The Ohio State football team is still reeling from their loss to Michigan on Saturday. Losing four times in a row to the same opponent is not fun, nor is it something easy to come to terms with. Ohio State has to figure out what went wrong and put it behind them, though.
These Ohio State Buckeyes are in the same situation they were in back in 2022. In that season, the Buckeyes lost to Michigan and still made the College Football Playoff. They will be in the CFP again this season. They still have a shot to win a national championship this year.
Even though Saturday afternoon was bleak, there are some reasons for optimism surrounding this team. The Buckeyes have to focus on those reasons for optimism, and we will too. The first good thing to think about is that the season isn't over yet. There's still meaningful football to play.
Reasons for Ohio State football fans to be optimistic
One of the reasons to be optimistic is that the Buckeyes still have a good chance to host a home playoff game. That would be the first time in Ohio State football history that a playoff game would be at the Shoe. The Buckeyes would have a massive home-field advantage against whatever team they'd play.
Another reason for optimism is how well the defense continues to play. Even though the Buckeyes lost on Saturday, the defense did its job. They forced two turnovers and held TTUn to just 13 points. A defense that plays that well will give the Buckeyes a chance to beat a lot of other teams.
Finally, Jeremiah Smith will no longer be ignored. Not giving him targets was a big reason why Ohio State lost The Game on Saturday. Ryan Day and Chip Kelly will not make that mistake again in the CFP. They will make sure to get him as involved as they possibly can.
These are things that Ohio State football fans can latch on to in the next few weeks. While unlikely, the Buckeyes still have a shot to win it all.