The No. 9 Michigan State Spartans pulled off a stunner and defeated the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, 17-14, in Columbus on Saturday afternoon thanks to a game-winning field goal from Michael Geiger, which means a rankings shake-up is on the way. The loss was Ohio State’s first of the season, as the Buckeyes dropped to 10-1. Conversely, the Spartans improved to 10-1 and appear to be in the driver’s seat for a College Football Playoff berth if they can string together a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions and another victory in the Big Ten Championship Game. As Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel noted, Saturday’s triumph over the defending national champions should have vaulted Michigan State into the Top Four conversation: Not sure if understand “real shot” playoff talk for Michigan State. They win out they’re in. — Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 21, 2015 Furthermore, FiveThirtyEight.com’s Nate Silver indicated Michigan State’s CFP odds increased to 46 percent after the win, while Ohio State’s dropped to 29 percent as a result of the loss. With that said, Silver provided a rough blueprint for the Buckeyes to sneak into the playoff with a crucial showdown against Michigan on the horizon: How’s tOSU still make it? 1) Beat UM, MSU loses to PSU, beat Iowa. 2) Crush UM to finish 11-1 & impress committee, hope for chaos elsewhere — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 21, 2015 Beyond win-loss scenarios in the weeks ahead, logic appears to dictate that the Buckeyes are in for a drop in the Associated Press Top 25 and CFP rankings based on the context surrounding Saturday’s painful loss. Not only did the Buckeyes lose to Michigan State at home, but they also did so against a Spartans team that was without starting quarterback Connor Cook (shoulder). Furthermore, Ohio State managed to pick up only 132 yards in the loss—162 fewer than MSU posted. According to College GameDay’s Chris Fallica, OSU’s 132 yards were the 10th-fewest in a game by an FBS team this season and the fifth-fewest among Power Five schools. “Oh boy,” head coach Urban Meyer said in regard to his team’s chances of earning a spot in the playoff, according to Bleacher Report’s Ben Axelrod. “We have to get some first downs and find some ways to complete some passes and beat our rivals.” After snapping Ohio State’s 23-game winning streak, Michigan State has now defeated the Buckeyes five times when they’ve been undefeated and ranked in the AP Top Five, per ESPN Stats & Info. Ohio State has myriad problems to correct on the offensive side of the ball if it wants to have any hope of beating Michigan’s sixth-ranked scoring defense next weekend…
Continue Reading: Michigan State vs. Ohio State: How Buckeyes’ Loss Impacts Rankings, CFP Picture
