We are in the midst of some of the darkest days of the college football offseason. Spring football has been over for more than a month, and Big Ten Media Days are still nearly two months away.
But if you look carefully, there are a few tiny pinpoints of light just barely starting to peek through all that darkness.
For one, the earliest college football preview magazines have started showing up on newsstands.
And today, the countdown to kickoff of the Buckeyes’ 2019 season just hit 100 days.
This fall is going to be very different from a lot of recent OSU seasons. There’s a new head coach, new quarterback, and almost entirely new defensive coaching staff in scarlet and gray.
For most of Urban Meyer’s tenure, you could count on the Buckeyes being part of the College Football Playoff field in most preseason projections.
Ryan Day’s first squad is still getting a lot of respect, but they’re not considered quite as much of a sure thing.
Here’s a look at where a number of national outlets have the Buckeyes projected to play this postseason.
Sporting News: Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal) vs. Alabama
They’re projected to lose to the Tide, setting up yet another Clemson vs. Bama national title game.
Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are forecast to face Tom Herman’s Texas in the other semifinal.
Michigan is slotted to get the Big Ten’s other New Year’s Six bid in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
247 Sports: Rose Bowl vs. Oregon
This one has a little bit of an asterisk, as 247 declares “There’s just too many questions in the post-Urban Meyer era to pencil in the Buckeyes as a Playoff team … at the moment. But if Justin Fields flourishes, Ohio State could certainly get there based on overall talent and depth.”
They do project the Buckeyes to beat Michigan and win the Big Ten.
The Wolverines are slotted in to the Orange Bowl against Miami and former Buckeye quarterback Tate Martell.
Their projected College Football Playoff field pairs Clemson and Georgia in the Peach Bowl and Alabama and Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Another year with two SEC teams in the field would likely speed along the arrival of an eight-team format.
They also pick Clemson and Alabama to win those semifinals.
Stadium: Rose Bowl vs. Utah
Another publication, another Big Ten championship prediction for the Buckeyes. This time, they would face off with Utah in Pasadena.
This list has Michigan missing out on the New Year’s Six and sucking on the bitter taste of the Citrus Bowl against Texas A&M.
The College Football Playoff field pairs No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Oklahoma.
College Football News: Peach Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal) vs. Alabama
The Buckeyes are projected to lose the semifinal game, while Oklahoma upsets Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. That would pair the Crimson Tide against the Sooners and former Bama quarterback Jalen Hurts in the title game in New Orleans.
Michigan is slotted in to the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
If you’re the planning type, the Peach Bowl will be played Saturday, December 28, 2019 in Atlanta. The other College Football Playoff semifinal is also on December 28 in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
The Rose Bowl will be played on January 1, 2020 in Pasadena.
The National Championship Game is Monday, January 13, 2020 in New Orleans.
So I’ve spent the last 12 hrs since first seeing(not reading) this article because I wanted to give it some serious thought before HAVING to respond and YES this is the dumbest most pointless sports article EVER! No offense of course.