Ohio State Football: The final year of playoff stress

The Ohio State football team has made the College Football Playoff in three of the last four seasons. Only last year did the Buckeyes have to stress about whether or not they were going to make it. The loss to TTUN in 2021 prevented such hope in that season.

For the most part, the Buckeyes have had stressful seasons when it comes to making the CFP. Every single game matters and the only way to guarantee your entry into the top four that is required to make the CFP is to go undefeated. That is only the case for one more year.

This is the final year of playoff stress for the Ohio State football team. That’s because after this season the CFP expands to 12 teams. The Buckeyes are pretty much a shoo-in to receive an at-large bid if they have one loss. Heck, they might even get in some years with two losses.

Yes, this new system devalues the regular season. I hate that part of it. But it is good to know that unless Ohio State suffers a complete collapse in the course of a season, they will get a chance to play for a national championship every season. That’s always a good thing.

In this final season, the Buckeyes have to worry about three games on their schedule: Notre Dame, Penn State, and TTUN. Wisconsin might be a bit tricky, but I think the Buckeyes are still way more talented than the Badgers. Those three games should define their season.

I fully expect the Buckeyes to win at least two of those three games. I hope they win all of them. It’s that final game of the season that gives me pause. It should be the game the coaching staff is most focused on throughout the season as well.