OSU is a peculiar case. Okay, let’s make this more simple. You remember the Indiana game, right? Hoosiers were undefeated, just filled with pride and joy. Ryan Day goes into this game with his head held high and just one simple goal: Knock the life out of Indiana. 38 points on the board while stopping Curt Cignetti‘s crew at only 15. QB Will Howard was on fire with 2 touchdowns and landing 22 out of 26 passes. Overall, Indiana barely had any presence on that turf. The team, which was walking all over their competition, had finally met their end. Ryan Day had done it, and OSU fans were more than happy.

And then you watch the Michigan game. 4th straight showdown against the Wolverines, and the stakes were higher than usual. So, what does Day do? He loses 10 to 13. This had to be one of the weirdest games for the Buckeyes, and this loss hurt even more because it was on their home turf. So why did this even happen? What went so wrong? “Ohio State played free and easy against Indiana. Not so much against Michigan,” Nick Saban points out on The Pat McAfee Show. Ever heard the term “confidence is key”? Yeah, well, that was missing. It kind of felt like Day assumed he was going to lose, and so he didn’t even bother.

You have to understand, this year, it would’ve been the easiest to win over the Wolverines. Jim Harbaugh ain’t here. JJ McCarthy is off as well. CONNOR STALLIONS IS OUT. What else do you need to favor your team?

Sherrone Moore and Co. had zero QB depth. Alex Orji has been a one-trick pony the entire season, and Davis Warren is a walk-on quarterback who has given the opponents more turnovers over touchdowns for his team. And despite all of this, the Buckeyes lost by 3 points.

Multiple missed field goals. A lackluster performance from Will Howard. And Chip Kelly‘s play calling was horrendous. This is why confidence is important. If they had tackled this game like they did the Indiana one, the Wolverines would be squirming on the ground, asking for forgiveness. But here we are. The 4th consecutive loss to UM not only pushed OSU off of the Big 10 title game but also made their playoff route quite hard.

Buckeyes playoff future

Slipping from the 2nd seed to the 6th has to hurt. Adding insult to injury is the fact that they could end up falling further down. See, with the SEC title game and the B1G title game right around the corner, the Buckeyes are in a tough spot.

If Penn State wins over the Ducks, they will instantly become the No.1 team for the playoffs. Ducks would probably fall to the 5th seed. This exchange could end up pushing Day down to the 7th or even 8th seed.

While there have been doubts about Penn State being ranked over OSU, it still won’t save Day from facing setbacks in the playoff race. They will end up losing their home advantage and going against Alabama or even Notre Dame.

Will this be a favorable matchup for Day? Not really. The Irish have been strong this season and they could easily overthrow OSU. Bama, on the other hand, is a hit-or-miss scenario. If Nick Sheridan does not mess up the play calling and Jalen Milroe is in perfect shape then Day has zero shot.