Ohio State sees noticeable dip on ESPN's Playoff Predictor following cancellation of The Game

Ohio State is facing the prospect of not getting to six games following Tuesday’s cancellation, and it is definitely impacting the outlook for the Buckeyes to reach the College Football Playoff.

For one, not getting a sixth game would currently eliminate Ryan Day’s squad from playing in the B1G Championship Game. At 5-0, the Buckeyes would fall short of the six-game threshold, unless B1G leadership decided to waive that threshold.

During Tuesday’s reveal of the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, ESPN unveiled the latest updates to its Playoff Predictor model. As you can see below, the cancellation of Ohio State’s game with Michigan has dropped the odds for the Buckeyes:

The Allstate #CFBPlayoff Predictor ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rxoX8x6plN

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) December 9, 2020

Ohio State is still at 74%, but the hit of 13 percentage points is definitely noticeable. It should also be noted that part of the high percentage for Ohio State probably has to due with the low odds of Texas A&M and Florida, the teams that are behind the Buckeyes on the rankings.

However, it should be noted that an upset of Alabama in the SEC Championship Game by Florida would likely wreak havoc on the top four and jumble these odds. Ohio State would likely benefit from any game it can schedule this weekend to add another win to the resume.