Alabama Game Is Exactly Why Urban Meyer Came to Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — All things considered, Urban Meyer’s first season at Ohio State couldn’t have gone any better. Taking over a mismatched roster that was a season removed from going 6-7 and possessed no shortage of distractions, the Buckeyes won all 12 of their games in 2012, finishing third in the final AP Top 25 of the season.

But for Ohio State’s two-time national champion head coach, that wasn’t enough.

Because as the Buckeyes sat out the postseason due to NCAA violations committed by former head coach Jim Tressel and members of their 2010 team, Meyer opted to serve as an ESPN guest analyst for the BCS National Championship Game in Miami. It was there that Meyer witnessed Alabama dismantle Notre Dame en route to its third national championship in four seasons, giving him a firsthand look at just how far away his program was from capturing a crystal ball.

“Where are we? I don’t like to deal in speculation, but I think we’re a very good team that can compete with any team in the country,” Meyer said in January of 2012. “But to say we could roll in there and beat a team like that, first of all I don’t want to speculate, and then if I was going to give you an honest answer, I think right now we have too many holes to fill.”

Nearly two full years later, Meyer’s Buckeyes find themselves matched up with the Crimson Tide in the first-ever College Football Playoff. And the Ohio State head coach will now get to see just how close he’s come to filling those…

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