestern, a record day for an Ohio State running back.
"I'm aware of my ability and I know I'm more than capable of playing my game, which is making guys miss and playing at the second level," the Big Ten championship game MVP said. "When I'm in the zone, I feel like the game just really slows down and I can see everything develop, make the right reads and make the right cuts."
With Ohio State struggling and down 10-6 at halftime, it had a familiar feel to Day.
"This game was a microcosm of what this whole season has been," Day said. "These guys, they've been gritty, they're tough. They've been through so much and they just don't flinch."
"This is a special group and they've overcome a lot. This has the opportunity to be one of the best stories in college football, with all that's gone on this year.''
Four other Big Ten teams reached bowl games, Northwestern, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa. (Pairings below.)
Penn State and Minnesota announced Sunday that they would bypass bowl games this year. Minnesota has dealt with COVID issues all season.
It's something of a surprise that Penn State said no. The Nittany Lions have won four games in a row and have a 4-5 record. To not finish with a losing record would have been a worthwhile goal.
The final playoff spot went to Notre Dame, over Texas A&M, which had won eight straight SEC games and had only one loss, to No. 1 Alabama. Notre Dame was undefeated until losing to Clemson on Saturday night in the ACC Championship Game.
The New Year's Six games were announced, and no Big Ten team got in. Iowa State with three losses was picked over one-loss Indiana.
"We had a long discussion about who earned their way into the top-10. Indiana had a historic year, but they didn't have the quality wins that Iowa State had,'' Barta said of Indiana being left out of a New Year's Six game.
College Football Playoff Schedule 2020-21
- Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff Semifinal: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (TV: ESPN)
- Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff Semifinal: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2021 in New Orleans, La. (TV: ESPN)
- National Championship Game: Semifinal winners, 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 11
Bowl Schedule 2020-21
Monday, Dec. 21
- Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State (8-3) vs. North Texas (4-5), 2:30 p.m. ET in Conway, S.C. (TV: ESPN)
Tuesday, Dec. 22
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Tulane (6-5) vs. Nevada (6-2), 3:30 p.m. ET in Boise, Idaho. (TV: ESPN)
- Boca Raton Bowl: BYU (10-1) vs. Central Florida (6-3), 7 p.m. ET in Boca Raton, Fla. (TV: ESPN)
Wednesday, Dec. 23
- New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Tech (5-4) vs. Georgia Southern (7-5), 3 p..m ET in New Orleans, La. (TV: ESPN)
- Montgomery Bowl: Memphis (7-3) vs. Florida Atlantic (5-3),7 p.m. ET in Montgomery, Ala. (TV: ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 24
- New Mexico Bowl: Hawaii (4-4) vs. Houston (3-4), 3:30 p..m ET in Frisco, Texas. (TV: ESPN)
Friday, Dec. 25
- Camellia Bowl: Marshall (7-2) vs. Buffalo (5-1), 2:30 p.m. ET in Montgomery, Ala. (TV: ESPN)
Saturday, Dec. 26
- Gasparilla Bowl: South Carolina (2-8) vs. UAB (6-3), Noon ET in Tampa, Fla. (TV: ABC)
- FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl: Liberty (9-1) vs. Coastal Carolina (11-0), Noon ET in Orlando, Fla. (TV: ESPN)
- Lending Tree Bowl: Western Kentucky (5-6) vs. Georgia State (5-4), 3:30 p.m. ET in Mobile, Ala. (TV: ESPN)
- First Responder Bowl: Louisiana (9-1) vs. Texas-San Antonio (7-4), 3:30 p.m. ET in Dallas, Texas (TV: ABC).
Tuesday, Dec. 29
- Cheez-It Bowl: Miami (8-2) vs. Oklahoma State (7-3), 5:30 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla. (TV: ESPN)
- Alamo Bowl: Texas (6-3) vs. Colorado (4-1), 9 p.m. ET in San Antonio, Texas (TV: ESPN)
Wednesday, Dec. 30
- Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wisconsin (3-3) vs. Wake Forest (4-4), Noon ET in Charlotte, N.C. (TV: ESPN)
- Music City Bowl: Iowa (6-2) vs. Missouri (5-5), 4 p.m. ET in Nashville, Tenn. (TV: ESPN)
- Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma (7-2) vs. Florida (8-3), 8 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas (TV:ESPN)
Thursday, Dec. 31
- Armed Forces Bowl: Tulsa (6-2) vs. Mississippi State (3-7), Noon ET in Fort Worth, Texas. (TV: ESPN)
- Arizona Bowl: Ball State (6-1) vs. San Jose State (6-0), 2 p.m. ET in Tucson, Ariz. (TV: CBS)
- Liberty Bowl: West Virginia (5-4) vs. Tennessee (3-7), 4 p.m. ET in Memphis, Tenn. (TV: ESPN)
- Texas Bowl: Arkansas (3-7) vs. TCU (6-4), 8 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas. (TV: ESPN)
Friday, Jan. 1
- Peach Bowl: Cincinnati (8-0) vs. Georgia (7-2), Noon ET in Atlanta, Ga. (TV: ESPN)
- Citrus Bowl: Auburn (6-4) vs. Northwestern (6-2), 1 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla. (TV: ABC)
- Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff Semifinal: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (TV: ESPN)
- Sugar Bowl, College Football Playoff Semifinal: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 1, 2021 in New Orleans, La. (TV: ESPN)
Saturday, Jan. 2
- Gator Bowl: Kentucky (4-6) vs. N.C. State (8-3), Noon ET in Jacksonville, Fla. (TV: ESPN)
- Outback Bowl: Indiana (6-1) vs. Ole Miss (4-5), 12:30 p.m. ET in Tampa, Fla. (TV: ABC)
- Fiesta Bowl: Iowa State (8-2) vs. Oregon (4-2), 4 p.m. ET in Glendale, Ariz. (TV: ESPN)
- Orange Bowl: Texas A&M (8-1) vs. North Carolina (8-3), 8 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens, Fla. (TV: ESPN)
