A year ago, the Big Ten’s practice of refusing to play after Thanksgiving contributed to Michigan getting passed over for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

The Wolverines had just lost a nail-biter at Ohio State in the first-ever battle between the traditional rivals as the nos. 1–2 teams in the nation. Michigan held on to the critical second spot in the BCS standings after the loss. Yet the rest of the major conferences had two more weeks of play, during which first USC, and then Florida, passed Michigan. That the Gators, by destroying Ohio State in the title game, and the Trojans, by doing the same to Michigan in the Rose Bowl, ultimately validated the BCS, did little to dampen the frustration in Ann Arbor.

Fast-forward a year, and what some view as backwards thinking by the Big Ten could end up helping the Buckeyes back to the title game.

The way this season has gone, the only guaranteed safe games are ones that aren’t played. Ohio State, which appeared to squander any realistic chance at the title game by losing to Illinois just two weeks ago, can sit back and hope the carnage continues. Following that Illinois loss, the Buckeyes seemed resigned to playing for nothing more than a Rose Bowl bid against Michigan Saturday. But the scenario began to change before even the Wolverines kicked off. Thursday night, no. 2 Oregon saw its dreams crumble along with quarterback Dennis Dixon’s knee in a loss at Arizona. Just hours after Ohio State’s 14–3 domination of the Wolverines Saturday, the same fate befell no. 4 Oklahoma: an injury to a star quarterback and a loss to an unranked foe (Texas Tech).

Those results leave the Buckeyes, having completed the regular season at 11–1, ranked fifth in the BCS this week. While that may seem a long way from no. 2 with just two weeks to play, top-five teams have lost to unranked opponents 11 times already this season, so one might argue that the Buckeyes, sitting on their couches, have the easiest path to the title game.

One of the teams ahead of Ohio State is guaranteed to lose, as no. 2 Kansas and no. 4 Missouri meet Saturday, and the winner faces either Oklahoma or Texas in the Big 12 championship. If Kansas and Missouri each pick up another loss, Ohio State will be neck-and-neck with no. 3 West Virginia for the second spot in the national-title game.

At least one BCS observer feels that scenario favors Ohio State.

“I believe Ohio State is in a better position than West Virginia to claim no. 2 in the BCS,” said Sam Chi, who tracks the standings at his Web site, BCSGuru.com. “The main reason is that Ohio State will be ahead on at least five, maybe all six, computer ratings. Unless West Virginia is the clear no. 2 over Ohio State, then the Buckeyes can make up the difference in the polls.”

Even top-ranked LSU, which many felt was the best team in the nation despite its loss to Kentucky in overtime in October, is vulnerable. Saturday, the Tigers’ second-ranked defense was shredded by Ole Miss, which ranks 90th in total offense even after putting up 466 yards on LSU. The Tigers’ comfortable winning margin might have been different had the Rebels not twice turned the ball over in goal-to-go situations.

Then there is the storm that is about to envelop LSU head coach Les Miles as soon as Michigan coach Lloyd Carr steps to the podium to announce his retirement today. Miles is a logical top candidate to replace Carr. He both played and coached at Michigan and has a specific buyout clause in his contract should he ever leave LSU to become the coach of the Wolverines.

Miles might be the first coach to be put in this awkward position while pursuing a national championship, but unfortunate timing is a frequent side effect of college football’s “silly season.”

Schools desperate to protect incoming recruiting classes are under immense pressure to act quickly in coaching searches. A few years ago, news of Louisville coach John L. Smith’s imminent departure for Michigan State broke at halftime of Louisville’s bowl game. Last year, Central Michigan coach Brian Kelly departed for Cincinnati — and actually coached the Bearcats in their bowl game after former Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio departed to replace Smith in East Lansing. Elsewhere, Mike Price (at Washington State) and Urban Meyer (at Utah) coached their teams in bowl games after having accepted other jobs.

Given the LSU fan base’s feelings for Nick Saban, who actually did win a national title for the school before bolting for the NFL, one can only imagine the reaction if an LSU stumble down the stretch is blamed on the distractions coming from Ann Arbor. Miles might well wish the SEC season, too, had ended before Thanksgiving.

Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com