Ohio State has played so well this season, it might not even need to beat Michigan to make the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are 11-0 and have already clinched their berth in the Big Ten Championship Game, and given that they are currently No. 1 in the playoff rankings, they would presumably make the four-team field as a 12-1 conference champion.
That changes nothing this week.
From the clocks inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center counting down to “The Game” to the portions of practices and offseason conditioning workouts dedicated to beating “that team up north,” Ohio State thinks about going to war with its rivals all year long, which means Saturday’s game in Ann Arbor remains as important and as season-defining as ever.