Ohio State has received seven nationwide championships, give or take the 2 legendary ones the college provides. Irrespective 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 all the time bitter defeat to Michigan thrown in for good measure to spoil their probabilities.
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 can be disillusioned however not deflated due to the newest iteration of the School Soccer Playoff, which permits for mulligans among the many 12-team area.
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 remainder 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 exchange 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 once they rolled over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame for the college’s first title since 2014.
Sayin is a five-star recruit who mentioned goodbye to Alabama as quickly as Nick Saban retired, and he’s about to make his first profession begin. There can be bumps alongside the best way, however he has cushion realizing 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 is likely to be the second-best participant within the nation behind Smith, however the the rest of the secondary has questions and the complete defensive entrance should be changed.
In different phrases, cling on.
Why received’t Ohio State repeat? Nicely, there may be Michigan on the Large Home on Nov. 29, and if the Buckeyes aren’t cautious they may enter The Recreation not solely attempting to interrupt a four-game dropping streak to the Wolverines however needing a victory simply to earn a playoff berth.
In fact, Texas would be the first take a look at. A visit to enhancing Washington within the first Large Ten recreation (nonetheless sounds bizarre) on Sept. 27 might be sneaky powerful, similar with going to Illinois on Oct. 11 for an Illini workforce that, on paper, is likely to be in CFP consideration.
Then, after all, is the biggie vs. No. 2 Penn State within the ‘Shoe on Nov. 1 because the Buckeyes look to increase their profitable streak within the collection to eight video games.
Efficiently navigate all these video games and Buckeye followers may, simply may, forgive Ryan Day if one other Michigan setback doesn’t stop an opportunity to defend the nationwide title.
Something much less and guess who’s on the new seat once more?
