ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Take 2
During what turned out to be a romp through the College Football Playoff last season, Ohio State players did not hide that they had an extra bit of motivation every time they took the field.
It’s season-ending loss to Michigan was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet there’s little question it refocused a talented group and served as a much needed spark that sent Ohio State to its first national title in a decade.
A number of those same Buckeyes will take the field Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl for their 2025 playoff debut coming off of a devastating loss by the same scoreline. However, it’s clear that falling to top-seeded Indiana in the Big Ten title game doesn’t quite serve as the same kind of inspiration.
“We were trying to do something different and that’s go undefeated,” says star receiver Jeremiah Smith. “We didn’t really play our best, but we can’t really focus on that. We have to focus on what’s ahead of us and that’s playing against Miami—a very good football team.”
Without missing a beat though, the supremely confident Smith then followed that up with this prediction: “We’re going to see Indiana again.”
All with Ohio State hope that will be the case to avenge the Buckeyes’ lone blemish and to make it all the way to Miami for the national title game—a rare opportunity to be in a position to win back-to-back national championships.
It would also be a chance to correct a number of the mistakes and errors that led to the Hoosiers’ triumph in the conference title game which sent them to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl as the playoff’s No. 1 team and meant Ohio State would be making its third straight trip to Texas for the Cotton Bowl.
“We didn’t play our best football in that last game. And definitely, the guys on offense, we’re a little bit pissed off because we could have done so much better execution-wise,” quarterback Julian Sayin said. “It starts with me. So I think we’re just watching the film and seeing how can we improve and execute better so we make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Ohio State has had 23 days to replay many of those mistakes and has been waiting for the opportunity to return to action.
“Our guys, they’re tired of going against each other. It’s been chippy the past few days. They’re tired of practicing against each other,” head coach Ryan Day said. “So, that’s a good sign. That means we’re ready to hit somebody else. These guys are highly, highly motivated, and they know that sometimes the most difficult game is the first one in the playoff.”
That didn’t appear to be the case in 2024 given that Ohio State leapt out to a 21-point first-quarter lead in the first round against Tennessee.
“At the end of the day, we were hungry both times, and that’s what this is,” All-American defender Caleb Downs says of the comparisons to last year. “We have to play hungry and go out and get a win, no matter the circumstances and no matter the situation.”
“When you lose your rivalry game, it’s a little different. We have expectations to win everything and we wanted to be the first team to be 16–0. That obviously won’t be the case, but it doesn’t change the way we’ve operated,” added offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. “We’re really focused on where we’re at right now, and not necessarily reminiscing on last year.” | 
