After unpredictable season, Ohio State savors Playoff

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The math was in Ohio State's favor all along.

More so than any team in the championship race, the Buckeyes benefited from this year's shift in postseason format — a move away from the Bowl Championship Series, the much-criticized predecessor to the College Football Playoff.

In any season point prior to this fall, Ohio State's Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech, an average team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, would have ended its hopes of competing for the national championship. In the two-team era, the Buckeyes would have instead spent the past three months scrapping for a consolation prize, likely a trip to the Rose Bowl as winners of the Big Ten Conference.

A lane was opened when two became four. Ohio State's 59-0 victory against Wisconsin was enough to justify a spot in a national semifinal, according to the selection committee, which placed the Buckeyes ahead of two contenders from the Big 12 Conference.

"It's a great day for Ohio State," Urban Meyer said on Sunday.

In many ways, it has also been the most satisfying season of Meyer's career. A two-time national champion while the coach at Florida, Meyer and his staff — lauded for its work throughout this season, and deservedly so — navigated three separate moments of gloom to bring Ohio State within steps of its first national title since 2002.

"It's a long journey," he said. "A lot of times people see the finished product but not what went into that finished product. A lot of time and effort spent into this thing."

Start in the preseason, when senior quarterback Braxton Miller, a Heisman Trophy contender, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Add in the loss to Virginia Tech — crippling then if survivable in hindsight, if not ultimately beneficial to a program then undefeated under Meyer in regular-season games.

Miller's replacement, J.T. Barrett, broke his ankle in Ohio State's win against rival Michigan on Nov. 29, ending his season. Against Wisconsin, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones threw three touchdowns to spark the Buckeyes to victory in his first career start.

Regardless of when and where this season ends — this is the most improved team he's ever coached, Meyer said.

"One thing I've learned about (Meyer) is that he is brilliant at handling the dynamics of a team and handling whatever comes up during the course of the season," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. "So whatever is, he'll have a well thought out plan."

And Ohio State makes no apologies for its charge into the Playoff, even as TCU, Baylor and the Big 12 wonder about the selection committee's late-in-the-game change of heart. Heading into the final weekend, TCU sat third, Baylor sixth and the Buckeyes fifth in the Playoff rankings. Though Baylor moved up one spot after defeating Kansas State, the Horned Frogs slipped to sixth despite a convincing win against Iowa State.

Much like the committee, Ohio State said its postseason case was bolstered by the Big Ten championship game — an advantage not shared by the Big 12, which plays a round-robin schedule without a title game to cap the regular season.

"If you look at it, we had a championship game and the other two shared the championship," linebacker Curtis Grant said. "What team would you go with? The team that actually fought the last game or two teams that's sharing a championship?"

Said teammate Doran Grant of the Playoff field, "It's four conference champions going against one another. I think that's the best fit."

Ohio State's postseason candidacy was boosted by another asset: The Buckeyes were playing as well as any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision by the end of the regular season, winning their last 11 games and topping three ranked teams in the last month.

"Playing great at the end of the year, that's what it's about," said defensive coordinator Luke Fickell. "You play your best at the end of the year. This is who we are."

As reward for its Playoff berth, Ohio State will head to New Orleans to meet Alabama — the top-ranked team in each major poll and a "powerhouse," Curtis Grant said.

The Buckeyes will be underdogs, perhaps by more than a touchdown, and perhaps rightfully so. Alabama has slipped up just once, to No. 12 Mississippi, and came out on top of the SEC West, the strongest division in recent college football history.

There's a difference between the two programs, Meyer said. Ohio State is still building; Alabama is already established. "We have to be on point to beat this team," he said.

That might not be an issue: Ohio State has been on point since the third weekend of September. In fact, that Alabama is the latest hurdle in the Buckeyes' path seems fitting — like many title contenders, Ohio State looks to replicate Alabama's still-active run atop the FBS.

"We need that respect, we want that respect at Ohio State," Doran Grant said. "Because that's what Ohio State deserves."