Ohio State has gained seven nationwide championships, give or take the 2 legendary ones the varsity 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 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 towards No. 1 Texas in Columbus on Saturday.
The loser in Ohio Stadium will likely be disillusioned however not deflated due to the most recent iteration of the School 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 replace 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 varsity’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 way in which, however he has cushion realizing that all-world Jeremiah Smith and the rest 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 whole defensive entrance have to be changed.
In different phrases, dangle on.
Why gained’t Ohio State repeat? Nicely, there’s Michigan on the Huge Home on Nov. 29, and if the Buckeyes aren’t cautious they may enter The Recreation not solely attempting to interrupt a four-game shedding streak to the Wolverines however needing a victory simply to earn a playoff berth.
After all, Texas would be the first check. A visit to enhancing Washington within the first Huge Ten recreation (nonetheless sounds bizarre) on Sept. 27 could possibly be sneaky powerful, identical with going to Illinois on Oct. 11 for an Illini group 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 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?
