Ryan Day

The Big Ten may have expected its marquee clash of Week 9 to determine the league's College Football Playoff front-runner.

After the Penn State Nittany Lions' loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, however, a whole different set of circumstances surround their home clash with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Saturday night's contest is still valuable to Ohio State's playoff hopes, but it does not have a chance to earn a top-10 victory, like the Alabama Crimson Tide earned over the Georgia Bulldogs. The No. 1 Clemson Tigers, meanwhile, are scheduled to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 10.

Ohio State is one of seven undefeated teams in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll. If the Buckeyes win and an upset or two occur to programs in the teens, a few Group of Five programs could continue their surges up the rankings.

                  

Week 9 AP Top 25

1. Clemson (6-0)

2. Alabama (5-0)

3. Ohio State (1-0)

4. Notre Dame (5-0)

5. Georgia (3-1)

6. Oklahoma State (4-0)

7. Cincinnati (4-0)

8. Texas A&M (3-1)

9. Wisconsin (1-0)

10. Florida (2-1)

11. BYU (6-0)

12. Miami (5-1)

13. Michigan (1-0)

14. Oregon (0-0)

15. North Carolina (4-1)

16. Kansas State (4-1)

17. Indiana (1-0)

18. Penn State (0-1)

19. Marshall (5-0)

20. Coastal Carolina (5-0)

21. USC (0-0)

22. SMU (5-1)

23. Iowa State (3-2)

24. Oklahoma (3-2)

25. Boise State (1-0)

             

Coaches Poll

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Ohio State

4. Notre Dame

5. Georgia

6. Oklahoma State

7. Cincinnati 

8. Texas A&M

9. Florida

10. BYU 

11. Wisconsin

12. Miami

13. North Carolina

14. Michigan

15. Oregon

16. Kansas State

17. Penn State

18. Marshall

19. Indiana

20. USC

21. Coastal Carolina

22. Iowa State

23. SMU

24. Oklahoma

25. Army

              

Standings Predictions

Ohio State Doesn't Gain Any Ground with Win Over Penn State

Ohio State carries a few disadvantages compared to Alabama and Clemson in its hunt to be the No. 1 team in the rankings.

The Buckeyes started late and do not have many opportunities to beat the high-quality teams that the Crimson Tide and Tigers could roll.

Week 9 was supposed to feature a top-10 showdown between the Buckeyes and Penn State, but instead the Nittany Lions are hovering on the edge of the top 20 and may be knocked out of the rankings with a defeat. 

Ohio State has won seven of its past eight meetings with Penn State. Last season's 11-point win was the largest margin of victory in the series since the Buckeyes won in 2015. If Ryan Day's team rolls to another double-digit victory, it may not impress the voters much since Penn State would be 0-2 and far removed from the College Football Playoff discussion.

Clemson and Alabama do not face a slew of Top 25 teams, but their toughest opponents are still in the mix for a title. Alabama controlled the second half versus Georgia to take control of the SEC, and Clemson can put a stranglehold on the ACC title race by beating Notre Dame.

Since both of those wins would be top-five victories and Ohio State would be left with a win over 18th-ranked Penn State, it would not move up from No. 3 with a Week 9 triumph inside Beaver Stadium.

The good news for Ohio State is that the Michigan Wolverines could be in the top 10 by their December 12 clash and that the Indiana Hoosiers may land in the top 15 by November 21. But for now, it has to wait for its first top-10 victory.

                   

Marshall, Coastal Carolina Continue to Climb

If Penn State stumbles at home, it could open the door for the Marshall Thundering Herd and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to inch closer to the top 15.

Marshall moved up three spots to No. 19 in the AP Top 25, while Coastal Carolina used a five-spot surge to pull ahead of the USC Trojans at No. 20.

If the Thundering Herd defense continues to hold opponents under 20 points, it should dispense of the Florida International Panthers on Friday night. Marshall held three foes to single digits, including the Florida Atlantic Owls in Week 8.

If that is the case, the Herd could sit back and project how far their next leap in the standings could be.

Coastal Carolina could do the same following its early-afternoon clash with the Georgia State Panthers.  The Chanticleers possess four double-digit victories and have a ranked victory in tow from knocking off the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

With Penn State hosting Ohio State and Kansas State facing a tricky road test against the West Virginia Mountaineers, there could be two spots available for Marshall and Coastal Carolina to slide into.

If more upsets occur to top-15 teams, one or both could land in that echelon of the rankings Sunday, but it is more likely that a gradual climb occurs.

Both teams need more losses from the teams ahead of them and for the Cincinnati Bearcats to slip up at some point to be real players in the race to be the Group of Five representative in the New Year's Six. No. 7 Cincinnati faces a potentially tricky home game against the Memphis Tigers in Week 9, while the BYU Cougars are expected to produce another blowout win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Marshall and Coastal Carolina can continue to close the gap between themselves and Cincinnati and BYU, but they must remain perfect in the process of hoping for more upsets to push for the New Year's Six.

                        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day apologized after his team went for a touchdown instead of kneeling on its final drive of a 52-17 blowout of Nebraska on Saturday. 

"I feel bad about that," Day told reporters postgame, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

"I had a younger quarterback in the game, and I didn't feel like we had the personnel to take the knee, and I probably should have done that. So I just want to publicly apologize to them, to [Nebraska coach] Scott [Frost]."

No. 5 Ohio State and Nebraska were tied at 14 in the second quarter, but the Buckeyes outscored the Cornhuskers 38-3 the rest of the way in a 52-17 victory at home in Columbus' Ohio Stadium.

OSU's final touchdown was the result of a two-yard run from backup freshman quarterback Jack Miller III with 1:40 left. The Buckeyes could have knelt on the ball and ended the game after OSU earned a first down the play before.

Per Rittenberg, Frost did not address OSU's final possession in his postgame presser, but Day said he would call Frost personally to apologize.

OSU will visit Penn State next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Nebraska will host Wisconsin on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

The Ohio State Buckeyes' arrival to the 2020 college football season should open up an expanded discussion regarding the College Football Playoff.

Ryan Day's side is the favorite to win the Big Ten, and it has a chance to assert its dominance over the next two weeks. The Buckeyes start with a presumably easy matchup versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers and then have a prospective top-10 showdown with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Ohio State is expected to be in the playoff mix alongside the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide, who both face unranked opponents in Week 8. Alabama holds the best victory of the three from its Week 7 triumph over the Georgia Bulldogs, but that could change in the coming weeks.

One week after Ohio State faces Penn State, Clemson takes on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC's biggest game of the season.

                     

CFB Playoff and New Year's Six Predictions

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Georgia

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State 

Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Penn State

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Miami

Peach Bowl: SMU vs. Florida

               

Ohio State's opener against Nebraska should serve as the first display of the team's immense talent, led by quarterback Justin Fields.

A year ago, the Buckeyes routed the Cornhuskers on the road, 48-7, and totaled 580 yards. Fields put up four total touchdowns, threw for 212 yards and ran for 72 yards.

Expect the Buckeyes to use Saturday's opener as an opportunity to break players into their offense, including wide receivers Jameson Williams and Julian Fleming. Oklahoma transfer running back Trey Sermon should receive a decent chunk of touches alongside Master Teague III as well.

If all goes well for the Buckeyes, they will gain some traction in the rankings ahead of their clash with Penn State. There is a chance they jump over Georgia since the Bulldogs are off in Week 8 and suffered a loss.

Clemson is expected to remain atop the rankings with a win against a weaker opponent in the Syracuse Orange. The Tigers torched the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for 73 points in Week 7 and are set to take on a defense that let up back-to-back 38-point performances to the Duke Blue Devils and Liberty Flames.

A few weeks ago, Alabama's trip to Neyland Stadium may have been viewed as a tricky contest, but after the Tennessee Volunteers' debacle at home against the Kentucky Wildcats last Saturday, it looks like the Crimson Tide will roll through that matchup.

A year ago, Nick Saban's side produced a 22-point victory over Tennessee, which is coached by his former assistant Jeremy Pruitt. Saban has never lost to a program coached by his former assistants.

If Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State win all of their games, the debate will be focused on the No. 4 seed.

Notre Dame and Georgia could face Clemson and Alabama twice, and if they lose both of those contests, they would drop out of the playoff conversation.

That must be the situation the Big 12 is rooting for to still have a chance of placing a squad in the four-team playoff. The Pac-12 should wish for the same thing to push the Oregon Ducks into the discussion.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys can establish themselves as the Big 12's top playoff candidate Saturday with a win over the Iowa State Cyclones, who knocked the Oklahoma Sooners out of contention.

Oklahoma State is the only unbeaten side left in the Big 12, and it has the potential to earn some quality wins in the next four games, with the Texas Longhorns, Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma up after Iowa State.

There should be more clarity in the Group of Five rankings after Saturday's tilt between the Cincinnati Bearcats and SMU Mustangs, both of whom are undefeated. The winner of that contest is likely the front-runner to land the Group of Five berth in the New Year's Six.

                  

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

The latest shakeups in the AP Top 25 will occur in Week 8, when the Big Ten begins its conference-only schedule.

Over the past few weeks, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions have been jumped by teams on the ascendancy in the top 10.

Ohio State did not move in front of the Georgia Bulldogs ahead of its season debut despite the SEC East side dropping its first game of the season to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Penn State moved up a position to No. 8, but it was vaulted by the Texas A&M Aggies after they produced their second consecutive win.

How the Big Ten's top two teams perform in Week 8 could sway votes for higher positions in their directions.

While the Big Ten will get most of the Saturday spotlight, there are two other games involving undefeated top-10 teams that could give us a better idea of where they stand with November looming on the horizon.

                             

Week 8 AP Top 25

1. Clemson (5-0)

2. Alabama (4-0)

3. Notre Dame (4-0)

4. Georgia (3-1)

5. Ohio State

6. Oklahoma State (3-0)

7. Texas A&M (3-1)

8. Penn State

9. Cincinnati (3-0)

10. Florida (2-1)

11. Miami (4-1)

12. BYU (5-0)

13. Oregon

T14. North Carolina (3-1)

T14. Wisconson

16. SMU (5-0)

17. Iowa State (3-1)

18. Michigan

19. Virginia Tech (3-1)

20. Kansas State (3-1)

21. Minnesota

22. Marshall (4-0)

23. NC State (4-1)

24. USC

25. Coastal Carolina (4-0)

          

Predictions For Week 8 Standings

Ohio State, Penn State Gain Ground in Top 10 with Victories

After spending the past two months watching the other power programs on the gridiron, Ohio State and Penn State have opportunities to prove they belong among the nation's elite teams starting Saturday.

The Buckeyes are expected to be the Big Ten's top College Football Playoff contender, and they have a chance to assert their dominance in their home game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Ryan Day's team scored 292 points against unranked Big Ten opponents at home in the past two years, and it torched Nebraska's defense in a 48-7 road victory last season.

Saturday's meeting with Nebraska is the first of three contests against unranked conference foes in 2020, and it could serve as a good starting point for its title quest.

If Ohio State performs at the level it has against lesser opposition at home in recent seasons, it should make voters think about placing it above Georgia until it drops a game.

Penn State faces the trickier Big Ten opener since it has to visit the Indiana Hoosiers, who tested the Nittany Lions in a one-score game at Beaver Stadium in 2019.

Tom Allen's program is coming off an 8-5 season in which all four of its conference defeats came to Top 25 teams. Since the Hoosiers failed to nail down a marquee victory in 2019, it is hard to believe they will upset a Penn State squad that won four of its five matchups with unranked Big Ten foes by double digits in 2019.

If James Franklin's team controls its contest, it would set up at least a top-eight showdown with Ohio State in Week 9, and the Nittany Lions could be ranked higher if they impress voters more than the teams around them.

                     

Oklahoma State, Cincinnati Face Challenges to Remain in Top 10

Two of the four Top 25 matchups in Week 8 involve programs that benefited from the Big Ten's inactivity to boost their respective rankings.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys climbed up to No. 6 as the lone unbeaten team left in the Big 12, while the Cincinnati Bearcats are the highest-ranked Group of Five team at No. 9.

Both programs face their toughest challenges yet against the Iowa State Cyclones and SMU Mustangs, respectively, who have pulled off some impressive victories this season.

Iowa State won three games in a row and scored an upset over the then-No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners on October 3. Matt Campbell's side put up 486 total yards in a seven-point loss to Oklahoma State in 2019.

SMU owns a Top 25 victory over the Memphis Tigers from October 3, and in its last meeting with the Bearcats in 2018, it pushed them to overtime.

Cincinnati and Oklahoma State combined to play a single ranked opponent in 2020. In that game, Cincinnati mustered a 24-10 win over the Army Black Knights.

SMU presents a step or two up in competition because of its passing attack led by Shane Buechele, who is second in the FBS in passing yards with 1,710.

Given the recent results out of Iowa State and SMU and their close history against Oklahoma State and Cincinnati, the No. 6 and No. 9 teams could be the ranked programs in the most danger of losing their high positions.

                     

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

The College Football Playoff conversation comes into a more intense focus in Week 7.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs face off in the season's first top-five clash Saturday, and the winner will be the front-runner to reach the playoff out of the SEC.

Clemson fits that billing out of the ACC, and it is one of the three programs from the conference sitting in the top five of the AP Top 25. 

The list of potential playoff contenders participating in games will grow in Week 8 when the Big Ten takes the field for the first time. 

Ohio State and Penn State are expected to be the two best playoff contenders from the Big Ten, but they will be at a slight disadvantage since the ACC, SEC and Big 12 have been playing games for a few weeks. 

           

College Football Playoff Projections

New Year's Six

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Georgia

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Cotton Bowl: Florida vs. Oklahoma State 

Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Penn State

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. North Carolina

Peach Bowl: SMU vs. Miami

The four playoff participants could end up being familiar faces to the final four. 

Clemson and Ohio State advanced to the playoff last season and played each other in one of the two national semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl.

Alabama missed out on the playoff for the first time in its current iteration last season after falling to LSU.

With the Tigers dealing with some early-season struggles, the Crimson Tide are back on top of the SEC West with few potential challengers in sight. 

Even if Alabama loses at home to Georgia, it would still have a path to the playoff since the defeat would not come against a divisional foe. 

The Crimson Tide may not have to go through that scenario since they have beaten Georgia three times since 2015, with one of those victories occurring in the 2018 National Championship Game. 

The same sentence above regarding an Alabama loss applies to a potential Georgia defeat. The Bulldogs already beat Tennessee and have to play Florida later in the season. 

If Georgia loses to Alabama but takes care of its top SEC East threats, it could find itself in a rematch with the Crimson Tide in December. 

Clemson and Notre Dame could face a similar fate. The two sides meet November 7 and are viewed as the two best teams in the ACC above North Carolina at the moment. 

The Tar Heels sit at a disadvantage compared to Notre Dame since they do not face Clemson in the regular season. 

But that might not even matter if Clemson sweeps through the ACC as it did on its way to the title game last season. 

The ACC could make a case to put two teams in the playoff, but the conference may need Notre Dame or North Carolina to beat Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and for Georgia to have two losses for that to happen. 

There is even a possible scenario in which Georgia gets into the playoff with two losses—if they are both to Alabama. 

That could be dependent on what happens in the Big Ten and Pac-12 once they return to play. Ohio State can gain a significant early advantage in the Big Ten by beating Penn State October 31. 

Ohio State only has one other Top 25 matchup scheduled against Michigan, but the strength of the schedule may not matter if it is as dominant as previous seasons. 

The Pac-12 is typically at a disadvantage due to its overall strength, and the same can be said about the Big 12 at the moment. 

Oklahoma State is the only Big 12 team with an undefeated overall record, and just three teams have not suffered a conference defeat. 

Unless the Cowboys run the table, the Big 12 could be shut out of a playoff position at the expense of the ACC or SEC.

The Big 12 champion is likely bound for the New Year's Six, where it could play an SEC team since the conference should have one or two teams end up in the Top 10 beneath Alabama and Georgia by the end of the season. 

Cincinnati, SMU and BYU appear to be the best candidates to represent the Group of Five in the New Year's Six. 

SMU and BYU gained ground in that competition Friday with road victories. Cincinnati will not be in action in Week 7 due to a postponement.

            

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Some members of Ohio State's football staff are taking extreme measures as the Buckeyes prepare to begin their 2020 season against Nebraska on Oct. 24.

Head coach Ryan Day explained how some coaches are refraining from staying at their homes.

"Didn't put any guidelines in place or tell somebody how to handle their business at all," Day said, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "We just talked about how having school-aged children who are going to school is a risk. They're at school, they're exposed. Some of the sports leagues are still going on and they're playing. It's an exposure, it's an unknown, so to be aware of it; each guy's handling it their own way."

Day added that coaches haven't completely isolated themselves from their family members and that the 41-year-old is "still trying to figure this part of it out" with his family.

For a number of reasons, setting up any sort of bubble tied to the college football season is impossible. That leaves teams at the mercy of the pandemic.

Virginia Tech, for example, was without 23 players for its 45-24 win over NC State last Saturday. It remains unclear how many of those absences were COVID-19-related.

The Big Ten originally announced in August it was postponing all fall sports because of the pandemic. Day was among those from within the conference who criticized the decision.

Big Ten officials reversed course, announcing on Sept. 16 that it was instituting new COVID-19 health and safety protocols while paving the way for football to return on the weekend of October 23-24. Any athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 is subject to further testing and a 21-day period in isolation.

Ohio State has 120 football players and 50 staffers who get tested daily under the Big Ten's new policy.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has called on the Big Ten to begin the college football season despite concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

pic.twitter.com/H3aA2dAmuN

— Ryan Day (@ryandaytime) September 10, 2020

"The Big Ten medical subcommittee has done an excellent job of creating a safe pathway toward returning to play in mid-October," Day wrote Thursday.

The Big Ten announced on Aug. 11 it would postpone all fall sports, including football, without any official restart date. Despite the decision, three other power conferences will move forward with the season after a few weeks of delays.

Day noted others will be on the field this weekend, concluding, "Our players want to know: why can't they play?"

There has been significant backlash regarding the Big Ten's decision to postpone the year, especially from the Buckeyes.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields started a petition that received over 300,000 signatures calling for the conference to reverse its decision.

Considering the team is rated No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, the squad would have a chance to compete for a national championship if it were allowed to play games. A delayed season would not let the team take part in the College Football Playoffs.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh also participated in a protest led by the parents of Wolverines players.

Despite the push for games to begin soon, Wisconsin was forced to suspended practices for two weeks as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Justin Fields will be OK.

Let's start at the conclusion to avoid any misgivings about the premise. He's an ultra-talented quarterback who is soon headed to the NFL. Fields will have a chance to become the face of a franchise and put together a long, successful professional career.

But right now, as with hundreds of other college football players who aren't suiting up this fall, it hurts.

"It" is not playing a season in 2020—something that seemed unconscionable as 2019 ended. Not guiding Ohio State's run at a Big Ten or national championship. Not taking the field with his teammates. Not showing off an improved skill here or there. Not having the expected chance to build his profile for the 2021 NFL draft.

Nevertheless, at least as he fights for the Big Ten to reverse its decision, Fields can remember he did everything he could—unlike a season not permitting even that.

Personal opinions about the current world situation vary dramatically. We're not interested in discussing the "why" of what's happening or whether the cancellation was a good choice. In this space—at this moment—the focus is on what a talented athlete no longer has a chance to pursue.

Without a doubt, Fields would first mention Ohio State's team goals.

What is @justnfields’s message to Big 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren & OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith?#WeWantToPlay pic.twitter.com/wxrdAOIHEk

— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) August 17, 2020

As three-time reigning Big Ten champions, the Buckeyes have solidified themselves as the class of the conference. They would've entered the 2020 campaign as the favorites in the league ahead of Penn State, Wisconsin and rival Michigan.

Ohio State reached the College Football Playoff last season, but it ended on a bitterly disappointing note. Trailing 29-23 in the final minute of regulation against Clemson in the semifinals, a miscommunication between Fields and Chris Olave resulted in an interception. Clemson advanced to the national championship.

Even after Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, J.K. Dobbins and others headed to the NFL, the 2020 Buckeyes were built to appear on the sport's biggest stage once again.

"This team is special," head coach Ryan Day said, per Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch. "It's special because it's talented. It's special because it has leadership. It's special because of the character. It could have been a once-in-a-lifetime team."

Fields would have headlined the "special" roster with an eye on eclipsing the 2019 team's accomplishments. Instead, there will be no redemption for this moment.

The junior signal-caller would've been in position to thrive.

Ohio State returned three All-Big Ten performers on the offensive line, including All-American right guard Wyatt Davis. Running back Master Teague III and Olave both earned All-Big Ten honors last year, and wideout Garrett Wilson has that upside.

It's entirely reasonable to say Fields could've surpassed his 2019 production this fall. Considering what he accomplished last year, that's pretty incredible.

Fields completed 67.2 percent of his passes while averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. He racked up 3,273 passing yards with 41 touchdowns to three interceptions, also running for 484 yards and 10 scores. Those numbers could've been much higher, yet Ohio State dominated so many games that he often didn't play in the fourth quarter—and sometimes even the third.

He trailed only LSU's Joe Burrow and Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts in Heisman Trophy voting. While most players would take a national title over an individual award, that's still a big deal. Fields neared 2020 as the co-favorite with Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.

That only seemed fitting given the history between these two quarterbacks.

Lawrence and Fields ended the 2018 recruiting cycle as the Nos. 1 and 2 prospects. They faced off in the Fiesta Bowl. Lawrence won both of those battles, but 2020 offered Fields a chance to write a new chapter. Now, though, he's no longer part of the Heisman race. And that's not helping his case for No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, either.

Along with North Dakota State standout Trey Lance, Lawrence and Fields are considered the best draft-eligible quarterbacks. Lawrence will lead Clemson this fall in a full slate of games, and Lance has one opportunity against Central Arkansas in October in NDSU's lone 2020 matchup.

Fields won't have a spotlight until the spring. Perhaps it won't have a big impact on his perception relative to Lawrence and Lance, but we can't confidently say the opposite is impossible.

Yes, he technically could stay in college for 2021. However, it'd be stunning if Fields throws another pass at Ohio State. He's already a top player, and a theoretical spring season in February, March and April overlaps a critical time for draft prospects.

From a value perspective, there is no sense in entertaining that risk.

Long-term, Fields will be OK. He's a likely first-round selection and will sign a hefty contract to play quarterback in the NFL. The lost season cannot steal that from Fields.

But a promising future merely dulls the disappointment of no championship chase and no race for an individual award. All that's left is an indirect competition with a familiar, friendly nemesis—one who gets to pursue everything Fields is missing out on in 2020.

Editor's note: This article has been updated after news the Big Ten is still considering a fall season.            

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wouldn't rule out the idea of the Buckeyes leaving the Big Ten for the 2020 season should the conference cancel or postpone the 2020 fall college football season. 

Day said Monday on College Football Live that "we need to look at every option" when asked about temporarily joining another Power Five conference:

Ryan Day says his players feel safer at the football facility than being elsewhere. That the players have said they want to play, so he feels it’s his job to advocate for them.

Says “We can not cancel the season right now.” “We owe it to these kids” to exhaust every option.

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) August 10, 2020

Ohio State coach Ryan Day was just asked on ESPN about playing in another conference if the Big Ten shuts down: "We need to look at every option. And if that's the only option, we need to explore it and see if that's something we can do."

👀

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 10, 2020

The Big Ten has already adopted a conference-only scheduling format. The Detroit Free Press' Orion Sang, David Jesse, Chris Solari and Chris Thomas reported the conference will cancel a fall football season altogether.

Cleveland.com's Nathan Baird reported Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson would vote against canceling the season if the matter is brought to a vote Monday.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said Monday in a press conference the school is "committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks," alluding to a possible move away from the Big Ten.

"Our University is committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is."#Huskers HC Scott Frost on opponents for 2020. pic.twitter.com/kTPN9znv0v

— Huskers Radio Network (@HuskersRadio) August 10, 2020

During his radio show on Monday, Dan Patrick echoed the Free Press report and added that the Pac-12 is planning to announce a cancellation. The ACC and Big 12 remain undecided:

DP was told an hour ago that the Big 10 and Pac 12 will cancel their football seasons tomorrow... The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence.. And the SEC is trying to get teams to join them for a season.

Watch live: https://t.co/sMaeXQkLfl pic.twitter.com/oSUNGMTEqw

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) August 10, 2020

Finding a new conference is one obvious hurdle in front of Ohio State, Nebraska and any other school that might consider realigning for 2020 in order to play football. If one or more Power Five conference wipes out the season, the holdouts might have a difficult time justifying continuing to play without significantly damaging the NCAA's position that college athletes are amateurs.

I agree, @bySLPrice. Playing college football this fall will open up schools, conferences, coaches & NCAA to lawsuits should players get sick. Also, if players are required to spend more time on athletics or relocate to a bubble, they'll gain stronger argument they are employees. https://t.co/WicKoCstNd

— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 9, 2020

Setting up a bubble to house a limited number of programs is the most straightforward solution since multiple leagues in the United States have shown the approach can significantly curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

Some would argue the stratified landscape is already ripe for Power Five conferences to separate themselves from the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The pandemic might hasten what already feels inevitable, thus potentially altering college football in ways that would have ripple effects for years to come.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott tweeted "Snitches get stitches" in response to a tweet from ESPN's Field Yates that referenced Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh accusing Ohio State of cheating in a coaches' conference call:

Snitches get stitches https://t.co/mX1KWdsG6F

— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) August 6, 2020

Elliott played at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach outlined the incident that prompted Elliott's reaction:

"During a conference call among Big Ten coaches on Monday, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh reportedly interrupted Ohio State's Ryan Day and accused the Buckeyes of breaking rules regarding on-field instruction.

"Harbaugh asked Day about a photo that purportedly showed Buckeyes assistant Al Washington working with Ohio State's linebackers. NCAA rules don't permit on-field instruction until Friday."

Day then told Harbaugh, per Bucknuts.com (h/t Schlabach) the following: "How about I worry about my team and you worry about yours?"

Following the meeting, Day reportedly told his team Monday that Michigan had better hope there is a mercy rule when the two teams play, as he said the Buckeyes were "going to hang 100 on them."

Ohio State and Michigan are scheduled to face off on Oct. 24 in Columbus, Ohio. OSU has won eight straight versus Michigan and 15 of the last 16. Harbaugh is 0-5 in the series as a head coach, and the Wolverines have given up 118 points in the last two editions of The Game.