You’re Nuts: Which team would you want to see Ohio State play in the College Football Playoff?

With Ohio State’s 59-31 win over Purdue on Saturday, the Buckeyes continue to inch closer to a spot in the College Football Playoff. In the most recent rankings that were released last Tuesday, Ohio State was ranked fourth, which would make them one of the four teams included in the playoff. As long as Ohio State wins their remaining regular season contests against Michigan State and Michigan, as well as the Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes should earn a spot in the CFP for the fifth time in school history.

One team we know that Ohio State wouldn’t meet up with in this year’s CFP are the Clemson Tigers, who the Buckeyes have met in three previous College Football Playoff semifinal games. The other teams that Ohio State have played in previous editions of the CFP are the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oregon Ducks. Both schools were currently ranked ahead of the Buckeyes in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings.

A couple of the teams sitting a couple spots behind Ohio State are going to get their crack at the Buckeyes in the upcoming weeks, as Michigan sits at No. 6, followed by Michigan State at No. 7. With Oklahoma losing to Baylor on Saturday, you’re likely to see Notre Dame move up in the rankings, but after that things figure to get pretty messy with Texas A&M also losing over the weekend.

We want to know who you want to see Ohio State play in the College Football Playoff if the Buckeyes make it to the playoff? It could either be in the semis or the title game. There are some matchups that seem more intriguing than others, and we want to know what moves the needle when it comes to potential CFP opponents.

Today’s question: Which team would you want to see Ohio State play in the College Football Playoff?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: Cincinnati

It would be a fun story to see Luke Fickell have to lead his team against his alma mater. Just to see where the Bearcats stand just a couple years removed for their 42-0 loss to the Buckeyes in Columbus would be interesting to see. Obviously emotions would be high with two teams from Ohio meeting in the College Football Playoff.

A lot of the reason I want to see this matchup is because I think Cincinnati fans are biting off a little more than they can chew. I know Bearcat fans think they want to square off with the Buckeyes, but they need to be careful what they are wishing for. Ohio State is the most complete team Cincinnati would face this year by far, and I don’t think a game against the Buckeyes would have the fairy tale ending that Cincinnati fans think they’ll get.

Just the thought of some families divided over the holidays in Ohio is pretty funny. Arguments over whether the Buckeyes or Bearcats are going to win during Christmas dinner. It would certainly make for a spicy December after many families couldn’t get together last year because of COVID-19. The content coming from family gatherings around the Buckeye State would be outstanding.

Meredith’s answer: Oregon

While there’s still a long way to go in the season until we get to the possibility of a College Football Playoff semi-final matchup, the answer here is obvious: Who else would we want to play other than the one team who put a blemish on our season so early on?

Of course it’s got to be Oregon.

It’s been clear (at least to all those folks who’ve watched every Ohio State game since week two) that the team that took the field in Columbus way back at the start of September is a very different one than we saw on the field last week against Purdue.

CJ Stroud had yet another perfect game against the Boilermakers last Saturday. The defense has been shored up in recent weeks, despite taking a step back against Purdue. Special teams have come on strong as Noah Ruggles has become a household name.

Oregon, similarly, is a different team, but for more unfortunate reasons. Running back CJ Verdell got hurt in the Ducks’ loss to Stanford. It seems like most of Oregon’s linebackers and safeties have missed time at some point this season.

There’s also the point that Oregon lost a game to a questionable Stanford team that’s lost five straight since their win over the Ducks. Plus, despite Ohio State’s nailbiter against Nebraska, Oregon’s wins have come by a much narrower margin deeper into Pac-12 play. On paper, it looks like the Ohio State of today has a clear advantage over today’s Oregon team.

But football isn’t played on paper, and we want to see the real thing.