So there’s good news and bad news, Buckeye fans.
The bad news is, of course, Saturday’s game against Indiana didn’t go our way. Though you do have to hand it to Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers for their
historic season, no one likes losing, especially in games that come with some clout or bragging rights like conference championships do.
Fret not. There are still two pieces of good news for Ohio State.
I do genuinely believe that these are the two best teams in college football this season, which means there’s a decent chance the Buckeyes will get an opportunity for revenge against Indiana in the playoffs. If that comes to fruition, the odds now favor the Buckeyes should they meet the Hoosiers again this season.
I wrote earlier this week about how I wasn’t putting too much weight on this Big Ten Championship game. Adversity is ultimately a good thing that can stoke the fires of motivation, and statistically, it is very rare to beat the same team twice when the second meeting is a bowl or playoff game.
If I can’t have my ultimate wish (Buckeyes by 100 in every game ever), then I want them to win when it counts.
Since 1992, when the College Football Bowl Coalition was established, teams have rematched in bowl or playoff games just 17 times. Sixteen of these had outright winners in the first matchup, with one original matchup ending in a tie.
Excluding that tie, teams split the wins in 12 of the remaining 16 rematches (25% of the time) when those rematches were in a bowl or playoff game. Again, this is excluding rematches in conference championships. The last time the same team won the first meeting and again in a bowl game rematch was 2007, when Purdue beat Central Michigan in the regular season and the Motor City Bowl in the same year.
Furthermore, in BCS and College Football Playoff games, the team that lost the first meeting is undefeated. Alabama beat LSU in the 2010 BCS Title Game, Georgia beat Alabama in the 2022 CFP Championship Game, and, of course, Ohio State beat Oregon in the CFP Quarterfinal Rose Bowl last year.
The Buckeyes have their work cut out for them, certainly. They’re going to need to quickly evaluate what went wrong and where the cracks in the foundation happened so they can adjust, but the numbers are promising should these teams meet again in a bowl game.
The other good news is that, in a matchup that was decided by just three points, it wasn’t all bad. I’m sure I’m not alone in overanalyzing and obsessing over the lackluster offense, missed field goal, the heartbreaking fourth down where we came up short, and other moments where the train jumped the tracks.
But there was also a 54-yard Jeremiah Smith reception, and both he and Bo Jackson surpassed 1,000 yards for the season. The defense, too, had a few standout moments, including three sacks.
However, one play stands out in my mind from Saturday’s matchup as a flicker of the greatness we’ve seen from Ohio State all season, and it’s worth revisiting as we start to hype ourselves up for the playoffs: Davison Igbinosun’s interception.
How it happened
History repeated itself twice this week. As was the case against Michigan last week, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin threw an interception on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the game. And as was also the case against Michigan, Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun had an interception of his own.
This week, it felt like a lifeline. After Sayin’s interception and a punt on their following series, the OSU offense needed a jolt of energy to give themselves and fans some hope. The Silver Bullets were ready to assist.
On 1st and 10 for the Hoosiers with just under two minutes to play in the first quarter, Fernando Mendoza threw a screen pass intended for Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. Instead, Lorenzo Styles Jr. made a huge play to tip the ball, and Igbinosun nabbed the interception.
The play set Ohio State’s offense up on the Hoosiers’ 25-yard line, ultimately queuing up a nine-yard touchdown pass from Sayin to Carnell Tate to give the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead.
Styles and Igbinosun’s play was indicative of how in sync this defense has been all season, but it was also indicative of what this Buckeye team is capable of and how they are able to bounce back from adversity. Coming off a loss as they head into the playoffs, that ability to bounce back is more important than ever.
Watch Styles and Igbinosun shine here:
