Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Football: Close Win Good Thing on Day of Upsets?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The hard fought win kept Ohio State in the hunt to make the playoffs. Other teams weren’t so fortunate.

The 24-20 win over Northwestern wasn’t the prettiest game you will ever watch but Ohio State is still in the playoff race. Narrow wins seemed to be the norm with teams in the hunt for the college playoffs on Saturday. Unless of course they entered week 9 unbeaten.

Four previously undefeated teams ranked in the top 13 in the AP Poll lost for the first time Saturday. It may have cost three of those teams a shot at the college playoffs.

No. 13 Boise State lost to Wyoming 30-28 that certainly ended any chance of them overtaking the Power 5 schools to make the final four which was a long shot anyway. Baylor’s one point loss to Texas, and West Virginia’s 17 point defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State, may have ensured the Big 12 will be left out of the playoffs for the second time in three years.

No. 7 Nebraska lost in overtime to Wisconsin 23-17 but the Cornhuskers have an opportunity to play their way back into contention. If they win out they will be the Big Ten West champions. Ohio State fans are well aware what affect a Big Ten Championship game win can have on the playoff committee.

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The remainder of the games involving Top 10 teams except for two were decided by a touchdown or less and one of them should have been. With one second left in the game, Michigan State pulled within seven points of Michigan. For some reason Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio decided to go for a two point conversion. The quarterback made a bad option pitch and Jabrill Peppers picked up the fumble and ran it back about 90 yards and a two point score for the Wolverines.

The only blowout was Texas A&M’s 52-10 win over New Mexico State. When the College Football Committee convenes and puts out the first rankings this week, I wonder if they will factor in the fact the Aggies were the only highly ranked team that didn’t play a Power 5 Conference team.

The hard fought Ohio State victory over Northwestern may not necessarily have satisfied players, coaches and fans, but everyone seems to be struggling now that teams are in the meat of their conference schedules. The Buckeyes are still in the hunt to make the playoffs while others aren’t after week nine, so Saturday’s close win was a good one.

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