Ohio State winning was a foregone conclusion, likely to be the last outcome officially decided of championship weekend, but the first assumed.
What mattered was everything else, and by how much: Could the No. 6 Buckeyes trounce Northwestern so that their victory might look more impressive than No. 5 Oklahoma’s? And would No. 1 Alabama eviscerate No. 4 Georgia the way it already had its 12 previous opponents, giving it a swift kick out of consideration?
By kickoff, Oklahoma had soundly defeated No. 14 Texas, and Georgia had come within a touchdown of taking down the Tide after leading for nearly all of the game.