Ohio State didn't win its conference — or its division, for that matter — and as a result, the Buckeyes won't have a chance to repeat as national champions of college football.
However, Urban Meyer's Buckeyes check in at No. 7 in the final set of College Football Playoff rankings released Sunday afternoon. They are set to take on No. 8 Notre Dame (10-2) in the Fiesta Bowl. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. EST New Year's Day.
The 2015 Playoff matchups are No. 1 Clemson against No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 2 Alabama against No. 3 Michigan State. Iowa, who lost to the Spartans, 16-13, in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday, is ranked fifth and set to play No. 6 Stanford in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State finished the 2015 regular season 11-1, with its lone blemish being a 17-14 loss to Michigan State in Columbus Nov. 21. As a result, the Buckeyes needed some help in the form of chaos on Conference Championship Saturday to have a shot at a second straight Playoff berth. It didn't happen, but the team is set to return to the Fiesta Bowl for the first time since a 24-21 loss to Texas in 2009.
The last time Meyer coached in the Glendale, Arizona, was in January 2007 as the head coach at Florida, when he and the Gators stomped Ohio State, 41-14, to win the BCS National Championship.
Ohio State leads the all-time series against the Fighting Irish 3-2. The Buckeyes won the most recent meeting between the two programs, 34-20, in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. The two teams are set to open a home-and-home series in 2022, when the Irish visit Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes are scheduled to play in South Bend, Indiana, the following year.
It is the 46th bowl game in Ohio State's history and the seventh time the Buckeyes are set to play in the Fiesta Bowl.
| Rank | Team | Conf. | Record | BOWL Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON | ACC | 13-0 | CFP SEMIFINAL, ORANGE BOWL v. OKLAHOMA (12/31) |
| 2 | ALABAMA | SEC | 12-1 | CFP SEMIFINAL, COTTON BOWL v. MICHIGAN STATE (12/31) |
| 3 | MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN | 12-1 | CFP SEMIFINAL, COTTON BOWL v. ALABAMA (12/31) |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 11-1 | CFP SEMIFINAL, ORANGE BOWL v. CLEMSON (12/31) |
| 5 | IOWA | BIG TEN | 12-1 | ROSE BOWL v. STANFORD (1/1) |
| 6 | STANFORD | PAC-12 | 11-2 | ROSE BOWL v. IOWA (1/1) |
| 7 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 11-1 | FIESTA BOWL v. NOTRE DAME (1/1) |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | IND | 10-2 | FIESTA BOWL v. OHIO STATE (1/1) |
| 9 | FLORIDA STATE | ACC | 10-2 | PEACH BOWL v. HOUSTON (12/31) |
| 10 | NORTH CAROLINA | ACC | 11-2 | RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL v. BAYLOR (12/29) |
| 11 | TCU | BIG 12 | 10-2 | ALAMO BOWL v. OREGON (1/2) |
| 12 | OLE MISS | SEC | 9-3 | SUGAR BOWL v. OKLAHOMA STATE (1/1) |
| 13 | NORTHWESTERN | BIG TEN | 10-2 | OUTBACK BOWL v. TENNESSEE (1/1) |
| 14 | MICHIGAN | BIG TEN | 9-3 | CITRUS BOWL v. FLORIDA (1/1) |
| 15 | OREGON | PAC-12 | 9-3 | ALAMO BOWL v. OREGON (1/2) |
| 16 | OKLAHOMA STATE | BIG 12 | 10-2 | SUGAR BOWL v. OLE MISS (1/1) |
| 17 | BAYLOR | BIG 12 | 9-3 | RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL v. NORTH CAROLINA (12/29) |
| 18 | HOUSTON | AAC | 12-1 | PEACH BOWL v. FLORIDA STATE (12/31) |
| 19 | FLORIDA | SEC | 10-3 | CITRUS BOWL v. MICHIGAN (1/1) |
| 20 | LSU | SEC | 8-3 | TEXAS BOWL v. TEXAS TECH (12/29) |
| 21 | NAVY | AAC | 9-2 | MILITARY BOWL v. PITTSBURGH (12/28) |
| 22 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 9-3 | LAS VEGAS BOWL v. BYU (12/19) |
| 23 | TENNESSEE | SEC | 8-4 | OUTBACK BOWL v. NORTHWESTERN (1/1) |
| 24 | TEMPLE | AAC | 10-3 | BOCA RATON BOWL v. TOLEDO (12/22) |
| 25 | USC | PAC-12 | 8-5 | HOLIDAY BOWL v. WISCONSIN (12/30) |
