Wolverine Digest

Michigan's win over Ohio State made Buckeyes' path to a national title much more difficult

The Wolverines' not only beat their biggest rival, but also damaged Ohio State's chance at winning the national championship...

Matt Lounsberry

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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After sitting home and watching the Michigan Wolverines win the 2023 National Championship, Ohio State said, 'Enough is enough'.

The Buckeyes fundraised an estimated $20 million for its roster, an additional $21 million for its head coach and coaching staff salaries, brought back several seniors who could have been 2024 NFL Draft selections, and added a plethora of top transfer portal players including star safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins.

The mission in Columbus was clear: Beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and win a national championship in 2024.

Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans.

Ohio State is 0-for-2 on their preseason goals so far, thanks to the Wolverines. Michigan's 13-10 upset win over the Buckeyes in the final regular season game knocked OSU out of the Big Ten Championship Game, and also made it much tougher for Ohio State to achieve its only other remaining goal of the year: the national title.

Had Ohio State beaten Michigan on Nov. 30, it would have faced No. 1 Oregon in a rematch for the conference crown. (The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes, 32-31, on Oct. 12). At No. 2 in the nation heading into 'The Game' vs. Michigan, it's nearly certain Ohio State would have either received the No. 1 overall seed (with a win over Oregon), or the No. 5 seed (with a second loss to Oregon) in the College Football Playoff had they beaten Michigan.

In that scenario, assuming everything else played out the same way, a No. 1 seeded Ohio State would have enjoyed a first round bye and awaited the winner of Notre Dame-Tennessee in the quarterfinal round. A No. 5 seeded Ohio State, meanwhile, would have hosted ACC champion Clemson in the first round, with a matchup against Big 12 champion Arizona State awaiting in the quarterfinals.

Instead, the Buckeyes fell all the way to a No. 8 seed in the CFP after falling at home to Michigan. Ohio State will get to host a first round home game against Tennessee, but ESPN analyst and former Buckeye quarterback Kirk Herbstreit speculated that the home environment may be a detriment to Ohio State after their fourth-straight defeat at the hands of the Wolverines.

As things stand right now, assuming the playoff favorites each won their matchups, Ohio State's path to the national championship goes through Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Georgia. Woof.

Michigan is already responsible for assuring Ohio State failed to achieve two of its preseason goals this season, and may have delivered the crippling blow which could ultimately prevent the Buckeyes from matching the Maize and Blue's national title from a year ago.

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Matt Lounsberry
MATT LOUNSBERRY

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