Buckeyes Odd Man Out?

On return from the trip up to Champaign, Illinois, which resulted in a 30-20 victory over the Fighting Illini, the Buckeyes find themselves, once again, not in control of their own post-season destiny. There are many possibilities of where the Buckeyes will be playing come the first week of January, and the only place you can really count out is the BCS National Championship Game in Dolphins Stadium.

With a win on Saturday against That School Up North, and a Michigan State victory in Happy Valley, the picture becomes very clear, as the Buckeyes will go to the Rose Bowl against the Pac-10 Champion. If Sparty comes up short, this is where the picture gets Fuzzy. OSU will clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a win Saturday and put themselves in great shape for a BCS at-large bid, but nothing is guarenteed. There are ten BCS bowl slots, six will go to the six BCS conference champions, one will go to Utah or Boise State (non-BCS school in Top 12 BCS standings), one will go to a second SEC school, one will go to a second Big 12 school, and the last spot is up for grabs. That spot is likely to be the Buckeyes’, but another OSU is trying to throw a wrench in those plans.

Oregon State, the only team to defeat USC this year, stands atop the Pac-10 standings with the Trojans, and holds the head-to-head tie-breaker over Pete Carroll’s squad. The Beavers are in control of their own destiny and if they win at Arizona and at home against Oregon, they will be headed to the Rose Bowl. If this is the case, USC would most likely earn the last BCS at-large spot, making the Buckeyes the “odd-man out”.

In this scenario, OSU would likely play either LSU or Georgia in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida on January 1. Although this is not a bad bowl by any means, it certinly would be a disappointing finish for a team that had such high expectations coming into this season. Just like last year, the Buckeyes must do their part and beat Michigan, and wait things out, hoping for a little help from some other teams around the country.

Go to Source