COLUMBUS, Ohio — He hasn’t had to play it often—at least not in the past eight years—but when he has, Urban Meyer has thrived in the role of underdog.
It’s an interesting paradox, with one of the most successful coaches in college football history’s best work having come when he’s been able to instill a “Nobody Believes in Us” mentality in his teams. And as No. 4 Ohio State enters the first College Football Playoff as a nine-point underdog (per Odds Shark) to No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, it’s exactly the type of approach that Meyer will hope to make the most of as his team prepares to face the Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day.
“Big,” Meyer said with a smile to match when it was mentioned to him that the Buckeyes aren’t favored against Alabama.
“We’re not there yet, we’ll see what kind of team we’ve got,” he continued, before adding another, “big, big” for good measure.
If history is any indication, Meyer will do his best to convince his team that its collective back is against the wall. After all, that was the approach that first established him as one of college football’s top coaches, and helped him capture the first of his two national championships.
That was eight years ago, and rather than coaching the Buckeyes, Meyer was preparing for to take on Ohio State as the head coach of Florida. Entering the 2007 BCS National Championship with one loss compared to the undefeated Buckeyes and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, the Gators were a…
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