8. Ohio State Buckeyes
10-2 (7-2 Big Ten regular season)
What’s next: First round vs. No. 9 Tennessee
Head coach: Ryan Day (Sixth season; 66-10 overall)
About Day: The 45-year-old was a quarterback at the University of New Hampshire from 1998-2001 when Chip Kelly, now the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, was an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
Resume
Ohio State rebounded from a one-point loss at No. 1 Oregon to reach the No. 2 spot. The Buckeyes then defeated No. 3 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana before being shocked as a 20-point favorite by unranked Michigan in the regular-season finale.
Postseason history
Ohio State lists eight national championships although two (1961, 1970) were not recognized by the AP and UPI wire services. The Buckeyes most recent title was for the 2014 season, defeating Oregon 42-20 in the inaugural CFP championship in January 2015.
The road to Atlanta
To reach the national championship game, No. 8 Ohio State would need to tip Tennessee in a game in Columbus and then take down No. 1 Oregon in the quarterfinals. That would bring a matchup in the semifinals against Arizona State, Texas or Clemson.
Names to know
QB Will Howard
Transferring after four seasons at Kansas State, Howard was all-in on the rivalry with Michigan and entered the game ranked No. 1 in completion percentage at 74.0 percent with a school-record six games over 80 percent. He was 19 of 33 for 175 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, including one in the red zone. Postgame, he apologized to “Buckeye Nation” for letting them down.
“But listen, we still have things in front of us. And we can still run the table and win a national championship,” Howard said.
S Caleb Downs
The sophomore transfer from Alabama was named the Big Ten’s defensive back of the year, becoming the first safety to win the award since Antoine Winfield Jr. of Minnesota in 2019. Downs also had a 79-yard punt return for a TD against Indiana.
WR Jeremiah Smith
The conference’s freshman of the year and receiver of the year broke Cris Carter’s Ohio State freshman records for receptions (57), yards (934) and touchdowns (10).
C Seth McLaughlin
How respected is the graduate transfer from Alabama? He suffered a torn Achilles tendon and missed the final two games but was named First Team All-Big Ten. His loss and the season-ending leg injury to left tackle Josh Simmons in October have crippled the offensive line.
–Field Level Media
