Coming into the inaugural College Football Playoff, Alabama was the favorite to win it all. And in the Sugar Bowl, nobody really gave Ohio State a chance against the winner of the mighty SEC West. Alabama was a 7.5-point favorite, according to Odds Shark, and seemingly every analyst was picking the Crimson Tide.
That is how it has been for Ohio State for the duration of Urban Meyer’s tenure. The Buckeyes have always been perceived as second-tier regardless of their performance.
According to the skeptics, when the Buckeyes went a perfect 12-0 in 2012, it was because they weren’t facing any pressure, as they couldn’t participate in the postseason due to NCAA sanctions. And in 2013, when they won their first 12 games, it was only because they were playing against weak Big Ten competition. That claim was made stronger when Ohio State lost their final two games, falling to Michigan State in the conference championship game and then to Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
In 2014, it was a different story. The Buckeyes were highly touted before the start of the season, ranked fifth in the AP Preseason Poll, but their title hopes went bleak in a hurry when Braxton Miller tore his labrum in practice the week before the team’s season opener against Navy.
The doubt became greater as J.T. Barrett struggled in his first few starts. The Buckeyes lost their first regular-season game of the Urban Meyer era, a rough…
Continue Reading: Ohio State Football: Even Brighter Days Ahead for Buckeyes
