Your teams. Your favorite writers. Wherever you want them. Personalize SI with our new App. Install on iOS or Android. CHICAGO — “Where we are as a team in 2016,” Urban Meyer said by way of introduction Tuesday morning, “we have to find a way to replace arguably one of the best group of players ever to come through college football.” So, you know, that’s all for Ohio State. Merely overcome the loss of 16 starters who were part of 50 wins and a national title, 12 of whom were NFL draft picks, five of whom were first-rounders, all while meeting the unyielding expectation to challenge for conference and national championships. And yet this is the chance to reach optimal Ohio State. This is the way it’s supposed to be. Meyer and his staff compile awesome recruiting classes because they hope those classes will dominate college football and leave. And when they do, the coaches turn to the next awesome recruiting classes they brought in. This is the machine. This is how the machine is supposed to work. “I don’t think we’re thinking expectations are lowered this year because people are gone,” Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett said during his team’s…
Continue Reading: Reloading time: Can '16 Buckeyes keep Ohio State machine humming?
