As always, we have to keep in mind what scenarios Ohio State fans will be rooting for. After all, go 13-0 and the Buckeyes are in the Playoff. What’s there to root for in that case? Who the preferred matchups in the CFP are? I guess that’s something to root for, but it’s far too specific at this point in the season.
Therefore, as always, I’m still going with the scenarios that Buckeye fans should root for to maximize their Playoff chances if they lose a game. Yes, Ohio State is favored over Wisconsin this week. And yes, the Buckeyes should win the game. But what if they lose? Or what if they lose to Penn State or Michigan? Well, Buckeye fans should root for results around the country that will get the Buckeyes in the Playoff even with a loss in one of those games. And that’s what we look at here in Rooting Interests.
Week 9 Rooting Interests
Let’s start with tonight’s game between SMU and Houston. Do the Buckeyes really care what SMU does? In short, the answer is yes. The Mustangs do not play Cincinnati in the regular season this year. SMU, if undefeated, could be a Top 10 team when it enters the AAC Championship Game. If Cincinnati can make that game and win, it will look very good for the Buckeyes–who crushed Cincinnati earlier in the year. That could provide a late-season boost to a nonconference schedule that didn’t include a Power 5 opponent.
In the noon window on Saturday, all eyes will obviously be on the Buckeyes. However, there are a few other results to make sure to check. As always, upsets of top contenders help, so rooting for Oklahoma to lose seems nice, even if entirely unrealistic. Keep on eye on Pitt, though. The Panthers lost to Penn State earlier in the year, and the better they do, the more valuable Ohio State’s game against Penn State becomes.
It’s hard to know who to root for in Auburn vs LSU. It’s still early enough in the season that plenty of scenarios could play out. Ohio State fans definitely want to root for whatever scenarios leave the lowest chance of the SEC getting two teams in the Playoff. We can’t know for sure what that is yet. We definitely do know, though, that the more Texas loses, the weaker LSU’s resume is. So if you’re watching LSU vs Auburn, keep an eye on Texas vs TCU too, and root for the Horned Frogs. (For the same reason, root against Oregon later at night.) It’s probably worth rooting for LSU over Auburn at this point, though either way, a blowout is better than a close game.
Of course, the easiest way to guarantee the SEC only gets one Playoff team would be Arkansas beating Alabama. Feel free to root for that (and for Boston College over Clemson, obviously), but it seems like a wasted effort at this point, even without Tua playing.
As always, keep an eye on Ohio State’s nonconference opponents. Cincinnati has a bye this week, but FAU and Miami (Oh) are both playing. FAU suffered a tough loss to Marshall last week, but the Owls are still in the thick of the Conference-USA race and should have an easy win over Old Dominion this week. The Miami Redhawks are currently 3-4, but they have a real shot to become bowl-eligible. A win this week would go a long way towards that. Miami going bowling won’t provide much of a boost to Ohio State’s resume, but it definitely doesn’t hurt.
Next… Who to root for in Big Ten games
Big Ten Rooting Interests
Iowa @Northwestern
This is a tricky game for Buckeye fans. On the one hand, Ohio State played Northwestern. On the other hand, the Big Ten as a whole looks better if Iowa stays ranked, and it’s not like Northwestern has a good chance to go bowling even with a win here. While a ranked Iowa team doesn’t mean much for Ohio State, it can mean a lot for Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin, all of whom Ohio State will play.
Illinois @Purdue
This one is also tricky, but only because we don’t know the future. The Big Ten as a whole (and Ohio State by extension) looks better if more teams make bowl games. The winner of this game is not guaranteed a bowl berth, but the chances look pretty good.
Still, Illinois is the team to root for here, for three reasons. First of all, the Illini have a better chance than Purdue to get to six wins. Second of all, Purdue reaching six wins would mean beating Nebraska, Northwestern, and Indiana, none of which is in Ohio State’s best interests. Finally, Illinois going bowling would make Wisconsin’s loss look not as awful at the end of the year, which could be important.
Liberty @Rutgers
It doesn’t matter, because the committee will view Rutgers as a cupcake regardless of the result. Root for Rutgers anyway, just for pity’s sake.
Maryland @Minnesota
This dilemma seems similar to the Iowa-Northwestern game above. If Maryland can get to a bowl game, then it’s probably worth it for the Terrapins to upset Minnesota. With a closing schedule of Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, and Michigan State, a bowl doesn’t seem likely. Then again, Minnesota will likely lose three more games, and is far from guaranteed a ranking at 9-3. If Maryland wins, hope it’s a close game; but if Minnesota wins, Ohio State fans should root for a blowout.
Indiana @Nebraska
Ohio State fans would love it if both of these teams can get to six wins and go to bowl games. Indiana still has games remaining against Northwestern and Purdue. The Hoosiers should be able to get to a bowl. Nebraska still has games against Maryland and Purdue, so the Cornhuskers should be able to go bowling with a win here. Nebraska is the team to root for.
Next… Who to root for in Penn State vs Michigan State and Notre Dame vs Michigan
Notre Dame @Michigan
I know it goes against everything Buckeye fans believe in, but root for Michigan here. A Wolverines win would add some much-needed credibility to the program, would eliminate Notre Dame from the Playoff race, and would all but guarantee Michigan a year-end ranking. All three of those are great for Ohio State’s SOS in the eyes of the committee. A Michigan loss, meanwhile, would very likely keep the Wolverines out of the committee’s final rankings.
I will add that Michigan losing out and finishing 5-7 would actually be good for the Buckeyes’ overall schedule. It would guarantee a bowl bid (and possibly a year-end ranking, depending on other games) for Indiana, could mean a year-end ranking for Michigan State, and would be a huge help for Maryland’s bid to go bowling. So, by all means, Buckeye fans, root for Michigan to lose out. That is a perfectly acceptable path. But assuming the Wolverines win a few more games this year, you should root for them to beat Notre Dame as well.
Penn State @Michigan State
Going back to the opening of the article, who to root for in this game entirely depends on who you think Ohio State loses to. If the Buckeyes lose to Wisconsin this week, then root for Penn State to make the November 23rd matchup in Columbus a huge affair. The same is true if that one loss comes later, against Michigan.
However, if Ohio State’s one loss comes against Penn State, then the Buckeyes can’t afford for Penn State to lose this game. It is possible that this year is shaping up to be like 2016, where an 11-1 Ohio State team can make the Playoff, but the scenarios to allow for that are unlikely. If the Buckeyes lose a game, they likely need to win the Big Ten. And they can’t win the Big Ten with a loss to Penn State unless Penn State loses two conference games.
This means that if Penn State beats Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have to lose two out of three against Michigan State, Minnesota, and Indiana. (Well, and Rutgers, but we’ll pencil that one in as a Penn State win already.) It will be very hard for the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten East if Penn State beats Michigan State this week then upsets the Buckeyes in a month.
Also, Michigan State winning this game isn’t so bad regardless. If the Spartans can win out, they will certainly have a good ranking at 9-3. That’s not a bad scenario, even if it means Penn State is at the edge of the Top 10 at 10-2, instead of in the Playoff hunt at 11-1.
The rooting interests in this one aren’t guaranteed. It all depends on how you think the season will play out.
