What path must Ohio State travel to repeat as CFP national champs?

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The College Football Playoff field is set. The Ohio State football team had the inside track for the No. 1 seed, but let it slip away with the loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game. However, the committee rewarded the Buckeyes with the No. 2 seed, recognizing the full body of work and a hard-fought battle with the Hoosiers, resulting in a three-point loss.

So, where does that leave OSU, and what does the path look like for the Bucks to repeat as national champs? Even with a loss, Ohio State is still the odds-on favorite to win the title. That doesn’t mean it will be easy by any stretch of the imagination, as Indiana exposed some holes that need to be corrected and done so quickly. But if Ryan Day and the coaching staff can fix those issues, the Buckeyes have a roster more than capable of making another title run in the CFP.

How does Ohio State get there? Let’s take a look at where the team will play and who the opponents might be.

First Game for Ohio State – CFP Quarterfinals in The Cotton Bowl

Site: AT&T Stadium – Dallas, Texas

After making a four-game run to win it all last season, the Buckeyes earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff this season. They will await the winner of the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes. As of now, A&M is a 5.5-point favorite over the Hurricanes. With the game being played at Kyle Field, we’ll give the Aggies the nod.

Ironically, the committee put Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl to avoid a possible home game against Miami in the Orange Bowl. Dallas is just a short three-hour drive from College Station and may feel like a de facto home game for Texas A&M. The Aggies haven’t played great down the stretch, which leaves the door wide open for back-to-back OSU Cotton Bowl victories over a team from Texas.

Should the Buckeyes take care of Business in Jerry’s World, they would move on to the CFP Semifinals.

CFP Semifinals for Ohio State – The Fiesta Bowl

Site: State Farm Stadium – Glendale, Arizona

The Committee again did Ohio State a favor here. With a win in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Buckeyes would then travel to Glendale, Arizona, to play in the Fiesta Bowl. The Phoenix area has a large contingency of OSU alumni and has been a home away from home for Ohio State over the years.

However, the biggest plus here is that the Buckeyes’ most likely opponent in this contest will be the Georgia Bulldogs. The other semifinal will be played in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and would have been a virtual home game for the Dawgs. The fact that Buckeye Nation travels so well and getting UGA out of the friendly confines of its backyard is greatly beneficial to Ohio State.

This would undoubtedly be a massive challenge for the Buckeyes. Georgia easily matches OSU with talent, and the game would come down to who can win the trenches and make the fewest mistakes. Let’s say Ohio State wins here. That leaves just one game left to win.

CFP Championship Game for Ohio State

Site: Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida

The final destination for a Buckeye repeat would be in Miami, Florida. The last time Ohio State played in Miami, things didn’t end well. We still have nightmares watching Tuf Boreland get left in the dust trying to cover Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith. However, Ryan Day and the Bucks would have a chance to make new memories and hoist a trophy in a place they were embarrassed just five years earlier.

Who would Ohio State play? If all works out the way we expect, we see a rematch with the Big Ten Champs, the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana also would have a tough path, facing the winner of Alabama and Oklahoma, and then facing the winner of Oregon (most likely) and Texas Tech in order to set up a rematch with the Buckeyes.

There you have it. That is the path for an Ohio State repeat … at least as far as travel and venue go.

The Buckeyes open their title defense on December 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Dallas.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State football’s path to repeat as CFP national champions is set

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