How Ohio State could make College Football Playoff: a timeline

Ohio State is ranked No. 5 in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings. The Buckeyes are playing in conference championship games on Friday and Saturday. They are within reach of qualifying for the program's fifth playoff in nine seasons.

No. 4 USC plays No. 11 Utah in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday at 8 p.m. The Trojans lost to the Utes 43-42 on Oct. 15 on the road.

No. 10 Kansas State plays No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 championship game on Saturday at noon. If USC beats Utah, Ohio State fans will get their temporary Utes hats. TCU beat Kansas state 38-28 in regular season.

No. 14 LSU plays No. 1 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Oddsmakers have Georgia as an 18-point favorite. If Georgia wins the championship, it will be the top seed in College Football Playoff. Ohio State would be No 4 seed and play Georgia for the first time since 1992.

Purdue and Michigan are playing for the Big Ten championship on Saturday at 8 p.m. Michigan beat Ohio State 45-23 last week. The Wolverines are 13-0 and can win the championship and take the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

The Peach Bowl in Atlanta and the Fiesta Bowl will be the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. The Rose Bowl is the traditional home for the top available Big Ten team. It's on Jan. 2 with a likely opponent of Utah or Washington from the Pac-12.