Ohio State bowl projections: Another Rose Bowl?
Ohio State's trip to Ann Arbor didn't go as planned Saturday, leaving stunned on the other end of a 42-27 loss to rival Michigan.
Instead of the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes seem to be back on a path of where they were right after their loss to Oregon after Week 2: finding a spot in a New Year's Six bowl.
Here's the general consensus of where Ohio State is expected to go bowling this year.
Bowl Projections
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN: Rose Bowl vs. Utah
Mark Schlabach of ESPN: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon
Saturday Tradition: Rose Bowl vs. Utah
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic: Rose Bowl vs. Utah
Scarlet and Gray Report's Take
Flights from Columbus to Los Angeles are already quickly becoming unavailable.
Ohio State seems to be on a path to its 16th Rose Bowl in program history, last beating Washington in the 2019 edition of the game: head coach Urban Meyer's final game as the Buckeyes' head coach.
So which team would Ohio State face in the bowl game it has played in more than any other? Unless anarchy happens on the College Football Playoff front, it's likely the winner of the Pac-12 Championship: either Oregon or Utah.
The narrative behind the Oregon matchup is fascinating.
The Buckeyes get a chance at redemption after losing to the Ducks in Week 2 before completely turning around their hopes before a loss to Michigan derailed those plans. Even though it means relatively nothing compared to a Playoff appearance, it gives Ohio State a chance to see if progress was made, giving them a boost ahead of the 2022 season.
If it's Utah, it's another test of Ohio State's run defense, facing the Pac-12's leader in rushing: averaging 218.1 yards per game, 5.7 yards per rush with 32 touchdowns.
Right now, it seems unlikely that the Ducks will be destroyed by the Utes on a neutral site, but the Pac-12 Championship seems to be a toss up.
However, a rematch with Oregon seems to be in the cards here.