The last time Ohio State won a national title in football was just a little ways back in the rearview mirror at the end of the 2014 season. But it feels so much longer considering how close the Buckeyes have been since then. Truth be known, Ohio State was probably the best team in college football in 2015 but lost a wacky, rain-soaked game against Michigan State to leave the collective conscience of the College Football Playoff Committee’s mind.
There was a 2016 College Football Playoff appearance that ended dreadfully against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, and the program got achingly close to the CFP in 2017, 2018, before bowing out amid some controversy last season despite showing as the better team against Clemson yet again.
The point is, year in and year out, Ohio State has had the talent to win another national championship since that glorious, yet unexpected 2014 season, but lost a break or two along the way to not be able to finish the deal.
And here we are again. For the longest time, we didn’t know if there’d even be a season for the Big Ten, but now that there is, the potential is there again for what should be an outstanding Buckeye squad to hoist another trophy of the national variety.
There’s reason to believe Ohio State can once again seal the deal and we’re giving you five reasons why it’ll happen. We start with the guy under center.
NEXT … Justin Fields
Justin Fields
Ohio State’s chance at winning a national championship starts with the guy slinging it around from under center. Justin Fields burst onto the scene last season and quickly picked up the offense and culture of Ryan Day’s team. He put up video game numbers, doing it while taking a lot of games off late because the Buckeyes enjoyed quite a few blowout wins.
Not only is Fields sharp, crips, and accurate with his big arm, but he can do damage with his legs when everything else breaks down. He’s a pocket quarterback first and foremost, but every time he takes the field, he might just be the most athletic player on it.
Now Fields has changed his diet, gotten another year of study and seasoning under his belt, and is motivated by the loss to Clemson last season and the uncertainty of having his senior year. Don’t expect much more than a guy looking to conquer the world. And he has the talent to do it.
NEXT … Weapons on offense
Skill abounding on offense
It’s one thing to have a quarterback who is the dude and can win games almost on his own. It’s another to surround the dude with weapons that keep defenses on their heels with playmakers on multiple fronts. Ohio State is the latter.
Yes, Fields will get a lot of the accolades — as he should — this fall, but he’ll also have the luxury of spreading the ball around to one of the most talented wide receiver units in the country. The collective is young but extremely gifted and versatile. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are known commodities that will lead the charge, but the receivers go to and sometimes three deep without much of a dropoff.
Aside from that, it looks like OSU will also have a deadly one-two punch at running back with Trey Sermon and Master Teague, and safety valves Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert at tight end to mess around with.
This offense is going to be fun to watch, but more importantly, extremely hard to stop.
NEXT … The offensive line
A talented offensive line
What might be sneaking a little under the radar nationally is how talented and experience Ohio State’s offensive line is going to be. Obviously, getting Wyatt Davis back from an earlier decision to opt-out is huge, but the rest of the line is going to be a monster as well.
You’ve got seasoned guys like Josh Myers at center and Thayer Munford at left tackle, but presumably, guys like Harry Miller and Nicholas Petit-Frere who are former highly-touted guys ready for their moments in the sun.
There’s a lot of beef, a lot of muscle, and a lot of athletic ability that’s ready to open up some huge lanes and get a big push for the ground game, but that’s also technically sound in pass protection.
All of these things work in concert, but having Fields operate with the weapons he has while keeping the pocket clean is a luxury many teams can only dream of.
Getting Wyatt Davis and Shaun Wade back
The return of Davis and Wade
A team is only as good as its best players. Two of those players on the 2020 version of Ohio State is Wyatt Davis and Shaun Wade. Both are likely first-team Big Ten performers, All-Americans, and first-round NFL talents.
When we got wind that the duo was headed to the NFL amid all the uncertainty of the Big Ten season, it was a little disappointing, but also understood. After all, there was a future to look after.
However, having both of those guys opt back in is going to make this team even better. With Davis, it gives you a guy that’s going to be the anchor of the O-line and turn it into a juggernaut. And with Wade, it gives you a solid piece to build an unproven secondary around.
NEXT … Motivation
A motivated team
Joey Galloway says watch out for a motivated Justin Fields if Big Ten returns to play https://t.co/awMhGGxCkq
— Buckeyes Wire (@BuckeyesWire) September 8, 2020
Talk to almost any player on Ohio State’s team and you’ll get the same story. The loss to Clemson last year in the desert left an extremely bad taste in almost every one of their mouths. And not the kind that is demotivating and depressive, but one that leads to a hunger to not let it happen again.
Obviously Justin Fields and Shaun Wade are driven from the experience because they were the two that were involved in the interception to seal things, but the rest of the team left some breaks and points on the field, and left that game knowing Ohio State was the better team, yet lost because the collective team didn’t take care of business at all times.
You saw it with the push to play from Fields and his teammates. You see it with the offseason workouts and leadership of the team. You even see it coming from the coaches as much as the players.
This team is hungry and driven to go out as national champions. The motivation and drive are there for some special things to happen. Special players plus special motivation equals social moments almost every time.
Look for 2020 to be special for Ohio State.
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