There were no upsets on championship weekend, meaning that Ohio State was on the outside looking in when the final college football playoff rankings were released. The Buckeyes entered college football’s final weekend with a slim chance of making the playoff, needing either No. 1 Clemson or No. 2 Alabama to lose. Unfortunately for OSU, both teams outclassed their opponents in their conference championship games, thus, closing the door on any possibility of a repeat National Championship title.
Despite this, the Buckeyes still have plenty to play for in the postseason. 7th ranked Ohio State will face off against 8th ranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day. Notre Dame makes for a formidable opponent. The Irish rebounded from the loss of its starting quarterback at the beginning of the year (Sound familiar?) en route to an impressive 10-2 season.
This isn’t Ohio State’s first time in the Fiesta Bowl either. Ohio State has a long history of playing well in this particular bowl game. The Buckeyes have a 4-2 record in Fiesta Bowls, with one of its wins being its 2003 National Championship victory over Miami.
This also isn’t the first time the Buckeyes and Irish have faced each other in the Fiesta Bowl. These two teams squared off in the 2006 edition of the bowl game, with Ohio State trouncing Notre Dame 34-20.
Although the Buckeyes won’t play for the big prize, the Fiesta Bowl is a pretty nice consolation for Meyer and company.
