Ohio State has gained seven nationwide championships, give or take the 2 legendary ones the college provides. Regardless of the quantity, the Buckeyes have by no means efficiently defended a title.
Oh, they’ve been shut — solely to have a Rose Bowl loss right here, an upset to Michigan State there and an at all times bitter defeat to Michigan thrown in for good measure to spoil their possibilities.
However there has by no means been a extra opportune time nor probably a extra treacherous route than what the third-ranked Buckeyes face starting with the showdown in opposition to No. 1 Texas in Columbus on Saturday.
The loser in Ohio Stadium will likely be dissatisfied however not deflated due to the most recent iteration of the Faculty Soccer Playoff, which permits for mulligans among the many 12-team discipline.
Simply ask final yr’s Buckeyes, who misplaced to Oregon in the course of the common season and unfathomably to Michigan on the finish of it however had sufficient high quality wins to obtain a playoff bid. The remaining is historical past.
There’s built-in margin for error within the new system. That’s why the Buckeyes can repeat.
They’ve a redshirt freshman quarterback in Julian Sayin to switch fifth-year senior Will Howard, who had an erratic first season with the Buckeyes after transferring from Kansas State however performed brilliantly within the postseason after they rolled over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame for the college’s first title since 2014.
Sayin is a five-star recruit who stated goodbye to Alabama as quickly as Nick Saban retired, and he’s about to make his first profession begin. There will likely be bumps alongside the best way, however he has cushion figuring out that all-world Jeremiah Smith and the remainder of the receiving corps is there to bail him out.
The protection is led by security Caleb Downs, who could be the second-best participant within the nation behind Smith, however the the rest of the secondary has questions and your entire defensive entrance have to be changed.
In different phrases, hold on.
Why gained’t Ohio State repeat? Properly, there may be Michigan on the Large Home on Nov. 29, and if the Buckeyes aren’t cautious they might enter The Recreation not solely making an attempt to interrupt a four-game dropping streak to the Wolverines however needing a victory simply to earn a playoff berth.
After all, Texas would be the first take a look at. A visit to enhancing Washington within the first Large Ten sport (nonetheless sounds bizarre) on Sept. 27 might be sneaky robust, similar with going to Illinois on Oct. 11 for an Illini group that, on paper, could be in CFP consideration.
Then, in fact, is the biggie vs. No. 2 Penn State within the ‘Shoe on Nov. 1 because the Buckeyes look to increase their successful streak within the sequence to eight video games.
Efficiently navigate all these video games and Buckeye followers would possibly, simply would possibly, forgive Ryan Day if one other Michigan setback doesn’t forestall an opportunity to defend the nationwide title.
Something much less and guess who’s on the new seat once more?
