Ohio State Trades Style Points for Ugly Win, but Buckeyes Headed to CFP Title Game

Through two rounds of the College Football Playoff, no team put together a flashier run than the Ohio State Buckeyes.

After a dismal offensive day in a loss to Michigan during the regular-season finale, the sky seemed like it may begin falling in Columbus. It was the fourth straight loss to the program's archrival, and the whispers around Ryan Day's job security became a malcontented roar.

Fast-forward to Friday, and that bitterness had faded. Ohio State walloped Tennessee in the opening round of the CFP and ripped apart top-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

The offense, highlighted by quarterback Will Howard and star freshman wideout Jeremiah Smith, had become a near-unstoppable force at the…