Three things Ohio State fans should know before College Football Playoffs Week 1

Ohio State Buckeyes fans will be sitting on their couches, enjoying wings and, potentially, a cold beverage, to watch the opening weekend of the College Football Playoffs without the stress of their team playing.

The Buckeyes enter the playoffs as the number two seed, with a first-round bye as they prep for either Miami or Texas A&M. They had a shot at the number one seed. Still, a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers dropped them to two, and Indiana moved up to one.

With no stress in the first round, there are still plenty of storylines and games to monitor on the opening weekend of the playoffs that could impact the Buckeyes' national championship run.

Who will win between Miami and Texas A&M to face Ohio State?

If there is one game to monitor over the weekend, this is the one to watch. Not only does the winner of this game play Ohio State, but it will give fans a better idea of what works well and where their weaknesses are.

Both teams are coming off disappointing ends to their season, with Miami and Texas A&M missing out on their conference championships due to tiebreakers. Texas A&M had a long winning streak going until a late-season loss to the Texas Longhorns derailed their conference title hopes. Despite being Notre Dame at the beginning of the season, Miami had two bad losses in ACC play that forced them into a second-place tiebreaker that went to Duke.

Ohio State will have a challenge on its hands regardless of who they play, but this still feels like a favorable second-round matchup for the Buckeyes.

Can Oregon avoid massive upset against James Madison?

This is more for watching a Big Ten opponent, but the Ducks losing to the Dukes might end up being the biggest upset in college football history, which would be great for the Buckeyes. Oregon seems like they should win this game and might end up being a national title opponent for Ohio State.

Keep an eye on Ole Miss and Tulane for potential semifinal showdown

While it seems unlikely that Georgia will face the winner of Ole Miss and Tulane, these two teams could face off against Ohio State in the semifinals. The Rebels are going through this playoff run without their head coach, Lane Kiffin, which could make things interesting.

Tulane and Ole Miss played each other already this season, and it was a five-touchdown win for the Rebels. Buckeye fans might want to keep an eye on it just in case they face off in a few weeks.