Michigan’s win over the Buckeyes didn’t just crush them — it may have saved their season. Here is how the Wolverines fueled Ohio State’s College Football Playoff run to (at least) tonight’s semifinal matchup in the Cotton Bowl against Texas:
Let’s get this out of the way — Michigan beat Ohio State. Again. For the fourth straight year.
A hard-fought, gritty 13-10 victory sealed the deal in Columbus, and while Michigan celebrated what some consider to be a successful rebuilding year, Ohio State’s morale seemed all but dead.
Except, as it turns out, that loss was exactly what the Buckeyes needed.
Now, you might think that’s a bizarre take. How could losing to their bitter rivals — a team that had become their annual measuring stick — possibly benefit the Buckeyes? A team that is, more than a month later, gearing up for the College Football Playoff semifinal (the Cotton Bowl against Texas tonight) after upsetting the previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks .
To be clear, Ohio State didn’t lose gracefully to Michigan. The postgame chatter from Buckeyes players, coaches and fans was filled with every excuse in the book. Michigan didn’t really beat them, they argued. Ohio State just had an off day. (Of course, when your “off day” consists of being smothered by Michigan’s defense and scoring a season-low 10 points, one might suggest the Wolverines had something to do with it).
Call it a wake-up call, a gut check, or just sheer embarrassment, but the Buckeyes responded by dismantling Oregon on New Year’s Day. And that was a team many thought was destined to win its first national title.
You have to wonder — would Ohio State have found this extra gear if it hadn’t been humbled by Michigan? Would the Buckeyes have been this sharp and this motivated if they hadn’t felt the sting of watching Michigan celebrate yet another win in The Game, especially one on their own home turf?
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning might have summed it up best: “Sometimes it’s not your day…It wasn’t their day against Michigan. But what’s unique about college football right now in this dynamic is that you’ve got to be playing your best ball at the end. I think anybody watching Ohio State recognizes they’re playing really good football.”
Translation — losing to Michigan might have been the slap in the face Ohio State needed. In fact, Ohio State offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin said as much to ESPN earlier this week.
“It was raw,” he said. “It’s what needed to happen. I think the dominance the past two weeks is directly correlated to how we talked and after that loss to Michigan and how we came together, and it’s been fun to watch and fun to be around.”
Here’s where it gets funny: Buckeye fans don’t want to admit any of this. They can’t bring themselves to give Michigan credit for anything, let alone for inadvertently kickstarting their playoff push. But that’s exactly what happened.
Ohio State needed a total reset. The defense needed to tighten up. The offense needed to rediscover its explosiveness. And the Buckeyes needed to prove — first to themselves — that they were still a legitimate national title contender.
The 13-10 loss gave them all the motivation they needed. And now, as they prepare to face Texas in the Cotton Bowl later this evening, you could argue they owe a thank you card to Wink Martindale.
So as we watch Ohio State chase a national championship, let’s all take a moment to appreciate the glorious irony.
The Wolverines didn’t just beat the Buckeyes, they may have saved them.