There was optimism in the College Football world that Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes would be able to play the Big Ten regular-season finale after the Wolverines had to cancel last weekend's game against the Maryland Terrapins.

The Wolverines were cleared to resume limited workouts on Monday, seemingly putting the team back on track to play this coming Saturday.

However, “The Big Game” has been canceled due to the Wolverines' consistent issues with COVID-19.

The cancellation has massive ramifications for the Big Ten, not to mention the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State fans not only miss out on the chance to earn more bragging rights in what has been, recently, a tremendously one-sided rivalry. But the Buckeyes now have to deal with being ineligible to play in the Big Ten conference title game after playing just five games this season.

This would be a massive injustice to Ohio State, the No. 4 team in the country. Yet, unless the Big Ten comes up with some kind of solution, the Buckeyes' future outlook is muddied.

Usually, the College Football playoff is assembled by way of choosing the victors in each of the power conferences. But if OSU is ineligible, that would hypothetically result in one of Northwestern or Indiana likely entering the playoff as the Big Ten representative.

It is still possible the CFP committee recognizes the merit of an Ohio State, but other programs could cry foul at the fact the Buckeyes did not play as many games.

Nothing has been normal this year amid the ongoing pandemic. Ohio State's path to the CFP might be equally unnatural.