There’s a good chance that Ohio State’s season will be on the line on Saturday, as Ryan Day leads his Buckeyes into Beaver Stadium for a top-five showdown against undefeated Penn State. After losing to Oregon and looking awfully shaky last weekend against Nebraska, anxiety around Columbus is high: Come up short in this one, and you can likely kiss your Big 10 title — and even College Football Playoff — hopes goodbye.
Win, though, and suddenly things are right back on track. Knocking off the No. 4-ranked team in the country, in a hostile environment, would be one of the most impressive wins any team could claim on its resume so far this season — and could vault the Buckeyes even further up the college football rankings. While the head-to-head loss to Oregon means that the top spot is out of the question, what about No. 2? Let’s break down the tale of the tape between Ohio State and Georgia, should OSU come out on top in Happy Valley on Saturday.
Ohio State vs. Georgia: Who has the better resume?
First, let’s take stock of where things stand ahead of Week 10. Both Ohio State and Georgia have one loss, both in competitive games on the road against teams regarded at the time as among the very best in the country. But while Oregon has seemingly only gotten better since its showdown with the Buckeyes, Alabama has gone into a bit of a tailspin, losing at Vanderbilt and nearly getting upset at home by South Carolina. Considering the trajectories of each team in the weeks since — and the fact that the Dawgs nearly got run out of Bryant-Denny Stadium before staging a frantic comeback in the second half — you’d have to give Ohio State the slight edge in this particular comparison.
As for which team has the most impressive collection of wins, though, that’s another story. Georgia has arguably the best win of any team this season: While Oregon squeaked by Ohio State at home thanks to some late-game shenanigans, the Dawgs ran roughshod over Texas on the road, maybe the most convincing a team has looked all year considering the opponent and the moment. Georgia also has a marquee nonconference win, blowing out a Clemson team that has since proven to be among the best in the ACC. Ohio State, on the other hand, played three Group of 5 teams, and not particularly good ones. The Buckeyes’ best win at this point might be at home against Iowa, and all due respect to Kirk Ferentz and Co., that doesn’t mean what it used to…