You’re Crazy: How far will Ohio State make it in the College Football Playoff?

Everyone knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is discussing and analyzing the most important (and least important) issues in the sports world with your friends. That’s why we’re bringing it to the pages of LGHL with our most popular head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In “You’re Nuts,” two LGHL employees present different viewpoints on an issue and express their opinions passionately. Then in the end it is up to you to decide who is right and who is crazy.

This week’s topic: How far will Ohio State make it in the College Football Playoff?

Josh’s opinion

After an inexplicable and extremely painful loss at The Game last weekend – the fourth in a row on the show – Ohio State’s football season is… That’s right, it’s not over yet. Possibly by far. Whether this is just a formality at this point is up for debate; something Gene and I are about to embrace.

But it certainly feels like the Buckeyes’ season should be over, doesn’t it? I mean, two losses, one at home to a 6-5 football team that was missing its best players on both sides of the ball – and OSU is still rewarded with a playoff spot? Honestly, it feels disgusting. And I say that as someone who bleeds Scarlet and Gray.

On the other hand, I’m happy that the players have the opportunity to do something special. For some of them, the College Football Playoff will be their goal last opportunity to do so. And after Saturday’s debacle, I feel like many of them deserve another chance.

Because for the most part, it was practice that decided the Buckeyes’ fate against the Wolverines. It was the coaching that let the players down, probably for the fourth time in a row against TTUN. But if the latter isn’t in the equation and isn’t participating – because damn, this team stinks loudly – perhaps Ryan Day and Co. will be able to focus clearly and put the players in a position with their overwhelming talent to win.

Going back to the debate I mentioned: what happens next? How will the rest of Ohio State’s season play out?

Obviously, we don’t yet know how the first 12-team CFP will be lined up. This means that Gene and I have to work with hypotheses. But we’re totally creative, so nothing works here…

I believe OSU will get the No. 9 seed and a matchup with No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville at some point. There, Jim Knowles will devise a solid game plan that confuses young UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava, resulting in two interceptions for/from the latter.

Then, weeks after their embarrassing triple date with the Bogeyman, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly will take their heads off their… and plan an offense that exploits the strengths of their team’s weapons. Will Howard will right the ship, Jeremiah Smith will be fed until he’s ready to burst, and the Buckeyes will beat the Vols 28-24.

In the next round, Ohio State will face top-seeded Oregon in a rematch from earlier in the season. And this time, for a change, Day and his colleagues actually strike.

They take into account the fact that Dillon Gabriel can both run and throw the ball farther than 10 yards, as well as the possibility that Oregon’s defensive line is really, really good and blows up the interior of OSU’s offensive line. This will lead to another big game from Howard and a narrow 31-28 win for the Buckeyes, capped off by a Jayden Fielding field goal!

In the semifinals, Ohio State will face 12th seed South Carolina in another rematch, this one from January 1, 2002. Beamer Ball helped the Gamecocks upset both Penn State and Boise State in this scenario by putting the Bucks up against them Roosters for a spot in the CFP Championship Game.

I think that would be the Orange Bowl, but don’t hold me to that… Anyway, in this game, OSU’s defense sold out to stop SC’s running game, putting Shane Beamer’s team down to just 10 points is limited. Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart combined for six sacks from Howard, but the latter found Emeka Egbuka for two touchdowns, leading to a 14-10 win for the Buckeyes.

And finally, Day gets revenge in the National Championship Game…against Georgia. I don’t know how they get there, but the Bulldogs come out on the other side of the bracket, giving Day the ultimate chance at redemption. He takes it and doesn’t miss it.

Ohio State’s special teams are up to the challenge. Caleb Downs returned another punt for a TD, Fielding hit a 50-yarder, and Caden Curry blocked a punt that CJ Hicks recovered in the end zone. Ohio State scores just one offensive touchdown – via TreVeyon Henderson – but 24 points is enough as the Buckeyes’ defense intercepts Carson Beck twice and holds the Dawgs to 17.

There you have it, folks; a redemption story in four parts. Do I really believe that? Maybe, maybe not. But I need to know this and Gene probably needs to argue about it.

Gene’s opinion

While I appreciate Josh’s fanfiction redemption arc for Ohio State and Ryan Day, I’m all on board with this team. It’s not the players’ fault, as I think the Buckeyes are one of the best groups in the country on paper. Unfortunately, their coaching staff has let them down, and there’s no reason to believe they won’t continue to do so in the College Football Playoff.

I have already said my contribution to the head coach. Since the loss to Michigan in 2022, I have been fighting for Ohio State to move on from Day. Two years later we have exactly the same result and apart from the players wearing the uniforms, little has changed. There is no world imaginable in which I can believe this man will lead the Buckeyes over a talented team, and after losing to one of the worst Michigan teams of the last decade, he can never be trusted again.

Under the current regime, Ohio State has played fearfully and lost against nearly every overachieving team it has ever faced. Day’s only notable win during his six-year tenure in Columbus was the 2020 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, which came in a COVID-shortened season and was immediately followed by a complete loss to Alabama in the national title game. Between that and a few exciting wins against a Penn State team that has lost 12 of 13 to the Buckeyes, Day has done nothing but fail on the biggest stage.

Day seems to do his best every year to lose the few games Ohio State has even a realistic chance of losing, and that came with the loss to a 6-5 Michigan team without its two best Players beyond the realm of possibility. The Buckeyes could have easily outplayed an overwhelmed secondary, which they did once and immediately scored. Instead, Day had to prove his team was tough by taking advantage of the Wolverines’ only advantage in the game without ever deviating.

Ohio State has one of the best rosters in the country – that’s undeniable. People like Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are true generational talents. Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are all experts at the skill positions, and Will Howard is a veteran leader capable of getting the ball to those weapons on most occasions. The defense is ranked No. 1 in the country and allowed just one touchdown against the Wolverines on a drive that started at the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line.

None of this matters because the person responsible is incapable of completing the task.

It seems likely that Ohio State will face Tennessee in the College Football Playoff, be it away or at home, based on the seedings. The Buckeyes are a better football team than Tennessee, ranking No. 3 on the 247Sports talent list compared to No. 17 for the Volunteers. Tennessee lost to Arkansas 6-6 and Georgia, and its only decent win this season came against three-loss Alabama. They played at No. 68 on the schedule, compared to No. 25 Ohio State’s SOS.

Again, none of this matters.

Whether in Columbus or Knoxville, most likely Ohio State will lose a close game almost entirely because its head coach is too scared to compete. With the Buckeyes’ season ending in the first round of the College Football Playoff with a team more than good enough to win a national title, maybe it will finally be enough for a change.