COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially in the hunt to defend their national title, earning the No. 2 seed in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, announced Sunday afternoon. Their path to a repeat begins after a dramatic and unpredictable championship weekend that reshaped the bracket.
Hoosiers Stun Buckeyes, Shake Up Top of the Bracket
The biggest shock came Saturday night when Indiana upset Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, propelling the Hoosiers to the No. 1 overall seed. Despite the loss, Ohio State remained firmly inside the top four and earned a first-round bye.
Joining them with byes:
- No. 1 Indiana
- No. 2 Ohio State
- No. 3 Georgia
- No. 4 Texas Tech
Chaos Pushes New Teams Into the Field
While the top four were essentially locked in, the real drama unfolded in the fight for seeds 5–12.
The playoff committee had two automatic spots reserved for conference champions outside the top 10, but Saturday’s games had surprises across the board:
- Texas Tech crushed BYU in the Big 12 Championship, knocking the Cougars out of contention.
- Duke shocked Virginia to win the ACC title and clinch a playoff berth.
- Alabama, ranked No. 9 last week, suffered its third loss of the season in a 21-point defeat to Georgia, complicating their chances but ultimately keeping them in the field.
Full First-Round Matchups
With the dust settled, here’s how the opening round shapes up:
- No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
- No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
- No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
- No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami
Ohio State will await the winner of the Oregon–James Madison matchup as they prepare for their playoff run.
