Ohio State coach Ryan Day has tried not to spend too much time thinking about how a six-game schedule could impact the Buckeyes' place in the College Football Playoff.
"We obviously wish we were playing every week," he told reporters on Sunday. "We wish we were playing back in September, but that's not the kids' fault. They've done everything we've asked them to do."
A last-minute rule change paved the way for the Buckeyes to play in the Big Ten title game on Saturday against Northwestern, giving Ohio State one more chance to impress the selection committee. While every conference championship game has the potential to shake up the top four on Selection Day, there might not be a team more heavily scrutinized than Ohio State.
If the Buckeyes beat Northwestern, how they win could play a role in the final ranking.
"I don't think there's any other sport in the world where anything other than winning matters," Day said. "It's very unique that way. If you were to win by one point in the NFL every week and go undefeated and you win the Super Bowl, that's all that matters. College football is different, and this year it's even more strange."
That makes it even more unpredictable. How will the committee decide between a six-win Ohio State team and another contender that might have played 11 games?
Here's a look at how the top conference title games could impact Selection Day, including a "chaos factor," with a score of 5 having the greatest potential to disrupt.
