SMQ: Which 1-loss teams are still College Football Playoff contenders?
By Zach Bigalke
Ohio State is the most recent team to suffer an early loss through the first two weeks of the season and still make it into the top four. Luckily for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes, they did so in the first season after the BCS had ceded way to the College Football Playoff. Opening the season at No. 5, the Buckeyes actually dropped three spots despite winning their opener against Navy.
The second game of the season pitted the No. 8 Buckeyes against Virginia Tech in Columbus. Frank Beamer’s penultimate season on the Hokies sidelines began with a statement 35-21 upset of Ohio State that dropped Urban Meyer’s team to No. 22 in the AP Top 25. The Hokies climbed to No. 17 after the win, then promptly lost to East Carolina and Georgia Tech in quick succession to plummet right back out of the rankings.
Ohio State, on the other hand, recovered from the Hokies loss to go undefeated the rest of the way. Forced to juggle quarterbacks due to injures, the underdog Buckeyes shut out No. 11 Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game to move to No. 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the regular season.
As a result, Ohio State earned the right to face No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. For the first time, the bowl would serve as a semifinal site with a trip to the championship game at stake. Once again an underdog against the Crimson Tide, Meyer bested Nick Saban as the Buckeyes won 42-35 in New Orleans. They won a third straight as an underdog, toppling No. 2 Oregon 42-20 in Arlington, Texas to secure the national title.