No. 13 Oregon's 41-28 dismantling of Ohio State on Saturday likely pushed the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff race. With the loss to Oregon following their 30-18 road defeat to No. 20 USC last week, the Buckeyes have lost two straight regular-season games for the first time since November 2011. Heading into Saturday, Ohio State had almost always bounced back in the regular season after a defeat. That wasn't the case against the Ducks in a matchup that ended Ohio State's streak of 14 straight seasons with two or fewer losses.
Both of the Buckeyes' defeats came by double-digit margins, marking their first double-digit losses in consecutive games since 2004 -- 8,057 days ago. The Buckeyes went 5,467 days and 169 games without dropping back-to-back regular-season matchups. Since the last time the Buckeyes dropped two straight, they were 171-24, the second-most wins of any college football program since the start of the 2012 season.
A key turning point in the game came late in the second quarter when Oregon pulled off a fake punt. After that play, Oregon outgained Ohio State 288 to 47. The Buckeyes held a 14-0 lead and had won 140 consecutive home games when leading by at least 14 points. The Buckeyes gave up 41 points at home, marking the second-most points surrendered by a Day-coached team at home.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing