Hurt shoulder or not, I've thought about it and I feel that
@utee94 is definitely overreacting for a number of reasons:
First:
This isn't 1995 (pre-BCS), nor 2005 (BCS), nor 2015 (4-team CFP). This is 2025 with a 12-team CFP so one loss is "meh" not "OMG our Championship dreams are toast".
Second:
Texas outgained Ohio State by about 1.5:1. Their defense held the #3 team in the country and defending NC to barely over 200 yards and just 14 points.
Third:
Texas made a LOT of correctible mistakes that severely impacted the score including:
- Ohio State's first TD was courtesy of two big defensive penalties that kept the drive going.
- Ohio State's second TD came off the INT.
- Texas had a Safety taken off the board by a Defensive penalty.
Fourth :
Texas ran a LOT better than Ohio State overall. Ohio State was oddly better when they had to be (ie, and-goal situations, fourth downs) but Texas' backs averaged 4.0 and 5.0 while Ohio State's averaged 2.0 and 3.5.
Fundamentally, Ohio State won because they made a few more 'gotta-have-them' plays. The Buckeyes got inside the 25 once and got a TD. Texas got inside the 10 twice and came away with zero points.
Texas should feel like they could have won this and in the old days* that feeling SUCKED because your NC dreams died in a flaming pile of woulda coulda shouldas but in 2025 they are still very much a factor in the NC chase.
*Old days like 2005 when Ohio State got to the edge of FG range when a FG would have made it a two-score game and pretty much iced it but came up empty and lost.
