Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from tough loss to Oregon

1. Ohio State’s playoff hopes took a major hit

This win would have been a really great win for the Buckeyes to have on their playoff resume. Even with the loss, the sky is not falling for Ohio State. The chance to make a Rose Bowl is still very much in play (rematch?). They were ranked third coming into this game, so losing to a top 12 team should only have them fall about 4-6 spots down the rankings.

In terms of the playoff, the reality of the situation is that Ohio State needs to win out to make the playoffs. There has never been a two-loss team in the College Football Playoff since its creation, so Ohio State will likely need to go undefeated in the Big Ten in order to make the playoff.

There are some very tough teams in Penn State, Wisconsin, and Iowa who will not go down easy. All three of these teams have good running games which will make potential matchups very tough on the Buckeyes.

But, Ohio State has ruled this conference for the past five years. They have gone undefeated in conference games both of the past two seasons.

If they can’t make it three seasons in a row, it is likely that the Buckeyes will miss the playoff for the first time since 2018.