Especially if it’s Ohio State.

If a big-name school from one of the serious conferences finishes 11-1 … you have to like its chances of getting to the BCS title game.

So the loser of USC-Ohio State … most certainly isn’t dead.

For starters, if the loser goes 11-1 — its one loss will be to a pretty serious opponent.

So, this is not as monumental a game, in terms of the BCS, as ESPN would have you believe. Important, but not decisive. Not when OSU has nine more games and the Trojans have 10 more.

Actually, I expect neither of these teams will go 12-0. And if you’re going to lose one, better to lose it early than late. That’s just how the polls work.