Ohio State will be shorthanded for Big Ten title game

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes will be without several key players. Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Here's how shorthanded Ohio State will be for Big Ten Championship

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 12/19/20

The Ohio State Buckeyes will compete for the Big Ten Championship on Saturday, and they’ll be doing it without a lot of players.

The Buckeyes’ availability report lists 22 players as out for the game against Northwestern on Saturday night. The biggest name on the list is wide receiver Chris Olave, whose 528 receiving yards rank second on the team.

The full availability report for Ohio State pic.twitter.com/y3SxQ2vNdh

— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) December 19, 2020

No reason was cited for the absences. However, Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade notes that the players would be in danger of missing the College Football Playoff semifinal if any of the players tested positive for COVID-19.

Ohio State will be without 22 players for the Big Ten championship game, including WR Chris Olave, LB Baron Browning and P Drue Chrisman. If they’re out because of positive COVID tests, they could miss the CFP semifinals because of the Big Ten’s 21-day rule.

— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) December 19, 2020

The Buckeyes must beat Northwestern to keep their playoff hopes alive. As deep as they are, that will certainly be tougher with this many players sidelined. That said, given the team’s many critics, winning this game without key players could make their resume look stronger.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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