Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes surrendered their national title to the Indiana Hoosiers last season, despite being No. 1 for a majority of the season. The Buckeyes stayed unbeaten for the whole of the regular season after a stirring Week 1 win against the Texas Longhorns, before losing in the Big Ten championship game to the Indiana Hoosiers.
Buckeyes’ Grueling Schedule Sparks Playoff Debate Around Ryan Day
After the Longhorns missed out on a spot in the College Football Playoff, their home-and-home series against the Buckeyes, which will take Day’s team to Austin, is in the balance following Ohio State’s tough schedule release. During Friday’s segment of the “Paul Finebaum Show,” ESPN analysts Paul Finebaum and Matt Barrie spoke about Day’s jeopardy due to the Buckeyes’ tricky schedule next season.
“The schedule that’s difficult is Ohio State. Man, that one’s a real challenge,” Finebaum said. “I believe they go to Iowa, then Indiana. You can say, ‘So, what?’ It could be a problem if they lose to Texas.” Barrie saw the positive side of the Buckeyes’ schedule next season, while highlighting their easy schedule from last season as a reason behind their struggles in the College Football Playoff.
“They have to go on the road this year to Austin, it’s gonna be a big thing. They’ve got Michigan, we know that,” Barrie said. “They have one of the hardest schedules in the Big Ten. They had a Week One win against Texas and they kind of just flowed it the rest of the way.
“They just didn’t play anybody the rest of the way and once they got to the playoff, they didn’t look like they were battle-tested. That’s not gonna be the case this year.”
Ohio State will travel to face the Iowa Hawkeyes, Indiana Hoosiers, and USC Trojans next season, before hosting Big Ten bigwigs, the Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines in Columbus in a brutal conference schedule.
Ohio State Tabbed for Playoffs Despite Schedule
With a spot in the College Football Playoff, the ultimate prize for most elite programs in the current college football climate, the importance of conference championship games has been questioned. The permutations to make it into the 12-team field are calculated way before the season starts, once the schedules are released.
During an appearance on the “97.1 The Fan” show on Feb. 15, Ohio State legend Bobby Carpenter predicted that due to their tough schedule next season, the Buckeyes could be the first team to be included in the playoff with a 9-3 record.
“I think Ohio State, with their schedule next year, could be the first 9-3 team that could get in should they do that with how difficult their schedule is,” Carpenter said. “But the SEC also lost some of that grace with the scheduling because the Big Ten’s won the last three titles. That’s the other thing, they can’t champion, ‘Our 9-3 is better than yours.’”
According to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter, the Buckeyes have an 8.04% chance of winning the national championship next season, and after retooling his roster via the transfer portal, Ryan Day cannot be counted out of contention.
