What's next for the Buckeyes after losing to Michigan

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- For the second consecutive year, Ohio State does not control its own destiny to make the College Football Playoff.

After losing to Michigan 30-24 on Saturday, marking the program's third successive loss to the Wolverines, the Buckeyes will sit out next week from the conference championship and root for chaos across college football.

This is the final year that only four teams will be invited to play in the CFP before it expands to 12 teams next season. With this level of exclusivity over the past decade, its been hard for teams sitting out of Championship Saturday to get back in but it has happened before.

"The worst part is we kind of have to sit back now and see how everything shakes out and it is out of our control," said McCord. "I know last year we got a second chance at life getting in the playoff and we came motivated."

Last season, the Buckeyes faced the same dilemma to get that second chance and they got it. With USC losing the Pac-12 title to Utah, OSU with its 11-1 record got a spot in the playoff and turned up to nearly beat No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl. That gritty 42-41 loss proved to many the selection committee got it right putting the Buckeyes in the playoff.

This year, the path to the playoff for Ohio State is convoluted with a handful of unbeaten and one-loss teams in the mix playing in conference title games to enhance their cases of making the top-four.

Michigan, Georgia, Washington, and Florida State all enter their respective conference title games undefeated while one-loss sides Alabama, Texas, and Oregon could each play their way into the playoff by winning on Saturday. With Ohio State not having either option, chances are slim they'll be playing in the semifinals.

The first indication of where OSU's chances lie will be with the release of Tuesday's penultimate College Football Playoff rankings. While the four unbeatens are expected to occupy the top-four spots, where the committee ranks the four one-loss teams is up in the air.

If the semifinals are not in the cards, the Buckeyes look poised to make a trip to one of the New Year's Six bowls. The most likely destination is the Orange Bowl in Miami, a trip the Buckeyes have not made since 2014.

It is also likely we won't see multiple Buckeyes stars play in its bowl game if its not for a national championship spot. Notably, receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are highly touted to go high in the NFL Draft and could sit out in a non-playoff bowl game.