Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes await fate ahead of CFP Selection Show

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Buckeyes await fate ahead of CFP Selection Show

The results of Conference Championship Weekend are in.

PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 11 Utah 47, No. 4 USC 24

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 2 Michigan 43, Purdue 22

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Georgia 50, No. 14 LSU 30

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 10 Kansas State 31, No. 3 TCU 28

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 9 Clemson 39, No. 23 UNC 10

USC losing Friday night opened the College Football Playoff door for No. 5 Ohio State. TCU losing Saturday afternoon meant that there are only two undefeated teams remaining: Georgia and Michigan. Those two schools are set to be No. 1 and No. 2 in Sunday’s CFP Selection Show.

But who will be No. 3 and No. 4? It will likely be TCU and Ohio State — both of which are 11-1 versus FBS competition this season — but there’s a chance No. 6 Alabama finds its way into the four-team field despite having two losses. Not a great chance but a chance nonetheless, considering how much the CFP committee appears to value Alabama’s close losses to No. 7 Tennessee and No. 14 LSU.

The Alabama hypothetical concerns TCU more than Ohio State, though. After this weekend’s chaos, all signs point to the Buckeyes having a spot in the CFP. The question is, where will they be seeded?

Possible semifinal matchups for Ohio State if its CFP bound

• A semifinal rematch with Michigan? The Buckeyes might get a chance to avenge their embarrassing 45-23 loss to the Wolverines in the Fiesta Bowl. In this scenario, Michigan would be No. 2 and Ohio State would be No. 3. Just a week ago, Ohio State-Michigan was the most-watched college football regular season game on any network since 2011, according to FOX. Imagine the ratings in a rivalry game that has a trip to the national title on the line.

• A semifinal showdown with Georgia? This was the matchup many expected in the National Championship. It’s a classic case of strength on strength: Ohio State’s second-ranked scoring offense against Georgia’s top-ranked scoring defense. In this scenario, the Bulldogs would be No. 1, and the Buckeyes would be No. 4. They’d face off in the Peach Bowl. Remember, Ohio State’s lone national title in the CFP era occurred in 2014 when the Buckeyes snuck into the field as the four seed (over TCU, by the way).

Ryan Day says USC loss gave Ohio State ‘second lease on life’

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day hopped on a Zoom call with ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday morning and characterized the last week as a “roller coaster.” The Buckeyes dropped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the CFP rankings Tuesday after their implosion in the rivalry clash, which went down as Ohio State’s second straight defeat to Michigan and first in the series at home since 2000.

Questions were raised about Day’s standards, his inability to beat “The Team Up North” and where the Buckeyes — who retooled their defensive staff last offseason to prevent another Michigan beatdown — were supposed to go from here.

But with USC’s Pac-12 Championship loss, the narrative changed.

“When you go through a few days where you think that maybe your whole season’s gone, and all of a sudden you start to build hope and then you start to see the opportunity where everything’s right out in front of you. It’s almost like a second lease on life,” Day said.

For the full story on Day’s Saturday comments, go here.

How to watch the CFP Selection Show

WHEN: Sunday, 12 p.m. E.T.

TV: ESPN

LIVE STREAM: ESPN App, fuboTV

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 357 days

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