Will Cotton Bowl Loss Motivate or Discourage Ohio State Buckeyes Players from Returning for 2024?

It is easy to think a loss will encourage Ohio State's draft-eligible players to come back and end their careers on a high note, but could it have the opposite effect?

The No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their second loss of the season on Friday night, falling to the No. 9 Missouri Tigers in the 2023 Cotton Bowl, 14-3.

Against the Tigers, the Buckeyes posted their fewest points in a single game since their 31-0, shutout loss to Clemson in the 2016 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

The bad news might not yet be over for Ohio State fans, as several notable players have yet to decide whether they will return to the team for their senior year, or declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. Among those players still mulling their choice are defensive end Jack Sawyer and receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.

It is easy to believe an embarrassing loss to a team most fans did not expect to fight like they did will motivate these players to come back and end the right way. After all, Sawyer, Egbuka and cornerback Denzel Burke all said not having beaten Michigan during their time with the Buckeyes is one of their pros for returning in 2024.

Surely the 14-3 loss to Missouri will have the same effect, right? Not necessarily.

The annual game against the Wolverines is held on a much-higher level than any other, inspiring more of an urge to get revenge than a defeat to the Tigers. Avenging a defeat is also not a guarantee, as Ohio State's losses three-straight losses to Michigan since 2021 shows.

The decisions from Sawyer, Harrison Jr. and the others are due any day now that the Cotton Bowl is in the rear-view mirror. With plenty of pros and cons for both returning to Ohio State and declaring for the NFL Draft, Buckeyes fans might have no other choice than to cross their fingers and hope for the best.