College Football Insider Suggests Ohio State As Playoff ‘Lock’ No Matter What

The Ohio State Buckeyes are no longer the Big Ten's burden. Since the Big Ten exapanded three years ago, other emerging powerhouses, including the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers and CFP-crazed Oregon Ducks, have proven that the Big Ten isn't just an Ohio State, then everyone else, league.

This year, Ohio State will likely be in a three-team race with the aforementioned, as it boasts one of college football's toughest schedules with road tests against the Iowa Hawkeyes (Oct. 3) and USC Trojans (Oct. 31) alongside a non-conference rematch in Week 2 against the Texas Longhorns, Saturday, Sept. 12.

Those five games, which include a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in Columbus Saturday, Nov. 7, when the Ducks try to gain ground in a likely crowded Big Ten, could define Ohio State's season as a massive success or colossal failure, barring the outcomes.

But one analyst, former Florida State quarterback-turned-CBS personality Danny Kanell, broke down Ohio State's College Football Playoff chances following the AP Top 25 preseason poll's release Monday and admitted something odd about the current 12-team format: nine wins could be all Ohio State needs to qualify.

Ohio State CFP Chances Explained

"I'm selling Ohio State as a lock to make the College Football Playoff," Kanell said.

That's not all: Kanell said he loves the Buckeyes' playoff path so much that the committee will break traditional habits if it makes sense for the field's bottom line.

"Their schedule is one of the toughest in the country," Kanell added. "If they're 9-3, will the committee give them that edge?"

That's the million-dollar question, and it's likely under the assumption Ohio State drops a combination of three losses to either the Trojans, Ducks, Hoosiers, (or Longhorns, regardless of swapping places)

It's not impossible, but it's certainly not business as usual for Ohio State. Should nine wins be the eventual outcome, it likely means the Buckeyes won't be Big Ten champions and likely won't get a bye, nor host a game in the opening round come mid-December.

Whether Ohio State can replicate the magical run it made in 2024 remains to be seen. Ho matter what, though, it would be yet another heroic chapter in Ryan Day's coaching tenure. Day has been doubted, vilified and scrutinized in the past. Since earning a ring, however, the narrative has shifted.

Simply put: expectations are high in Columbus. Kanell's comments, relevant or not, are just another example of the ever-changing college football landscape.

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