Ohio State fans are currently staring at a bracket that feels like a fever dream. If you’re asking will Ohio State be in the playoffs, the answer is actually "they were, and it's already over." It is January 17, 2026. The dust has mostly settled on a season that saw the Buckeyes reach the highest of highs before a New Year’s Eve nightmare in Arlington turned everything upside down.
Football is cruel. One minute you're the number one team in the land, and the next, you're watching Miami celebrate on the AT&T Stadium turf.
The Buckeyes didn't just make the 12-team field this year; they walked in as a heavy favorite to win the whole thing. They carried the No. 2 seed. They had a first-round bye. Everything was lined up for Ryan Day to finally grab that second ring, but the 2025-26 postseason had other plans for the Scarlet and Gray.
Will Ohio State Be in the Playoffs? Looking Back at the 2025-26 Bracket
To understand where things stand now, you have to look at how they got there. The regular season was a masterpiece of dominance. Ohio State finished 12-1, with their only regular-season blemish coming in the Big Ten Championship game.
That game against Indiana was a literal heartbreaker. A 13-10 loss where a late field goal miss decided the top seed in the country. Because they lost that game, Indiana took the No. 1 spot, leaving Ohio State at No. 2.
Honestly, the bye week felt like a blessing at the time. While teams like Alabama and Oklahoma were beating each other up in the first round, the Buckeyes were resting. They were waiting for the winner of the Texas A&M and Miami matchup.
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Then came December 31. The Cotton Bowl.
Miami, the No. 10 seed, had just gutted out a 10-3 win over A&M. Nobody—literally nobody—expected them to walk into Jerry World and stifle the most explosive offense in college football. But that's exactly what happened. The final score: Miami 24, Ohio State 14.
What Went Wrong in the Cotton Bowl?
If you watched the game, you saw a nightmare scenario unfold in real-time. The Buckeyes' offensive line, which had been a fortress all year, suddenly looked like Swiss cheese.
Payton Pierce and Caleb Downs played their hearts out on defense, but you can’t win games when your offense stalls for three straight quarters. Jeremiah Smith showed flashes of why he’s a generational talent, but he couldn't do it alone.
It was a situational failure.
Third downs were a disaster.
The running game? Non-existent.
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Miami used a conservative, ball-control strategy that essentially sucked the air out of the building. By the time Ohio State realized they were in a dogfight, they were already down 17-14 with no momentum. A late Miami touchdown sealed the deal, sending the Buckeyes home and leaving Columbus in a state of shock.
The Aftermath of the Playoff Exit
It’s weird to think about a 12-2 season as a failure. In any other era, a Cotton Bowl appearance is a massive win. But at Ohio State, it’s "Natty or Bust."
Losing in the quarterfinals as a No. 2 seed feels worse than not making it at all to some fans. Now, the conversation has shifted from "can they win it?" to "how do they fix this?"
- Brian Hartline’s departure: The coaching staff is seeing shakeups.
- NFL Draft Exits: Stars like Carnell Tate are heading to the pros.
- The O-Line Rebuild: Tyler Bowen has his work cut out for him this spring.
The Path to the 2027 Playoffs
So, what's next? If you’re already looking ahead to the next cycle, the 2026 regular season schedule is already making people nervous.
They open against Ball State on September 5, but the real test comes a week later. On September 12, 2026, Ohio State travels to Austin to face Texas. That game will essentially serve as an early-season playoff eliminator.
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The good news? Jeremiah Smith is coming back for one more year. Having the best receiver in the country is a decent way to start a rebuild. Plus, the defense is expected to lean on younger prospects who got meaningful snaps during the bowl season.
The 12-team format means Ohio State will almost always be in the conversation. You can lose a game—or even two—and still find a way in. But as we saw this year, getting in is the easy part. It’s what you do with the bye week and the pressure of the quarterfinals that defines a legacy.
Actionable Steps for Buckeyes Fans
While the playoff run for this year is over, the offseason moves fast. If you want to keep tabs on how the roster is shaping up for the next run, here is what to watch:
- Monitor the Transfer Portal: The Buckeyes are already linked to several high-profile offensive linemen and a top-tier defensive tackle from Baylor.
- Follow the Spring Game: This will be the first look at the new-look offense without Carnell Tate.
- Check the 2026 Recruiting Rankings: Signing Chris Henry Jr. was a massive win, but they need more depth in the trenches to avoid another Cotton Bowl collapse.
The 2025-26 season will go down as one of the great "what ifs" in program history. They had the talent. They had the seed. They just ran into a Miami team that was hungrier. Now, the clock resets, and the grind toward the 2027 playoffs begins in earnest.