Ohio State Football was built to be the Patriots. Instead, the Buckeyes could end up like the Giants

The previous season

The 2006 Giants season ended in disappointment. After a 6-2 start, they lost six of their last eight games to keep them out of the postseason.

Coach Tom Coughlin had posted an 11-win season the year before, but after the second-half collapse in 2006, the pressure increased heading into 2007.

Ohio State entered 2024 in a similar situation.

The Buckeyes opened 2023 with 11 straight wins. However, they ended the campaign with a loss to rival Michigan (OSU's third straight loss in the series) before suffering an uninspiring loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State retained much of its roster to keep expectations high for 2024, but questions lingered at a key position, once again drawing parallels to the 2007 Giants.

The 2006 disappointment marked quarterback Eli Manning's third season with the organization and second as a full-time starter. He threw 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, creating uncertainty about his future as a player in the league.

Ohio States 2023 starter Kyle McCord opted to transfer after the regular season. The Buckeyes responded by adding Kansas State transfer Will Howard from the portal to compete with Devin Brown for the starting job.

Howard won, but with the Wildcats he had just one season with over 2,500 passing yards.

The preseason

Ohio State entered 2024 fresh off three disappointing seasons. Along with three straight losses to Michigan, Ohio State had not won a Big Ten championship since 2020.

The Buckeyes also had not won a College Football Playoff National Championship since 2014, when Urban Meyer was the coach.

Not meeting expectations put pressure on Day, similar to what Coughlin faced in 2007.

John Mara, the team president, and Jonathan Tisch, the treasurer whose families co-own the franchise, were considering firing Coach Tom Coughlin and setting the Giants on a different course, John Brance wrote for the New York Times in 2007.

Coughlin was given a chance to prove himself, but that brought change.

He underwent, as Greg Garber wrote for ESPN in 2007, a personality makeover. Coughlin also promoted quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride to offensive coordinator.

Day made a major decision last season to give up play calling, a choice he was reluctant to make.

He hired longtime friend Chip Kelly as Ohio States' offensive coordinator, freeing up Day to take on more of a CEO role for the Buckeyes.

“I know this is the right thing to do,” Day said.

The regular season

The Patriots won all sixteen regular season games in 2007, including a final against the Giants. New England also won a pair of playoff games to earn a trip to Super Bowl 42 in hopes of securing a 19–0 season.

The Giants lost two of three and four of eight to end the 2007 regular season. However, with a 10–6 record, they entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

Ohio States' regular season was disappointing, with a 10-2 record highlighted by a shocking loss to Michigan. With a roster considered by some to be the best in recent college football history, the Buckeyes fell short of expectations.

The postseason

Still, Ohio State came in as the No. 8 seed in the 12-team CFP. The Buckeyes opened the postseason with a first-round win that built momentum, as did the Giants.

Ohio State can compare itself to the 2007-08 Giants for now, but the story will fade away if the Buckeyes don't end their run the same way New York did.

The Giants upset the Patriots in the Super Bowl, capping one of the most memorable postseason runs in NFL history.

Ohio State should do the same against Notre Dame in Monday's CFP Championship.