What Ohio State needs to happen to win the College Football Playoff

The Ohio State Buckeyes are actually in a familiar position entering the College Football Playoff this season, despite encountering massive disappointment in the Big Ten title game.

If fans remember their recent history, Ohio State suffered a heart-crushing loss to Michigan in the final week of the 2024 season which cost them an appearance in the Big Ten championship. That loss seemed to only fuel the Buckeyes on their ensuing four-game winning streak, which culminated in the program's first national title in 10 years.

Again, in 2025, Ohio State suffered a brutal loss — this time in the Big Ten championship — and enters the playoff with a chip on its shoulder. The Buckeyes' path to repeating is very much plausible, but it will be very difficult unless some things go their way.

What Ohio State needs to go right to defend its CFP national title

Ohio State is the No. 2 seed in this year's 12-team CFP bracket by virtue of Big Ten champion Indiana overtaking them in the final rankings. It'll be the first time the Buckeyes have earned a first-round bye to the quarterfinals since this format debuted.

Quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami

Ohio State will await the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami down in College Station, Texas. Either team that emerges will be a formidable opponent, but naturally the Buckeyes will want to meet the Hurricanes.

It may serve as a disadvantage that a warm-weather team like Miami won't have to travel to cold Columbus in December, but Ohio State has proven it can handle business in any environment (just maybe not Indianapolis). The Hurricanes would need nothing short of a miracle to beat the Buckeyes and they may survive their bout with the Aggies because of the latter's inexperience. That means they'll enter the quarterfinal battered, and Ohio State can feast on fresh meat.

Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

Here's where things really need to go Ohio State's way. The only non-Big Ten team in this year's bracket that can seriously win the national championship is No. 3 Georgia. The last time the Bulldogs and Buckeyes met in the CFP, things ended unfortunately for the latter.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart seems to just have Ohio State's number in big games and Ryan Day will want to avoid this matchup at all costs. That being said, No. 6 Ole Miss has the talent to pull off an upset over the Bulldogs, assuming it gets past No. 11 Tulane in the first round. The Buckeyes can handle the inexperienced Trinidad Chambliss and let their offense take advantage of a porous SEC defense.

National championship: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Texas Tech

Okay, I get it, a lot has to go Ohio State's way this year. We already know No. 1 Indiana can beat them and it very well may do it again if the national championship is on the line. And let's not forget No. 5 Oregon which may be the most dangerous team in the entire field not named Georgia. Ohio State does not want to see the Ducks if it can help it.

So that leaves No. 4 Texas Tech, champions of the Big 12, as the next realistic opponent that would serve a desirable matchup for the Buckeyes. Yes, the Red Raiders' offense is admirable but they have a defense that is vulnerable to the run game and that should excite running back Bo Jackson. Inexperience could also be a major factor that Ohio State can take advantage of, pulling from its bag of tricks on the biggest stage.

Ohio State has a path to repeating as national champion but it may very well learn that there are more capable teams in its path then there were last season.