No two-loss team has ever reached the College Football Playoff, nor has any team who lost a game by 15 or more points.
Ohio State could end both of those streaks.
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The Buckeyes are not only trying to break their own the mark for largest margin of regular-season defeat for a playoff participant (14 points, 35-21, vs. Virginia Tech in 2014), they're trying to break it with two 15-plus-point losses. They lost by 15 points to Oklahoma on Sept. 9 and 31 points to Iowa on Nov. 4. Conventional wisdom suggested that the second loss — an utter demolition of historic proportions — ended Ohio State's chance at a playoff.
Nope. The Buckeyes still have a chance.
Obviously they need to win out, which would include victories over Michigan (on the road) on Saturday and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 2. If they win both games, there is a path for consideration as the No. 4 seed.
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Alabama: Alabama beats Auburn in the regular-season finale and Georgia in the SEC Championship to earn the No. 1 seed.
Clemson: Clemson wins out, beating South Carolina in the regular-season finale and Miami (FL) in the ACC Championship. The Tigers get the No. 2 seed.
Miami (FL): Pittsburgh shocks Miami at Heinz Field on Friday, and while the 'Canes don't completely fall out of the playoff picture with a loss, they are done a week later when losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship. Ohio State jumps Miami.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma beats West Virginia at home in the regular-season finale and TCU — who just needs to beat Baylor in their finale to earn the Big 12's second spot — in the Big 12 Championship. The Sooners get the No. 3 seed.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin narrowly edges Minnesota on Saturday and is beaten handily by Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. The one-loss Badgers are hopped by the two-loss Buckeyes.
Auburn: Auburn loses to Alabama on Saturday. The Tigers are done.
Georgia: Georgia defeats Georgia Tech in the Bulldogs' regular-season finale but is hammered by Alabama in the SEC Championship, sending them tumbling in the final CFP rankings.
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