This story appears in the December 12, 2016, issue of Sports Illustrated. To subscribe, click here. When Ohio State stunned Miami 31–24 in double overtime to win the 2002 national title, it marked the peak of the Jim Tressel era. The Buckeyes entered the game as 12-point underdogs, and that victory helped usher Tressel-ball into the college football vernacular. Tressel-ball meant conservative play-calling and a nearly obsessive affinity for punting. The arrival of Urban Meyer after the 2011 season would mean a more wide-open offense, frequent fourth-down gambles and a general upgrade in football aesthetics. But as Ohio State enters the 2017 College Football Playoff with a weak offensive line, pedestrian wideouts and no game-breaking tailback, Meyer needs to rekindle the conservative ethos of his predecessor. “If Ohio State is going to win the national title,” said a coach who scouted them extensively this season, “they’re going to have to…
Continue Reading: The case for Ohio State to win the College Football Playoff
