Heather Dinich: Ohio State-Penn State loser in 'precarious' position with College Football Playoff committee

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Penn State is going to open the final month of the season as a game with major implications in the Big Ten and for the College Football Playoff.

On Friday, Heather Dinich discussed the eventual effects of this matchup between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions while on ‘SportsCenter’.

She began with Ohio State as they already have one loss at 6-1. If they were to add a second, she doesn’t see more than one opportunity for them to make an impression on the committee as an at-large that wouldn’t have played in their conference championship.

“Well, it starts with the Buckeyes because, if they have two losses, they’re going to be in a very precarious playoff position because their best remaining opportunity to impress the committee down the stretch would be against Indiana,” Dinich explained. “As we sit here today, two two-loss teams, LSU and Alabama, are already ranked higher than one-loss Ohio State in ESPN’s Strength of Record metric.”

Ohio State has this game in Happy Valley as the difference between 11-1 with a chance at the Big Ten Championship and 10-2. That’s assuming that they win their final two games of the season over a ranked team in the Hoosiers before The Game against That Team Up North.

Penn State is playing for a ton too. For one, they’re once again trying to be rid of their issues regarding Ohio State. For two, while still undefeated and likely to at least win double-digit games, Dinich thinks it’s more about potential positioning in the field for the Nittany Lions.

“Then, when you look at Penn State, a lot of people think, ‘Oh, they’re undefeated, they have one loss. They’ll survive!’. Well, hold on a minute,” said Dinich. “Everyone needs to remember that the four highest-ranked conference champions get a first-round bye and teams seeded five through eight get a first-round home game. So, every time these teams take the field, if they’re in contention for their conference title, they are playing for something when it comes to seeding in the College Football Playoff.”

If Penn State wins, they have a clear path to finishing at 12-0 with a berth there in the Big Ten Championship and CFP. They don’t play anyone else at the top of the conference for the rest of the season – which makes this one all the more important to get, especially inside Beaver Stadium.

A top-five matchup will have a lot on the line in any context. Still, these two teams playing for pride as well as possible postseason spots to open the final month of the season makes it that much bigger for both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.