At the start of the season, many assumed Ohio State was all but a lock to reach the College Football Playoff in order to defend its crown.
Sure, an Alabama or a Clemson could still beat the talented Buckeyes in a close semifinal game, the reasoning went, but even with tough contests against Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa to end the season, Urban Meyer would get Ohio State to return to form and wind up with a top seed thanks to the sheer amount of talent in scarlet and gray.
Well, scratch that line of thinking after Week 12 thanks to Mark Dantonio's Spartans.