Ohio State football faces a terrible scenario in the National Championship Game

admin | January 2, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Ohio State enters what is likely to be its most pivotal offseason under Ryan Day’s leadership, with more questions than answers about its standing in college football.

While doing so, it will be forced to watch a National Championship Game on Monday that represents the worst-case situation for its program. Its rival Michigan finally broke through on the College Football Playoff stage, ending the four-team playoff era the same way OSU started it, by defeating Alabama on its route to the title game. Washington will be waiting for them, a program that will begin planning for life in the Big Ten the moment the clock strikes zero.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes will be left wondering what comes next.

Next season, the Huskies will join Oregon, UCLA, and USC as the Big Ten’s newest members, just in time for the 12-team playoff to begin. But they have a chance to make their first significant statement in the significant Ten by knocking off the team that not only took the top place from its previous owner but now has a chokehold on the conference on Monday.

The Wolverines own the Big Ten. When Ohio State went to Ann Arbor three years ago and came out on the losing end of a blowout game, they took over as the face. Then, in 2022, it happened again. It wasn’t quite as lopsided this season, but considering everything else going on around the game due to a sign-stealing controversy, it left the same nasty taste in OSU’s mouth. It didn’t help that its quarterback transferred to Syracuse not long after, followed by the worst offensive performance of Ryan Day’s career, resulting in a Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri.

On Monday, the four-team College Football Playoff era will come to an end. When it initially began, the Buckeyes were the talk of the country after winning a national championship by first overcoming the mighty Alabama as an underdog, then beating up on a west coast squad with a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarter. While Ohio State was preoccupied with how it compared to the best in the country, its opponent became an afterthought, scrambling to find methods to win The Game.

A decade later the same scenario is on the table. The pride of the Big Ten just knocked off the mighty Crimson Tid and looks ready to finish off a year by beating a West Coast team, with a Heisman Trophy quarterback. But Ohio State’s not the team that fits that description anymore and that West Coast team is about to become a long-term opponent instead of a potential non-conference game down the line.

Losing to Michigan is a thorny issue for the Ohio State team and its fan base. So is heading into an offseason where the degree of optimism does not appear to be particularly high as the displeasure grows.

Add to that the fact that the opponent you’ve been chasing for 20 years is only 60 minutes away from winning a national championship. That is a terrible scenario that would sicken any enthusiast.

Chicago Love

Justin Fields’ future with the Bears is uncertain as Chicago clinched the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team could use that pick to move on from the former Ohio State quarterback by taking someone like USC’s Caleb Williams and starting from scratch. Or it could use that pick of Marvin Harrison Jr. giving Field a second big-time receiving weapon alongside D.J. Moore. Or maybe they trade that pick.

Regardless of what happens, Bears fans made it known what they’d like to see happen after a 37-17 win over the Falcons on Sunday with chants of “We want Fields.”

“This city’s amazing like I’ve said plenty of times,” Fields said in an interview after the game. “The city, the people and really just the fan base. It’s crazy. Last home game at Soldier Field this year, couldn’t have it any better. …I’m gonna remember this for the rest of my life.”

Fields was taken by the Bears with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Over the past three seasons, he’s thrown for 6,526 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for another 2,193 yards and 14 touchdowns. Chicago has gone 10-27 with him as a starter.