Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 showdowns impact playoff race

As college football’s regular season heads into its stretch run, plenty of intriguing plotlines are developing each week.Revenge motives. Playoff implications. Clashes of style. Matchups of two-way players.Here are some of the top things to watch this week:BUCKEYES’ BIG CHANCE: No. 13 Ohio State continues to pay dearly for its early-season home loss to Virginia Tech, which has gone 2-5 since. The price of that defeat is evident from the Buckeyes’ No. 14 position in the College Football Playoff rankings.Ohio State can make a statement to the selection committee – and earn a measure of revenge – when it travels to No. 7 Michigan State (No. 8 CFP). The Spartans beat Ohio State 34-24 in last year’s Big Ten championship game to ruin the Buckeyes’ national title hopes.”After watching them on film, they’re a great team,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. ”And they stand in the way of the Big Ten championship. They stood in the way last year, and we failed.” View gallery FILE – In this Dec. 7, 2013, file photo, Ohio State’s Ryan Shazier (2) walks off the field follo … DUELING DEFENSES: During a season in which so many big games have featured teams scoring in the 40s and 50s, Saturday’s showdown between No. 4 Alabama (No…

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