Why the extra days off will help Ohio State when they face Miami

As the Ohio State Buckeyes prepare for their 2025 College Football Playoff debut after enjoying a bye in the opening round of the tournament, it's fair to wonder if the time off will have a positive or negative effect on head coach Ryan Day’s program. After all, the four highest seeds in last season’s bracket were one and done during the 12-team field’s first year.

Among those losing was top-ranked Oregon, who got demolished by the eight-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, right after the Buckeyes had trampled over the ninth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in the opening round. No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State were also eliminated by teams who won their opening round matches.

Nonetheless, the Buckeyes should be able to avoid walking into the trap because of these five factors:

Experience

Last year’s bye weeks were a novelty. This is the case no more. What ended up happening last season is still fresh in the minds of the Buckeyes -- and Bulldogs, for that matter. Ohio State knows exactly what it takes to bring down a top-ranked team after the bye, having pulled off the feat themselves. Day’s holdover from last season should be able to identify the Duck’s failures and how they were able to exploit them in their favor, and not run into the same pitfalls.

Time to refocus

Probably, the most beneficial aspect of the time off will be the fact that it will allow Ohio State to take a little step back and see what went wrong in the Big Ten Championship Game loss against Indiana, instead of having to suit up immediately for another showdown.

The Buckeyes must digest what happened that day in all three phases of the game, where the offense stalled, the defense broke towards the end of the second half, and the special teams let everybody down with the game on the line. With a potential rematch against Indiana on the horizon, it’s good to have ample time to reflect and correct everything that went off track in Indianapolis.

Time to process

Individual accolades are a big deal. Especially the Heisman. Julian Sayin was once the betting favorite to take home the statuette before losing it to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, right after the Buckeyes lost the Big Ten crown to the Hoosiers. Nonetheless, enough time has now passed where Sayin can put his feet back on the ground, and the Heisman possibility isn’t a factor in his head when he’s playing.

Same goes for all other individual awards, won or not, where Buckeyes were finalists. We all know who the recipients are, and there’s no more lobbying.

Time to adjust

Currently, the biggest modification the Buckeyes need to make will be moving forward without Brian Hartline. The longtime wide receivers coach who added the offensive coordinator role in 2023 has been formally introduced as the USF Bulls new head coach, though he’s finishing out the CFP with the Buckeyes.

Day has already announced he’s gonna take over play-calling duties for this preseason, with Hartline focusing on the wideouts. Day was already Ohio State’s playcaller before handing over those duties to Chip Kelly first, and then onto Hartline. He knows the role inside and out, and the Buckeyes will deal with one less distraction stemming from Hartline’s departure.

One more game film to break down

Of course, Ohio State staff will have watched and studied all of Miami’s games for the season up to this point, but having extra tape from the win over Texas A&M at Kyle Field could prove invaluable.

See, this is not your typical ACC or FBS opponent we’re dealing with, but a very talented SEC program that couldn’t manage a touchdown all day long against the ‘Canes. Ohio State has more talent than the Aggies on roster, starting off with the quarterback and wide receiver position, but seeing exactly where they failed could become crucial intelligence for the upcoming Cotton Bowl Classic. And learning from A&M on how to limit Miami to just 10 points could also be beneficial for the Buckeyes’ vaunted defense.

Full recovery

Ohio State ended the regular season with its top two wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate a little banged up, despite both playing against Michigan and then Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. With a little more time off than usual, whatever they were dealing with has surely been taken care of and they’ll come back in full force against the Hurricanes.