Ohio State is about to enter November in uncharted territory.
In Week 9, the Buckeyes suffered their second loss before the final month of the regular season for the first time since 2011, before Urban Meyer took over in Columbus.
Lincoln Riley and No. 25 Southern California responded mightily from last week's ugly loss to Wisconsin with a 30-18 win Saturday night. Ohio State trailed 27-9 in the fourth quarter on a rainy Halloween night in Los Angeles — the largest deficit Ohio State had faced since 2022.
With backup quarterback Luke Fahey making his first career start in place of the injured Julian
Sayin, the offense wasn't able to move the ball with Jeremiah Smith kept in check, while the typically stout Ohio State defense gave up the most points it has since 2024.
On the way to a rare second loss, the College Football Playoff hopes for the preseason No. 1 team in the country are looking shaky, raising questions if the Buckeyes are about to fall short of expectations.
Will Ohio State miss CFP?
At 6-2, Ohio State would not be out of the playoff conversation, but the margin for error has dwindled to about zero.
The Buckeyes are going to fall in the US LBM Coaches Poll and likely will not be in the top five when the College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday, Nov. 3, but should be in the projected bracket for the time being.
In order to stay in that projection, Ohio State cannot afford to lose another game — especially when you look at the rest of the schedule.
Ohio State does not face any highly ranked teams in the final month of the regular season, with a trip from middling Oregon next, a Northwestern team that just lost to the Ducks, at Nebraska and then the rivalry matchup against the poor offense in Michigan.
The Buckeyes should take care of business the rest of the way, and a 10-2 record should get them in regardless if they qualify for the Big Ten championship game. However, losing to any of the remaining opponents and Ohio State will likely be on the outside looking in, needing plenty of luck to bounce its way in order to get back in the picture.
Ohio State currently only has one win against a ranked team in Indiana, with a loss to Texas.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State CFP hopes just got complicated. Buckeyes have no margin for error
