Getty Images Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins trying to avoid pressure.
Last week wasn’t exactly ideal for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Although most weeks can turn into ‘trap games’ for nationally ranked teams, it never easy to pull off a win on any given Saturday. The Buckeyes found that out in no time last week after they took a tough loss to Purdue, which gave them the first stain on their record.
The matchup wasn’t even close. The final score ended with Purdue just running the score up on them, and it resulted in a 49-20 spanking over the Buckeyes. Some would think that Ohio State is pleased to face the bottom of the barrel, 1-4 Nebraska. But if there was one lesson to be learned last weekend, it was never sleep on your opponent.
Having a one in the loss column isn’t the only reason why Ohio State should be disappointed though. It’s because that one specific loss made the Buckeyes chances of making the College Football Players a lot less likely to happen. They still remain in the top ten, as they are ranked at No. 8, but their chances evidently took a hit, and now they could be paying for it in the future.
Ohio State’s Playoff Stock Took a Hit
First thing’s first, Ohio State is not out of the race. No way. They are very much still considered to be a contender for the Playoffs. Unfortunately, their chances took a significant hit. According to ESPN, the Buckeyes have a 27-percent chance of making the playoffs. I know that you may think that’s terrible, but it’s not the worst case scenario.
If you look ahead at OSU’s remaining schedule, it’s not all that difficult. Every game should be entirely winnable. Obviously, they would have to avoid a situation like last week, but it’s definitely attainable for the Buckeyes to make it within the NCAA’s final four this season.
Ohio State has to do one thing, and one thing only for the rest of the season. That’s win games. Another loss and you can pretty much count them out automatically. However, if they do happen to win every game from here on out, there’s still a good chance that Ohio State can find themselves within the top-four of the NCAA.