Paul Finebaum says Ohio State is in a worse spot than it looks. The Buckeyes lost to Oregon on Saturday for their third defeat of the season, the first time that has happened since 2011. The playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Finebaum’s assessment is harsher than that. He sees a program in a much deeper hole than one loss suggests.
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“Well, bad news, my friend Randy,” Finebaum told Randy Scott when asked about Ohio State’s verdict. “You remember, they started the season number one. A lot of us thought they might win it all. They’re not going to win it all. They lost three straight games yesterday for the first time since 11. They had an interim coach at the time, and they lost to a team that we had already buried.”
As things stand, this wasn’t their third consecutive loss of the season, as Finebaum said. Their first loss came in Week 2 against the Texas Longhorns, followed by their last two losses to USC and Oregon in the last two weeks.
“Embarrassing performance,” he added. “The only good news for Ohio State, they get to play Michigan later in the season, which had an even more deadly appearance yesterday against Michigan State. But Ohio State’s chances of winning it all? Gone. Making the playoff? Gone. They are dead, dead and buried.”
Finebaum’s assessment might sound harsh, but it’s the truth as Ohio ended its 12-game home winning streak. Ohio State looked firmly in control early in the game, racing to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Running back Bo Jackson provided both touchdowns, giving the Buckeyes a promising start in front of their home crowd at Ohio Stadium. However, the momentum quickly shifted as Oregon mounted a remarkable comeback.
Oregon scored 38 unanswered points, a first since 1999, to take complete control of the contest. Despite the Buckeyes’ attempts to fight back, the Ducks held on for a 41-28 victory, handing Ohio State its second consecutive defeat. The loss dropped the Buckeyes to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten. Adding to their woes, it marked the first time since 1992 that Ohio State had suffered back-to-back defeats against unranked opponents.
Another regular-season defeat has further damaged their chances of securing a postseason berth. And perhaps the most shocked by the result was coach Ryan Day.
“We didn’t expect any of this to happen,” Day said about Organ’s turnaround win. “I thought the way we came out was how we thought we were playing this game. Then once the momentum swung, we weren’t able to stop that.”
Ryan Day refused to single out any particular group for the defeat, suggesting that the Buckeyes had fallen short as a team. However, he acknowledged that he would review the areas where the team struggled alongside his coaching staff during a meeting on Sunday.
“It all starts with the staff, and then it goes to the players,” Day explained. “So there needs to be accountability for all of it. And then we go from there.”
“Not someplace we thought we’d be. Beyond disappointed and understand what the expectations are,” Day added. “… To lose three games is unacceptable, and I own that. That’s never going to change from my viewpoint.”
Moving forward, Ohio State will return to action on November 14 against Northwestern. And if they lose this one as well, the chances of making the 12-team CFP drop to less than 1%.
But the good news is: despite their slump, the Ohio State Buckeyes are 10.5-point favorites against the Northwestern Wildcats for their upcoming matchup. Still, only time will tell whether Day can fix the issues in his corner in time.