Ohio State 14, Michigan 3 means that the Buckeyes are (once again) Big Ten Conference champions. A week after being upset by Illinois and losing its No. 1 ranking, Ohio State bounced back with a dominant victory in Ann Arbor.
The outcome means:
1. The Buckeyes are assured of (at least) a Rose Bowl bid.
2. The Big Ten will get only one team in the Bowl Championship Series. None of the other Big Ten teams are likely to qualify for an at-large bid (No. 14 ranking or higher in the final BCS standings).
3. BCS rules allow only two teams from each of the six BCS conferences. The four at-large teams must come from four of the six BCS conferences. The BCS conference commissioners will meet next week to discuss contingency plans. There are no BCS rules regarding how to resolve the possibility of not enough BCS at-large teams. In addition to the Big Ten, the ACC and the Big East might not have a team qualify for an at-large bid under BCS rules.
-- Wendell Barnhouse
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