In what walks, talks and looks like a lost season for the Big Ten, Ohio State is the wobbly conference’s lone remaining undefeated team.
And they’re ineligible for the postseason.
Such is life in the 2012 Big Ten as the No. 12 Buckeyes appear, at least record-wise -- and arguably talent-wise as well -- to be the best the conference has to offer, with a dominating 63-38 (?!?) shellacking of No. 21 Nebraska the latest data point suggesting Urban Meyer and star quarterback Braxton Miller have OSU headed toward a return to the national stage in 2013.
For now, though, the Buckeyes will play in neither the Big Ten championship game if they win the Leaders division nor a bowl -- BcS or otherwise -- thanks to NCAA sanctions levied on the football program because of bylaw indiscretions committed by the previous regime.
Including OSU, the Big Ten started the new football year with five teams ranked inside the Top 25 preseason polls. The other four -- Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin -- have combined for seven losses through the first six weeks, with each suffering varying degrees of embarrassment in their respective toe stubbings.
Ohio State, Nebraska and Northwestern were the lone Big Ten schools ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 headed into the weekend; with the losses suffered by the latter two -- it was the Wildcats’ first after winning their first five games -- OSU could very well be the lone ranked team from the conference when the polls are released Sunday afternoon.
Just two Big Ten schools -- the aforementioned Northwestern and Minnesota (?) -- have one loss after Week 6.
If Ohio State is indeed the lone ranked team from the Big Ten come tomorrow -- there’s a chance the two-loss Wolverines could slide back in thanks to impressive win over a surprising Purdue squad -- it would mark the first time since 1988 -- Michigan, No. 17 when only the Top 20 teams were named -- that just one from the conference is represented in the AP poll.
Again, such is life in the 2012 Big Ten.