The Ohio State Buckeyes lost to their hated rival, the Michigan Wolverines, for the fourth straight year earlier today. The No. 2 ranked Buckeyes lost at home to Michigan 13-10 as the Buckeyes offense was stifled all afternoon. To make matters worse, the reigning national champions have struggled in 2024. Michigan finished the regular season with an average record of 7-5. A disappointing regular season feels much better after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s defense was up to the challenge this afternoon, but their offense sputtered in the Ohio cold. Buckeyes Kicker Jayden Fielding missed two kicks and Quarterback Will Howard threw a crippling red zone in the third quarter. Today’s loss dropped the Ohio State Buckeyes to 10-2, and with the regular season in the books, where will Ohio State fit in the 12-team College Football Playoff?
The Ohio State Buckeyes and Their 2024 Season
Head Coach Ryan Day, fairly or not, is under fire after losing for the fourth straight year to Michigan. With Jim Harbaugh now in the NFL coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, 2024 was supposed to be the year when the Ohio State Buckeyes would get back in the win column. Unfortunately, that never came to pass. While this season was arguably successful, it could have been better.
The Ohio State Buckeyes lost the two most important games on their schedule this season. They lost a nail-biter to the Oregon Ducks, 32-31, and earlier today to Michigan. With an 8-2 record in the Big Ten, Ohio State will not have the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten Championship Game next week. That honor will go to Oregon and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Even though Ohio State defeated Penn State, the Nittany Lions will make the title game due to their conference record. Penn State was 8-1 in conference while the Oregon Ducks are 8-0 pending the results of tonight’s game against the Washington Huskies.
Ohio State’s Playoff Position
The new 12-team playoff has the top four seeds go to the four highest-ranked conference champions. That route will not be accessible to the Ohio State Buckeyes this year. Ohio State is slated to be ranked in the 5-8 spot and get to host a playoff game in the quarterfinals. The past 48 hours have been full of chaos across college football.
The No. 6 ranked Miami Hurricanes just lost a shocker to Syracuse and the Georgia Bulldogs needed 8 OT to defeat a mediocre Georgia Tech squad. It is unclear how these results will weigh on the committee when making their final rankings. There are many variables still unknown as it pertains to Ohio State’s College Football Playoff position. After today’s tough loss, all hope is not lost for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Assuming they slot in at the sixth or seventh spot in the College Football Playoff, they could play a team like Indiana or Boise State at home in the quarterfinals. Ohio State still has one of the most talented rosters in the nation.
Final Thoughts
Ohio State is nearly assured an at-large bid in the 12-team playoff. With so much noise surrounding the job security of Day, the only thing that could quiet the critics, and save his job, is a few playoff wins or a championship. Ohio State will have time to look for ways to rebound from today’s crushing loss as they await their opponent in the College Football Playoff. The Ohio State Buckeyes are fortunate the playoff has expanded to 12 games as they would not have qualified if the format had remained at four teams like it had in its previous iteration.
