Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) stands on the field prior to the Buckeyes’ game against the Michigan State Spartans at Ohio Stadium.(Photo: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY Sports) COLUMBUS, Ohio — By the end of the first quarter of Ohio State’s first game, it seemed like this season was going to be little more than a four-month coronation for the Buckeyes. They were coming off a national championship, they had almost everybody important back on both sides of the ball, Braxton Miller looked like he was going to transition seamlessly to wide receiver, and the skill positions were stocked with so many gifted skill players that the only real danger was boredom. This time, though, Ohio State had a coach who had already been through the grinding pressure of a championship encore, who knew every possible pitfall and motivational tool, who had spent an entire offseason swearing that any sign of complacency would be met with a furious response. Follow the road to the 2015 College Football Playoff at The Football Four, our home to rate and debate the nation’s best. And then, just like that, Ohio State went from a breathtaking 14-0 lead at Virginia Tech back on Sept. 7 to a 17-14 halftime deficit. The Buckeyes went on to win that night, 42-24, but in retrospect it was a performance that ultimately foreshadowed the downfall of a team that came into the season as a heavy favorite to win the College Football Playoff again and deliver a fourth national title to head coach Urban Meyer. Now, barring almost unfathomable chaos over the next two weekends, Ohio State will not win its division, will not win the Big Ten and will not play for a national title. The end came Saturday in a 17-14 loss to Michigan State that was stunning for several reasons, including Ohio State’s offensive ineptitude (132 total yards), its unfathomably poor gameplan (star running back Ezekiel Elliott carried just 12 times for 33 yards) and the fact that Michigan State did not have its starting quarterback Connor Cook available due to a shoulder injury. USA TODAY Michigan State snaps Ohio State’s 23-game win streak “It’s kind of like a bad, bad dream,” Elliott said. “Offense had a rough day. I’m disappointed…
Continue Reading: Four reasons Ohio State doesn’t look like a repeat national champ
