Heather Dinich explains Ohio State's narrowing path to College Football Playoff after Oregon loss

Ohio State’s path to the College Football Playoff took a turn on Saturday with a one-point loss on the road to Oregon. And ESPN’s Heather Dinich thinks this means fewer pathways for the Buckeyes to make the field.

Of course, Ohio State can run the table and win the Big Ten, which would virtually guarantee the Buckeyes one of the automatic bids. But if the Ducks or some other foe can take the league crown, Dinich sees fewer and fewer paths for Ohio State to get an at-large without a win in Eugene.

“Rece, it put tremendous pressure on Ohio State to win at Penn State in November,” Dinich said on Tuesday evening on a preview of the CFP rankings show. “Here’s why. Obviously Ohio State can and wants to win the Big Ten title. But if they don’t and they’re competing for one of those at-large bids, if you’re a two-loss team, that’s OK. But you still need statement wins.”

Outside of an early November game at Penn State, which is shaping up to be a Top 5 matchup of unbeatens, there’s not a lot of meat on the Buckeyes’ schedule.

Ohio State dispatched a solid Iowa team, but rival Michigan isn’t the championship-caliber outfit it’s been in recent years and the next best team remaining on the schedule is likely a matchup with currently undefeated-Indiana.

In terms of statement wins, the Buckeyes might be lacking, especially with a loss at Penn State, and be on the wrong side of arguments about strength of schedule and signature wins.

“And if they don’t beat Penn State, they better hope that Indiana and Michigan are still ranked by the committee on selection day. Because that non-conference lineup for the Buckeyes — Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall — I promise you it will go under the microscope in that committee meeting room,” Dinich said. 

If it comes down to that, Ohio State aren’t going to stack up favorably against other two-loss at-large contenders.