The Ohio State football team wants to end the losing streak to Michigan almost more than any other goal they have this season. Only winning a national championship trumps that for the Buckeyes. Ryan Day is working hard to make sure that his team is ready for that final regular-season game.
On Tuesday, the second iteration of the College Football Playoff rankings was released. The Ohio State Buckeyes once again found themselves in the top spot. TTUN is all the way in the 18th spot, meaning they have plenty of work to do if they want to get in.
Neither Ohio State nor TTUN has a tough schedule before they play at the end of November. ESPN's Rece Davis believes that Michigan has a shot to sneak into the College Football Playoff if it goes undefeated the rest of the way, including beating the Buckeyes yet again.
The Ohio State football team can end TTUN's playoff chances with a win
As if the Buckeyes needed more motivation to beat Michigan, they certainly have it now. They have a chance to definitively knock out TTUN from playoff consideration if the Wolverines are able to win all of their games up to that point. That would certainly be something sweet to do.
Ohio State has already proven that it can win the national title even if it loses that final game, but the Buckeyes have their minds set on doing both this season. They want to become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Georgia did it in 2021-22.
Julian Sayin has a shot to win the Heisman this year, especially if he can light up the Wolverines in that final game. Ohio State is not looking ahead, though. They have their minds focused on beating UCLA this weekend in the Shoe to stay undefeated.