To a lot of us, and really most of the country, when you say anything about “Ohio” in a CFB convo, the mind goes straight to scarlet and gray. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the standard-bearers and the defending champs. That’s the bias and the backdrop. Buckeye dominance is no surprise, but Pat McAfee had a unique perspective on their upcoming matchup. McAfee isn’t ruling out the Ohio Bobcats as one of the most unlikely CFP contenders in the country.

Pat McAfee made the call while talking about Ohio State’s next opponent. “They might make the College Football Playoff,” he said on his show. Coming off a gritty 17-10 win over West Virginia, McAfee couldn’t help but give the Bobcats their flowers. “The Ohio University Bobcat team with (Parker) Navarro at quarterback? They’re a good team… They had us completely in shambles out there. To be fair, West Virginia losing to Ohio — not fun. That was not cool. Ohio University, really good team.” It wasn’t tongue-in-cheek. He doubled down.

Even the banter around the desk added fuel. One of McAfee’s co-hosts dubbed Ohio “the Bama of the MAC.” That’s hyperbole, but McAfee leaned into it. “Right now, definitely, and there’s a chance they make the College Football Playoff.” That’s a bold proclamation in a sport where Group of Five programs rarely receive national attention. Oddsmakers naturally don’t reflect the same optimism. FanDuel lists the Bobcats at +100000 to win it all, lumped in with Southern Miss, Georgia State, and Rice. Within the MAC, they’re a bit more respected at +200, trailing only Toledo at +195. That’s the gap between barstool chatter and Vegas realism.

There’s a kernel of truth beneath the hype. For a G5 team to crash the playoffs, the math is simple but unforgiving: win the conference, beat at least one marquee opponent, and hope chaos reigns. The Bobcats already stumbled once. A 34-31 opening loss to Rutgers that showed both their promise and their flaws. The defense got gashed, but the offense showed flashes with Parker Navarro steering the ship. The win over West Virginia gave them a quality non-conference feather in their cap, even if the Mountaineers looked disorganized. That’s the paradox. Ohio is good enough to swing with Power Five programs for a half, but are they equipped to sprint through a full 12-game slate without buckling under the pressure?

The next hurdle is a towering one: a trip to Columbus to face Ohio State. A second early loss would all but slam the playoff door shut. Still, for the MAC, it’s more about visibility than Vegas odds. Only one Group of Five team is currently ranked in the AP Top 25: South Florida at No. 18. That means the door is cracked, if only slightly, for a wild-card storyline like Ohio. The Bobcats’ style, leaning on Navarro’s dual-threat ability and a defense that bends but holds in the red zone, fits the formula for pulling an upset or two. The real question is whether they can sustain it against the defending national champions.

McAfee isn’t naive. He knows the odds are astronomical. But he also understands the soul of college football. The chaos, the dark horses, and the stories that fuel shows like his. “Ohio University, really good team,” he said again. “There’s a chance.”

Brutus vs. Rufus: A throwback to a unique scuffle

College rivalries are sometimes carried out in fursuits. The last time Ohio and OSU squared off was way back in September 2010, but the most memorable highlight of that day wasn’t the Buckeyes’ 43-7 win. Nope, it was when the mascots stole the show.

Back then, Brutus Buckeye was doing his usual pregame routine, charging onto the field, pumping up the fans, and leading the cheer squad. But out of nowhere, Rufus the Bobcat came storming in with bad intentions. Charging at full speed, Rufus blindsided Brutus in a collision so fierce that Rufus lost his mascot head on impact. Most folks figured that was the end of it, but Rufus wasn’t done. He came back for round two, and suddenly Brutus and Rufus were rolling around on the turf in a 30-second brawl.

The clip went viral, cementing itself as one of the strangest yet funniest chapters in Ohio-Ohio State history. Since then, that dust-up has been etched into rivalry lore, replayed whenever these two programs are mentioned in the same breath. This time around, though, the rematch isn’t going to be a sneak attack. The mascots are set for a planned showdown. Brutus has home-field advantage in Columbus. Don’t be surprised if Rufus finds himself hitting the turf first. So, is money dear to you, or are you putting your bets on Rufus this time?