Why Ohio State’s Call to Play Last Year’s Bowl Helps Alabama and Georgia Now

Fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs will be sending holiday cards to Waco, Texas, and Palo Alto, Calif., after Baylor and Stanford upset Kansas State and Oregon, putting the two SEC powers back in the hunt for the BCS National Championship Game.

Maybe they should send some thanks to Columbus, Ohio, too, because they probably wouldn’t be in this position had it not been for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State chose not to self-impose a bowl ban on itself in 2011 as the NCAA investigated the program for players receiving improper benefits, including memorabilia and tattoos.

Instead, the 6-6 Buckeyes accepted a bid to play in the Gator Bowl against Florida. The NCAA hit Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban in late December, after the matchup had already been set.

Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football