When The Associated Press released its college football rankings three weeks ago, there were eight teams placed ahead of the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes.
It was easier for Ohio State fans to accept its bowl ban then, because even if their team was eligible, reaching the title game seemed more than improbable.
Over the last three weeks, though, seven of those eight teams ranked ahead of the Buckeyes have lost. After a barrage of upsets, only two teams—Ohio State and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish—remain unbeaten after 12 weeks of college football action.
That bowl ban is starting to feel like undercooked chicken in the stomachs of Ohio State fans.
Before the NCAA handed Ohio State its sanctions last December, athletic director Gene Smith and the 6-6 Buckeyes accepted a bid to play the Florida Gators, also 6-6, in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl. The decision to play in that game, instead of self-imposing a bowl ban on a six-loss team last year, has made Smith a very…
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