College Football Playoff rankings live updates: Countdown to today’s release after Week 13 games

The last time Ohio State played at Michigan in 2023, Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt lamented on the broadcast that it would be the last edition of “The Game” that would have those kinds of stakes once college football adopted a 12-team Playoff in 2024. He was right — kind of.

If the 12-team field had been in effect in that 2023 game, then Ohio State would have definitely made the field despite the loss, as it entered 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. In fact, that scenario played out last year. Ohio State entered with enough margin for error to make the Playoff even after getting stunned 13-10 by a five-loss Michigan team in Columbus. The Buckeyes then used that as fuel to run the table and reach a national championship.

This year, however, high stakes for both teams have returned to “The Game.” Despite being 11-0 and the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State may be in the Playoff already but has not yet secured a return trip to the Big Ten Championship Game, which it has not played in since the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

The main reason? A 9-2 Michigan team with just one conference loss can still leapfrog the Buckeyes with a win today (and some help). And a win over the top team in the nation would force the Playoff committee to seriously consider Michigan for an at-large spot, regardless of whether it makes another conference title game. Meanwhile, Michigan is definitely eliminated from the Playoff with a loss, a bonus for an Ohio State team that will not lack any motivation entering Saturday with a four-game losing streak in college football’s greatest rivalry.