In 2015, the Ohio State Buckeyes shocked everyone, ranked as the fourth seed in the first ever college football playoffs. With a loss early in the season to Virginia Tech, many were overlooking the Buckeyes, but it was clear that the fight for the championship was alive after domination in the following games of the season. During the playoffs, the Buckeyes remained the underdogs as they played Alabama, who had been dominant in the past decade of college football. It was a battle of the No. 1, Alabama, and the No. 4, Ohio State, seeds in which the Buckeyes came out on top winning 42-35. As they faced the Oregon Ducks, they were also the underdogs. How they were the underdogs against a team with no National Championships while we have eight still amazes me. Again, the Buckeyes shocked everyone when they destroyed the Ducks with a 42-20 win to capture the national championship and becoming the first to do so under the college football playoffs system.
This year is no different. After losing the majority of the team in the 2016 NFL draft, many wondered what Ohio State would bring to the table after missing the college football playoffs following a late season loss to Michigan State last year. Urban Meyer, head coach of the team for the past five years, took the off season to build the team to the best of its potential. As the first game rolled around, it was a battle of Ohio teams as they faced Bowling Green. The worry of losing many of the veteran players disappeared as the Buckeyes won 77-10. They continued to dominate with their next wins being 48-3 against Tulsa, 45-24 against No. 14 Oklahoma in which they were considered the underdogs, 58-0 against the Rutgers and 38-17 against Indiana. The Buckeyes found their way to No. 2 in the nation only behind defending national champions, Alabama.
As mid-October came around, the games became more difficult. The Buckeyes faced their first top 10 ranked team Wisconsin on October 15 which turned into an overtime game that the Buckeyes would then win 30-23. This game turned some heads as fans were wondering what led to a poor performance. Things only got worse as they played Penn State the following week. After many penalties and bad plays, Penn State came out on top 24-21. Many said goodbye to Ohio State's playoff chances after this loss to an unranked team. After the loss, the Buckeyes fell to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 Poll making them the "wild cards" for the playoffs.
With 4 games remaining, the Buckeyes are in a must win situation in them all, including their No. 2 ranked rival, Michigan. If the Buckeyes' record remains perfect for the remaining part of the season and they beat the team up North, they will clinch a spot in the 2017 college football playoffs in hopes of becoming the first team to win multiple championships in this format.
Many seem to forget that when the Buckeyes won the 2014 national championship, they were a young team that many felt would be contenders in the next few years. The underdogs won the championship and that is what they are again this year. The Buckeyes are a new team minus J.T. Barrett and they will make mistakes. However, they still have time to improve. Each game they play, good or bad, is a learning experience that will prepare these players for another championship.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will remain one of the best teams in the history of college football and should never be overlooked. But it's okay, call us the underdogs again. We will be happy to prove you wrong.
