When the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its latest set of rankings on Tuesday, perhaps Ohio State will move up from No. 4 to No. 3. The argument? Their high-octane offense averaged one point per minute on Saturday against a conference spoiler.
The Buckeyes earned their second win over a ranked opponent this season, manhandling No. 19 Purdue, 59-31, in Columbus and improving to 9-1 overall. They didn't fall prey to the Boilermakers' giant-slayer reputation, and instead racked up a whopping, season-high 624 total yards of offense.
"[The real Ohio State is] probably a lot closer to what we saw versus Purdue," Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith told The DA Show on Tuesday. "Purdue's defense is much better -- they were a top-15 defense coming into that game. But one of the things you saw is just how explosive Ohio State can be, especially in the passing game... When you start talking about being one of the best teams, it really comes down to being able to score points...
"They still have some tough games coming, obviously have to play their rival in Michigan at the end of the year, which will probably be their biggest challenge to this point. But they've got to get better of the defensive side... They've got to find a way to get better on the defensive side, but scoring points is what it comes down to. And I think they're right where they want to be, on the offensive side."
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud further cemented himself as a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, completing 31 of 38 passes for 361 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Buckeyes receiver Garrett Wilson also racked up a season-high 126 yards, and became the first player in program history to score three times via the pass and once on the ground in a game.
The Buckeyes' spot in the four-team playoff isn't set in stone. They still need to pass two critical tests, both of which come in top-10 showdowns against No. 7 Michigan State (at home) and No. 6 Michigan (on road). According to ESPN's new Playoff Predictor, Ohio State has a 96-percent chance to reach the College Football Playoff if they win out and claim the conference title.
The entire Big Ten conversation between Griffith and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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