When Ohio State capped its undefeated season with a 26-21 victory over Michigan last February, many openly wondered whether the Buckeyes’ bowl ban kept them from playing for a national title.
Ohio State was just one of two teams to finish the 2012 regular season unbeaten, Notre Dame being the other, but the Fighting Irish drew the Alabama Crimson Tide as their opponent for last year’s championship game.
The end result was a gruesome 42-14 thrashing that left Alabama in a familiar place—alone at the top as college football’s best team. Members of the Buckeyes football team could do nothing but watch as the macabre scene unfolded on their televsion screens.
So many questions went unanswered after the Tide claimed yet another national title last January. Could Ohio State have put up a better fight than the Irish? Could anything have survived direct contact with Saban and his football team for more than three hours that night?
Or, if Ohio State had been eligible, would it…
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