Ohio State football still can make the College Football Playoff

COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 26: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes attempts to throw a pass as Mazi Smith #58 of the Michigan Wolverines closes in during the first half of a college football game at Ohio Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 26: C.J. Stroud #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes attempts to throw a pass as Mazi Smith #58 of the Michigan Wolverines closes in during the first half of a college football game at Ohio Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) /
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The pain still hasn’t gone away. We are still less than 48 hours away from the Ohio State football team losing their second straight game to TTUN. That pain isn’t going to go away until the Buckeyes can beat them again and set things right.

Surprisingly, the Buckeyes might get that chance sooner than you think. We know that two teams have a guaranteed playoff spot no matter what happens this weekend. Both Georgia and TTUN will get in even if they don’t win their conference championships. That leaves two more spots.

Right now, those spots are slotted for TCU and USC. Ohio State will likely slide to fifth in the newest College Football Rankings. That means the Buckeyes need one of those teams to slip up and lose on Saturday afternoon. That’s not a whole lot to ask if you break it down.

TCU already beat Kansas State 38-28 earlier in the year. Kansas State did have a big lead on the Horned Frogs at one point though, leading them 28-10 in the second quarter. They just couldn’t quite sustain that lead. That game was in Fort Worth though and this Big 12 Championship is a neutral site game.

USC, meanwhile, has already lost to the team that they play for the Pac-12 Championship. Utah already defeated USC 43-42 to hand the Trojans their only loss of the season. USC has also played close games with Oregon State, Cal, and UCLA. They are definitely beatable.

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If both USC and TCU were to lose Saturday, Ohio State would vault up to third in the CFP rankings and would have a rematch with TTUN in the semifinals. If one of them loses, they would be fourth and would have to take on Georgia. This Ohio State football team still has a very real shot to win a national title.