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) |
OSU Heading to the Fiesta........... Again
 |
COLUMBUS — The Buckeyes are headed to Glendale, Arizona to play Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2016.
Ohio State (11-1) finished No. 7 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, followed by the Irish (10-2) at No. 8.
This will be Ohio State's seventh time playing in the Fiesta Bowl, where they own a 4-2 overall record. This will also be the Buckeyes' second time playing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, with the last time happening after the 2005 regular season. The Buckeyes won that game 34-20.
Ohio State owns a 3-2 record all-time against Notre Dame.
The Fiesta Bowl kicks off at 1:00 pm eastern on New Year's Day.
In the final Associated Press Top 25 poll before the bowl games and College Football Playoff start, Ohio State is ranked at No. 7, falling one spot due to being leapfrogged by Stanford and staying behind Iowa.
The Buckeyes await their bowl fate, which will be determined later today. We will have full coverage of the final CFP poll as well as Ohio State's bowl destination.
The Big Ten placed six teams in the Top 25, including Michigan State (3), Iowa (6), Northwestern (12), Michigan (17), and Wisconsin (23).
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST VOTES | CHANGE | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON | 1510 | 51 | ACC | |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 1465 | 9 | SEC | |
| 3 | MICHIGAN STATE | 1382 | 1 | +2 | BIG TEN |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | 1376 | -1 | BIG 12 | |
| 5 | STANFORD | 1221 | +2 | PAC-12 | |
| 6 | IOWA | 1214 | -2 | BIG TEN | |
| 7 | OHIO STATE | 1208 | -1 | BIG TEN | |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 1070 | +1 | INDEPENDENT | |
| 9 | FLORIDA STATE | 972 | +1 | ACC | |
| 10 | NORTH CAROLINA | 949 | -2 | ACC | |
| 11 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 936 | BIG 12 | ||
| 12 | NORTHWESTERN | 776 | +1 | BIG TEN | |
| 13 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 767 | +1 | BIG 12 | |
| 14 | HOUSTON | 710 | +3 | THE AMERICAN | |
| 15 | OREGON | 685 | PAC-12 | ||
| 16 | MISSISISSIPPI | 656 | SEC | ||
| 17 | MICHIGAN | 578 | +2 | BIG TEN | |
| 18 | BAYLOR | 426 | -6 | BIG 12 | |
| 19 | FLORIDA | 420 | -1 | SEC | |
| 20 | UTAH | 323 | +1 | PAC-12 | |
| 21 | NAVY | 271 | +1 | THE AMERICAN | |
| 22 | LSU | 270 | +1 | SEC | |
| 23 | WISCONSIN | 197 | +2 | BIG TEN | |
| 24 | TEMPLE | 94 | -4 | THE AMERICAN | |
| 25 | WESTERN KENTUCKY | 70 | +2 | CONFERENCE USA |
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