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Ohio State football’s Will Howard addresses puzzling decision in Oregon loss
Image credit: ClutchPoints

Ohio State football quarterback Will Howard took some heat for sliding with no time left during the team’s 32-31 loss to Oregon, and he spoke on what happened on that final play in his mind.

“I thought I was down with one second,” Will Howard said, via Chase Brown of 11 Warriors. “It’s tough, but we always talk about leaving no doubt, so I probably should have gotten down even quicker so we didn’t leave any doubt there.”

It was a tough loss for Ohio State football, as if Howard slid down in time to call a timeout and kick a field goal, the Buckeyes might be the No. 1 team in the AP Poll right now. Instead, Oregon is No. 1 and Ohio State is No. 4. Also, with Oregon being in the Big Ten now, this game has significance when it comes to determining who will end up in the Big Ten championship game.

The Buckeyes might have to win out to get to the Big Ten championship game. But luckily, they are still in good shape when it comes to the college football playoffs, as long as Ohio State does not get upset in a game that it is a heavy favorite in.

Ohio State football’s outlook after loss to Oregon

After the narrow loss to Oregon, Ohio State football has six games left on the schedule, and the team could end up being favored in all of them. This upcoming weekend, the Buckeyes will face off against Nebraska at home, and they should be heavy favorites there.

The following week is the toughest game left on the schedule, on the road against No. 3 Penn State. That is a toss up, but Ohio State has a good track record against the Nittany Lions. That will be one of the best games of that weekend. The Buckeyes would then be heavy favorites in the next two games against Purdue and Northwestern, before hosting an upstart Indiana team. After that is the annual game against Michigan, and the Buckeyes should be heavy favorites in that matchup this year.

Currently, Ohio State is 2-1 in Big Ten play, with Indiana, Oregon and Penn State remaining undefeated in conference play. The good news is that although Ohio State already has that loss to Oregon on their record, they play the two other undefeated teams. A rematch between Ohio State and Oregon in the Big Ten championship game seems very much in play.

This article first appeared on NCAA Football on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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