Ohio State has Michigan to thank for College Football Playoff run

While their fans continue to moan, it turns out Ryan Day's squad is using the regular season loss to Michigan as fire for their playoff run.

As noted by Chris Vannini of The Athletic, Quinshon Judkins told reporters Ohio State's regular season loss to Michigan has given the program the "spark" needed to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

Judkins, who transferred from Ole Miss last offseason, has inserted himself as one of the top playmakers for the Buckeyes this season. Since the 13-10 loss to Michigan that ended their regular season, Ohio State has been on a tear — beating Tennessee, Oregon and Texas by a combined 59 points.

While two of their playoff games so far have looked like no doubt wins, the semifinal game against Texas was a completely different story with the Buckeyes needing a Quinn Ewers fumble and then a subsequent 83-yard TD return from Jack Sawyer in the closing minutes.

Considering that Ohio State was properly motivated for their semifinal game against the Longhorns and still needed four quarters, it's obvious that the Buckeyes will likely need that spark on for the entire national title game if they want any chance of hoisting the trophy.

Ohio State star RB says Michigan is to thank for playoff run

As Ohio State gets ready to play for the first time in 11 days, it's clear that any flat performance for a quarter or more will likely cost the Buckeyes a chance to beat the Irish and claim their first title in 10 years.

Yes, it's possible that a stall on the Irish passing game could allow the Buckeyes to do the same thing on offense without major consequences. Still, making yourself vulnerable to defeat by playing sloppy is something that this talented Ohio State team can't risk.

As the Buckeyes get ready for what they hope will be a glorious night against Notre Dame in the championship game, they can thank Michigan for giving them that extra little bit of motivation.