Buckeyes Face Midseason Hurdle That Could Derail Playoff Push

The Ohio State Buckeyes look prepared to defend their 2024 national championship with eyes on a return to the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes don’t have the hardest schedule in the world, so total disaster notwithstanding, the reigning champions should make the 12-team field.

Certainly, Ryan Day and his squad would prefer to enter the postseason with full momentum. But in today’s college football, undefeated seasons are becoming harder and harder to come by. So, which teams are the most likely to trip up Ohio State and taint their momentum on their path to the postseason?

First, let’s eliminate Texas. Even if the Longhorns come into Columbus and topple the Buckeyes to open the season, that doesn’t kill the program’s momentum for the entire season. They’ll get back on track in the following weeks until their next big challenge.

We’ll also toss out Penn State as a standalone opponent. James Franklin has beaten the Buckeyes one time in 11 tries. That doesn’t draw an automatic win for Ohio State, but Franklin has brought teams just as talented to a date with the Buckeyes and fallen nearly every single time. If the Nittany Lions do pull out a win, it’ll likely be by a slim margin, which the Buckeyes would, again, be able to recover from. Penn State hasn’t beaten Ohio State by more than a touchdown since 1999, after all.

Illinois Looms as Ohio State’s Most Dangerous Overlooked Opponent

However, that Penn State game could look completely different if a team like Illinois causes problems beforehand. The Buckeyes will take on Bret Bielema’s fiery squad in Champagne. The Fighting Illini are expected to begin the season ranked (ESPN currently has them at 11) after winning 10 games a season ago. Quarterback Luke Altmyer leads a squad that returns 76% of its total production from a year ago.

Illinois is a hungry team wedged right in the middle of Ohio State’s schedule. Still, they’ll face Indiana on the road and host USC before taking on the Buckeyes two weeks later. If they come through undefeated, though, Illinois could prove problematic in a game that would likely determine if they can match Indiana’s 2024 blueprint.

We saw how that went for Indiana late last year, though. Still, if Illinois pulls out that upset against the Buckeyes, then Ohio State’s momentum is in jeopardy. In that case, the Penn State game two weeks later becomes much more important. Lose that one too and the momentum starts to wane.

Of course, Michigan is always lurking. If a scenario exists where Ohio State has lost 2-3 games, Michigan would be positioned to snuff out the Buckeyes’ postseason hopes entirely with a fifth-straight win in the series.

On the bright side, as a standalone threat to Ohio State’s momentum in more favorable circumstances, the 2024 campaign gives the Buckeyes confidence to move on if they fall short against their rival once again. On an even brighter side, Ohio State is due a win in the series. Michigan hasn’t had a win streak extend beyond four wins since the 1920s.

All told, the Buckeyes are set up to overcome their obstacles, even should they fall once or twice. The bigger test will be responding to any potential slip-ups. If the team proves to be in command of its own momentum as it did in 2024, the Buckeyes will be set up to make another run at a national championship, without question.