There is a chance that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will play against his former team, No. 8 seed Ohio State, in the playoff semifinals.
But for that to happen, Texas needs to win and the Buckeyes need to make it through two difficult games.
Bringing No. 9 seeded Tennessee up north for its first playoff game, Ohio State will have both the crowd and the weather on its side. If Ohio State can capitalize on its advantage, the team will then get a rematch against No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
“There’s been twists and turns and ups and downs, but here we are,” head coach Ryan Day said. “This would be an unbelievable accomplishment to go on a run and win the whole thing. You’re four games away, it’s real, it’s on the table. As much as the (Michigan game) hurt, here we are now, so all the focus has got to go on Tennessee and winning this first one.”
Oregon was one of two losses this season, with Ohio State only a field goal away from winning both games.
Earlier in the season, undefeated No. 1 Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31, with the game ending in controversy. On the last play of the game, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard ran up the middle and slid as the clock ran down.
If Howard had gone down one second earlier, the Buckeyes would have been able to kick a field goal to win the game. However, the officials ruled that the clock ran out, sparking outrage from the Buckeyes and leading Day to send the final play to the Big Ten Conference for review.
Although Ohio State’s first loss of the season was a close game, the results were not entirely unexpected considering they were playing a top-ranked team. It was the Buckeyes’ second loss of the season against Michigan that had them dropping from No. 2 to No. 6 in the AP poll and prevented them from facing off against Oregon again in the Big Ten Championship.
While Ohio State has one of the top defenses in the country, it is questionable as to whether the offensive line will be able to make it through four challenging games.
The Ohio State defensive line accounts for 15.5 of the team’s 35 sacks, the second-highest in the Big Ten, so they will likely be able to keep pressure on Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
However, with two vital offensive linemen out with injury, Rimington Trophy winner center Seth McLaughlin and starting left tackle Josh Simmons, the offensive line will be challenged in the playoffs early on.
If the Buckeye offensive line can make it to the quarterfinals, the team could face off against their former quarterback, the only player in the 2021 Ohio State recruiting class to have beaten Michigan.