About Ohio State Buckeyes Football

Season Stats

• Regular season record: 12-1
• Rank entering postseason: #4
• Bowl game: The CFP National Championship
  
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Season Happenings

3/4/15: What do you do when you just coached your team to the National Championship? You go on a cruise with 2,500 of your closest friends (or, more likely, wealthy boosters). Head coach Urban Meyer led a fund raising cruise throughout the Gulf of Mexico last week, but like several cruise ships over the past couple of years, was stranded out at sea. At least it was not a mechanical or health issue - the boat could not get into Tampa due to heavy fog. So the coach and his money-buddies got an extra day on the ship, which means more trips to the buffet and a few more rounds at the bar. And they raised $2 million for cancer research.

2/25/15: Many people had not heard of Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott until he steamrolled the Oregon defense in the National Championship Game last month. Now everyone knows who he is. He played the entire season with a gimpy wrist. He had surgery to repairs the fracture before the 2014 season and is undergoing a second surgery now. In other news, New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees apparently reached out to Buckeyes QB Braxton Miller some time ago. Brees was in a similar situation with the same shoulder injury years ago when San Diego released him. He eventually ended up in New Orleans after the Miami Dolphins passed on him and only won the Super Bowl while throwing for tens of thousands of yards over the past decade.

2/18/15: This happens every time the National Champion is crowned. They are immediately made the favorite to repeat the following season, despite the fact that rosters change a lot for every college team every year. Ohio State was made the early line favorite this year. There are also odds now for Week One in 2015. The Buckeyes started out as 19 point road favorites over Virginia Tech, though that has fallen to 16 points. That game is still over six months away. It also bears mentioning that the Hokies beat Ohio State in Columbus in Week 2 last season - the Buckeyes only loss of the year.

2/11/15: Recruiting is the life-blood of college football. In other shocking news, football fans like beer and wings. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is among the top recruiters in the land and the Buckeyes finished with the 9th ranked recruiting class for the 2015 recruiting season, according to Rivals. While there were no five-star recruits, the Buckeyes did land 14 four-stars in their class of 27. But is was not all smiles and giggles. Immediately after National Signing Day, running backs coach Stan Drayton left the program to take the same position with the Chicago Bears of the NFL.

2/4/15: Ohio State, of course, is the reigning National Champions. And is typical of being the National Champions that have their star offensive weapons returning, the team has Heisman Trophy favorites for next season. But this one is different. The first Heisman Trophy odds are out and Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott is the 6/1 favorite. Additionally, all three of the OSU's quarterback (Braxton Miller, J.T. Barnett and Cardale Jones) are also given odds. The problem, of course, is that only one can play QB at a time. Then again, head coach Urban Meyer is a friend of Bill Belichick, and maybe they can design a scheme to use multiple QBs.

1/28/15: Ohio State may have a log-jam at QB next season, which may hurt the development of individual quarterbacks, but is great for the program. Braxton Miller had been the starter until he was injured a year ago. There has been a lot of speculation that he will leave OSU with his degree and transfer to another program where he can be the starter. That would help him in his pursuit of going to the NFL. However, he is enrolled in classes this spring and implied that he would return next season. All of this can change, of course, but the Buckeyes look loaded for next season.

1/21/15: In what may be a first, a third string player with three games on his resume held a press conference to announce his future. But this was not an ordinary situation as QB Cardale Jones had the opportunity to go to the NFL after leading Ohio State to wins in the Big 10 Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl, and the National Championship Game. Ultimately, Jones decided to stay in Columbus for at least another year. While that sounds good, it does create a situation where the team may have three starting-worthy QBs with Jones, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett. It also means that one or more may transfer.

1/141/15: Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are now the National Champions in college football and the first program to win the College Football Championship. Many believed that the Buckeyes did not deserve to be in the top four teams, particularly since they were starting their third string quarterback. But Ohio State proved everyone wrong by defeating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl then blowing out Oregon 42-20 for the Championship. That gives Urban Meyer three championships to close the gap on longtime rival Nick Saban and make the Buckeyes the early favorite to repeat in 2015-16.

1/7/14: Who says that Ohio State does not belong in the College Football Playoffs now? The Buckeyes were a controversial choice over TCU and Baylor to be in the playoffs, but simply shocked everyone by knocking off number 1 ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last Thursday. OSU trailed by 15 points at one time during the game, but scored touchdowns in bunches to take the lead in the third quarter, finally earning a 42-35 victory. The win is vindication for the Buckeyes, who have traditionally struggled against SEC teams, and means that they will play for the National Championship on January 12th, in Arlington (Dallas), Texas against the Oregon Ducks.

12/3/14: Ohio State continues to strengthen its case for an invitation to the College Football Playoffs. The latest piece of evidence was the convincing 42-28 win over rival Michigan, which means that the Buckeyes finished undefeated in regular season conference play and 11-1 overall. But it was a Pyrrhic victory. Starting QB J.T. Barrett, who has played wonderfully this season in relief of the injured Braxton Miller, fractured his ankle and will not play anymore this season. He was backed up by Cardale Jones, who will now lead the Buckeyes against Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship Game this Saturday.

11/19/14: If you would have said three months ago that Ohio State would need a big road win against a ranked Minnesota team to keep their season alive, most people would have scoffed. But that is exactly how the season played out. Fortunately for the 8th ranked Buckeyes, they had enough in the tank after defeating Michigan State on the road to overcome the Golden Gophers 31-24. Ohio State got out to a nice 14-0 lead, but Minnesota battled back. The game was still in question in the fourth quarter, but OSU put it away and survived a late rally. The Buckeyes are now 9-1 and host Indiana this Saturday.

11/12/14: No. 14 Ohio State pulled off the road upset over No. 8 Michigan State to get themselves some consideration for the college playoffs. The Buckeyes solved the normally dominant Spartans defense and put up a whopping 49 points in the 49-37 win. Most experts thought that Michigan State would win this game, but the Buckeyes were quiet all week and simply unleashed an offensive blast that the Spartans were helpless in stopping. QB J.T. Barrett was flawless with 300 yards passing and three TDs, and two more rushing, while the team combined for 268 yards and four TDs on the ground. Ohio State now has a clear path to the Big 10 Championship Game, which starts on Saturday at Minnesota.

11/5/14: Not that Minnesota was ever a real threat to win the Big 10, but they were having a nice season before getting upset by Illinois. Ohio State made sure they would not succumb to the dreaded 'trap game' and soundly routed the Illini 55-14. The game was in hand by the end of the first quarter and over by halftime, with the Buckeyes holding a 31-0 lead. The Illini scored a couple garbage time TDs, but it did not matter, the Buckeyes' starters were off the field by then. Next up is the big elimination game at Michigan State, possibly the best regular season game in the Big 10 this season.

10/29/14: Ohio State must be living right because there is not much else that can explain the loads of good fortune that shined on the Buckeyes at Penn State last week. An incorrect video review of an interception led to one Buckeye touchdown and a very questionable call a few minutes later led to a field goal. The video review was an equipment malfunction, leading for calls for centralized review. No. 13 Ohio State needed all of those points to get to overtime, where they finally beat the Nittany Lions to win 31-24. The Buckeyes keep the win streak going in preparation for their Big 10 showdown with Michigan State on November 8. Until then, they host Illinois, who just upset Minnesota.

10/22/14: Ohio State did not have a bye last Saturday, but they may as well have. The 13th ranked Buckeyes ran roughshod over the helpless visiting Rutgers team. Ohio State took a 35-7 lead into halftime, completely demoralizing the Scarlett Knights. It was more of the same in the second half and the final score ended up being Ohio State 56, Rutgers 17. Quarterback J.T. Barrett threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns, but it was the running game that dominated - collectively finishing with 324 yards and four TDs. The Buckeyes now stand at 5-1/2-0 and head to Penn State this Saturday.

10/15/14: Ohio State had the weekend off, which will give them time to prepare to host Rutgers next week. The Buckeyes currently sit at 4-1, but have yet to have played any Big 10 teams at this point. Their only loss was to a visiting Virginia Tech team by the score 35-21. So far, that game was their lowest offensive output of the season and the Buckeyes have hit at least 50 points in each of their last three games. But that will do it for non-conference games (until a bowl game) as the rest of the season is nothing but Big 10 games for Ohio State.

10/8/14: The Buckeyes entered Week 6 ranked 20th and sporting a 3-1 record. They have not looked particularly strong this season, but have been managing wins for the most part. They got to play Maryland for the first time in conference play and wanted to show the Terrapins what Big 10 football is about. They certainly did by routing Maryland 52-24. The Buckeyes opened the floodgates early, building up a 31-10 lead by halftime. There were a lot of upsets of top ranked teams in Week 6, which will benefit Ohio State. They get a week to relax and rest with a bye in Week 7.

10/1/14: Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer left a lot of bitter hearts in Florida when he left the Gators program a few years ago. Even an emotional interview where he claimed he was mentally 'broken' when he left did not change the hearts of UF fans. But no matter now. He is more concerned about Ohio State these days, and seems a lot happier and healthier. OSU rolled over Cincinnati last Saturday, putting up over 50 points on the once-vaunted Bearcats. The Buckeyes are now 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in conference play. They have an interesting test this Saturday when they travel to Maryland.

9/24/14: The Buckeyes are on a bye this week, which will give them time to get some practice and some extra work for QB Braxton Miller's replacement. It is not that the Buckeyes have been bad this season, but it is a different team without Miller at the helm. One way that they are improving is in nutrition. The school is spending over $1 million on researching and implementing a sports nutrition program. It may not help out much this season, but should be a benefit in the future. Ohio State is back in action this Saturday against in-state rival Cincinnati.

9/17/14: Breath deep, all you Buckeyes out there. Granted, it has not been an ideal start to the season, and losing Braxton Miller for the year certainly did not help. But Ohio State had a nice 'pick your score' week against Kent State, and that should help out. The next game is against Cincinnati, who is better than most people expected. At the same time, this is Ohio State, and this could be a good win before heading into the Big 10 schedule, which starts off against Maryland (on the road) on Saturday, October 4. Everything is OK, just take care of business in the conference and it will all work out.

8/28/14: It was announced, well over a week ago, that Ohio State's starting QB - Braxton Miller - will miss the entire season due to a shoulder injury. The odds makers immediately lowered OSU's odds of making the new playoffs and head coach Urban Meyer was forced to turn to Plan B. That includes utilizing freshman J.T. Barrett sooner than expected. But there may be an upside to this. Instead of depending on Miller to win games, this should spread the wealth. The team is no practicing with a faster pace and going with an up-tempo offense. That may work well for the Buckeyes, who still have plenty of talent on the roster past Miller.

8/21/14: Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer may not have too many fans left in Gainesville, Florida, but he probably gained some new ones from those that spend their lives fighting ALS. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is making its way through the nation with big names taking part in the challenge - dumping a bucket of ice water on one's head and challenging others to do the same and/or make a donation. Meyer and the Buckeyes took part, but not with a bucket but with a backhoe filled with ice water. The challenge was then sent to LeBron James and Chris Spielman to do the same. Unfortunately, a few days later it was announced that starting QB Braxton Miller will be lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

8/14/14: The Buckeyes rode running back Carlos Hyde to the Big 10 Championship Game. Hyde has moved on the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL, leaving a gaping hole. Ezekiel Elliott is the presumptive new starting running back for Ohio State. Elliott underwent wrist surgery recently, but the good news is that it is not expected to cost him much time on the practice field and he should not miss any games. The surgery was needed after Elliott fractured his wrist sometime in practice a couple of weeks ago. It looks like Elliott avoided serious injury which could have derailed his season.

8/7/14: At some point, the ongoing feud between former current Ohio State coach (and former University of Florida head coach) Urban Meyer will have to end. To be fair, Meyer has not engaged with the Gators fans. However, they are unhappy that he took the to not one, but two national championships, and eventually left for health reasons. Meyer's wife took to social media to tell the Gators fans to 'get over it'. In the meantime, Meyers has constructed a football program that should contend for the national championship this season, so he is doing OK for himself.

7/31/14: Ohio State has been on a big time resurgence since Urban Meyer took control of the program two years ago. They won 22 straight games before losing in the Big 10 Championship Game last season. Meyer has orchestrated a few outstanding recruiting classes, and now we are going to see how that plays out. Ohio State was picked as the favorite to win the Big 10 this season by the media in the media days last week, and that seems about right. The future is bright in Columbus, and no one would be surprised if they make it to the College Football Playoffs this season.

7/24/14: The Big 5 Power Conferences (SEC, ACC, PAC 12, BIG 12, BIG 10) are in a fight for more autonomy. In a nutshell, they would like to be able to provide more for their players than the NCAA currently allows. There has been talk about a 'Division IV' for the power conferences, but that is just talk at this point. Ohio State's AD, Gene Smith, is confident that the NCAA will relax their stringent and archaic rules, and let Power 5 schools get more autonomy. This will be an ongoing debate, particularly in football, where the Power 5 schools may actually hold the leverage.

7/17/14: Now that LeBron James is back in Ohio, it seems that anyone of any stature in the state has to make their comments and extend their well wishes. Just like Buckeyes' head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer hosted James at an Ohio State football game last season, so he actually has some sort of relationship with LeBron already. LeBron himself even has said that if he had not jumped straight to the NBA from high school, then he would have gone to Ohio State. Meyer is joked that if LeBron wanted to play football for him then they could probably figure out a way to make that happen.

7/10/14: Just a week after former Auburn Tigers tight end was unfortunately killed in a car accident, the Ohio State Buckeyes nearly had a similar incident with current wide receiver Devin Smith. Smith's vehicle went off the road, flipped and slammed into a utility pole. Fortunately, Smith was uninjured in the crash, though his car was totaled. A blood alcohol test showed that Smith was under the legal limit. He is an important contributor to the Buckeyes as his 44 receptions for 660 yards and eight touchdowns were second on the team last season. A scary incident and thankfully he was able to walk away from it.

7/3/14: The University of Southern California made headlines last week by coming out with four year guaranteed scholarships - a pretty shrewd move that should help them (at least in the short term) attract more top-flight recruits. It may not be long before the Buckeyes do something similar. The Big 10, as a conference, issued guidelines for offering four year guaranteed scholarships as well. This could be the latest tool in Ohio State's toolbox as they keep building towards winning another National Championship, especially if other conferences and schools are slow to jump on the newest craze.

6/26/14: Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made some waves last week when he said that his 2008 Florida Gators team was the best team of all time in college football (he may have forgotten that they lost at home to an average Ole Miss team that season). That team was good, but he is trying to build even better teams at Ohio State now. The Buckeyes officially hosted some big name recruits over the weekend, including wide receiver Christian Kirk, offensive tackle Isaiah Prince. Both are top prospects for the class of 2015. Meyer has recruited well where ever he has gone, so he may be building a national powerhouse right now.

6/19/14: The NFL is always looking for 'clutch' players - those players that do not whither under of the pressure of fighting back against the odds and instead, play their best games. Ohio State QB Braxton Miller may well be in that elite group of players. A survey of all FBS sports information departments reveals that Miller has the most game winning drives of all active quarterbacks. He has six, with the first coming when he was a true freshman in 2011. In that game, he threw a 40 yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to play against No. 15 Wisconsin. His last was last season against Michigan, which is always nice for Buckeyes fans.

6/12/14: Taking a break this week from the ongoings of the Ohio State football program to focus on something nicer and more important. Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry, has befriended a four year old boy who is suffering from leukemia. Perry has asked his teammates to record videos encouraging the young boy with is battle - which is far more important than any football game. Perry's teammates responded with 'a flood of videos' for the boy. This is one of good things that can happen with sports, and nothing but great wishes for the young man. Good job, Mr. Perry. Good job.

6/6/14: It is sort of the price one pays when one is among the top college football programs in the nation and continually reels in top level recruiting classes. That price, of course, is big time recruits transferring out of the program. The Buckeyes are paying that price as former five star linebacker Mike Mitchell looks to be transferring to Texas Tech. However, in this case, it does not appear to be a playing time issue, but Mitchell wants to be closer to his ailing father in Texas. Here is hoping the NCAA is compassionate enough to grant him a waiver to play immediately, rather than sit out a year.

5/29/14: Perhaps more than any other profession, college football coaches have to live a year or two in advance. That has always been true, as college players only have four years of eligibility, and is even more relevant these days as top players generally only play two to three years and often head to the NFL before exhausting their eligibility. Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes are in that situation now. Braxton Miller will be the starting QB for the team again, but who is his successor. Meyer wanted Torrance Gibson, the number one rated dual threat QB in the 2015 recruiting class, but he looks like a lock for Penn State. Meyer must go back to the drawing board and find the next big thing for his program.

5/22/14: For all the supposed suffering that college football players must endure, they sure do have a sweet set up in terms of facilities for their efforts - at least at the big time schools. Ohio State is renovating their practice facility (cost: $2.5 million). The improvements include HDTV's, a players lounge, nutrition area, and a water wall. It does not compare to the $68 million facility that Oregon opened , but really, what does? If all students had such luxuries to utilize in their majors, then maybe more people would go to college (and never leave).

5/15/14: The State of Ohio may be up in arms that Michigan State head coach said that the Spartans are the best team in the Big 10 - saying that in Ohio, no less. At the same time, it is the offseason and coaches tell boosters what they want to hear. In any case, the Buckeyes have some pride to display as their own Bradley Roby was selected in the first round by none other than the defending AFC Champion Denver Broncos. Roby looks to join Aqib Talib at cornerback, hopefully to shore up a questionable secondary that has failed the Broncos in consecutive postseasons.

5/8/14: For the last decade, the Big 10 has been the repository of jokes from the SEC, and Alabama head coach Nick Saban did nothing to ease that. He referenced the annual Ohio State vs. Michigan game/rivalry as not being as bitter as Auburn vs. Alabama. He actually likened it to Alabama vs. Tennessee. That was a backhanded slap at both the Big 10 and Tennessee. Looking at the demographics, Saban may have a point. However, it is not what a Big 10 crowd would want to hear, and surely will be bulletin board material for the Buckeyes this season as they chase the National Championship.

5/1/14: Say what you will about Buckeyes' head coach Urban Meyer, but the man can recruit. Since he joined the school two years ago, he has brought in some of the best classes in all of college football. Those recruits usually take a couple of years to have a full impact, so that is good news and sunny skies for OSU. But Meyer may be concerned about next year's class. The concern is that they are off to a slow start, while Alabama and others have several more top end commits. Chances are that this is a non-story. OSU will probably end up with another top-five class, and they will be in the National Championship hunt once again.

4/24/14: The Buckeyes have no shortage of top notch players and four star recruits, so this will not hurt as badly as it would other programs. Defensive back Jayme Thompson was granted a release from his scholarship and will continue his career elsewhere. Kentucky, Penn State, Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville are rumored to be a possible landing spots, so he has most of the major conferences covered. Thompson was a four star recruit in 2013 and was rated the number 29 safety in the country and 11th overall player in Ohio when he came to Ohio State.

4/17/14: College football fans are a rabid bunch, often with a hunger for news about their team that cannot be sated. With all apologies to the professional ranks, the college football ranks have the best rivalries - possibly because it engages fans from outside the major cities and represents entire states. That was evident last Saturday at the Buckeyes' spring game. Over 61,000 fans showed up for the glorified scrimmage. Amazingly, that was not even the most in the Big 10, as Penn State drew over 72,000 for their spring game. Actually, the 61,000 may have disappointed coach Urban Meyer, as he had hoped for over 85,000.

4/10/14: Coaches of all levels hate to see injuries during practice time, so forgive Buckeyes' head coach Urban Meyer if he is not in a great mood these days. Ohio State incurred its third injury in spring practices last week as senior tight end Jeff Heuerman hurt his foot and will require surgery. That ends his spring training. The good news is that is not a lisfranc injury and he should be back for the regular season. Heuerman finished last season with 26 catches for 466 yards and four touchdowns. OSU also saw injuries to projected starting safety Vonn Bell and backup wide receiver Jalin Marshall.

4/3/14: A lot of college football coaches would get a nice raise if they went 24-1 in their first two season. Not so for Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. When asked, OSU's athletic director said there was nothing of the sort coming for Meyer. At least not now. Meyer has been on the job for two seasons at OSU. He was undefeated in his first season, and got to the Big 10 Championship Game in his second. He was also one of the top five paid coaches in the NCAA. He probably has slipped down the rankings since then, but is still a top 10 paid coach. If he can win the Big 10 Championship or go to the new playoffs, then he may get a raise.

3/27/14: There have been a lot of interesting topics floating around college football this offseason, and many of those surround rules changes to the game. One major potential change is about the fans, particularly the debate about selling alcohol at games. Currently, only a few schools permit alcohol inside the stadium, and that is often limited to luxury suites or something similar. There is certainly money to be made by selling beer during games, and Ohio State apparently considered the idea. It will not happen at Buckeyes' home games soon though, as the prevailing thought is that the alcohol consumption during tailgating is more than enough.

3/20/14: Ohio State looks to establish a new offensive line this spring. The team lost four, count'em four, starters in the offseason. That means they only return one player to protect Braxton Miller and who ever is carrying the ball. They had an impressive front five and Jack Mewhort, Marcus Hall, Corey Linsley and Andrew Norton all seemingly headed to the NFL. Junior Taylor Decker will return and move from right tackle to left tackle. The good news for Buckeyes fans is that they recruited four, count'em four, four-star offensive line recruits. Maybe it takes some time for these new guys to get, but they look stacked for the next few years.

3/13/14: One is getting better and one is now on the shelf. Head coach Urban Meyer recently had some health issues, but is apparently just fine and will not be affected. The same cannot be said for safety Vonn Bell. Bell had knee surgery recently to repair a sprained MCL. He suffered the injury in the very first spring practice this year and now will be out for the remainder of the Buckeyes' spring practices. Bell is a sophomore and got his first start in the Orange Bowl in January. He was expected to contend for a starting job this season. The good news is that he will have plenty of time to get healthy and back practicing before the real season starts.

3/6/14: Ohio State may be getting a visit (or at least a letter) from the NCAA soon. It seems that head coach Urban Meyer and his former player (at Florida) Tim Tebow were having lunch when four-star recruit Clifton Garrett called. Meyer gave the phone to Tebow, who said 'hi' in an eight second conversation. That is against the rules, though there is no evidence Tebow tried to sway the prospect. Garrett ended up signing on with LSU. It is a minor violation that will be probably swept under the rug, though Ohio State did report it themselves.

2/27/14: There is little argument that Buckeyes' QB Braxton Miller is the best and most important member of the offense. The team held together well when he went down with an injury in the middle of the 2013 season (some thanks goes to a weakened Big 10, however). He underwent a minor surgery last week on his right (throwing) shoulder. The procedure may impact his availability to participate in spring practices and the spring game. However, and fortuneately, it should not impact his status for the regular season. Besides, he has two years in head coach Ufortunatelyrban Meyers' system, so he does not need to learn a new playbook, so all indications are that he will be just fine.

2/20/14: Ohio State had the best recruiting class in the Big 10 (and by a wide margin), and it may be about to get even better. The Buckeyes are still in the running for five-star defensive end Malik McDowell. McDowell signed and sent his letter of intent to Michigan State. However, it is not valid because his custodial guardian (mother) did not sign it as well. Neither of Malik's parents want him to stay in-state. Presumably, that leaves Ohio State and national champion Florida State as the potential destination. Expect McDowell to visit Ohio State and FSU in the near future.

2/13/14: Ohio State should be pretty happy with the recruiting class that Urban Meyer just hauled in. He won at Utah and, more recently, at Florida by brining in the best recruiting class in the conference year after year. It looks like he did it again for Ohio State. The class has one five star recruit and 14 four star guys in its midst, and could make an immediate impact on the Buckeyes program. OSU redshirted about half of their 2013 class, and this class can push that group. What it means for the fans is that OSU may be taking control of the Big 10 for several years, and get the team in line for a national championship game.

2/6/14: Nothing like a good recruiting season to shake off some tough losses. Of course, it is well-known that the Buckeyes won 24 straight games to start head coach Urban Meyer's career at the school. And it is equally known that they lost two important games (the last two) - the Big 10 Championship Game to Michigan State and the Orange Bowl to Clemson. But the Buckeyes have the number two ranked recruiting class in the nation - just behind Alabama. Recruiting is the life blood of college football, and Meyer has proven himself to be among the best in the nation both here at Ohio State and at Florida.

1/30/14: Ohio State finally announced the hiring of Chris Ash as co-defensive coordinator (with Luke Fickle) and safties coach. This hiring was first announced a few weeks ago, but made official last week. Ash is coming over from Arkansas, where he was the defensive coordinator. Interestingly enough, he took a $30,000 pay cut to be the co-coordinator rather than being the only DC at Arkansas. He still will make $520,000 annually, so its not like he is going hungry. Ash stated his desire to be at Ohio State, indicating that OSU is a much better program than a middle of the road SEC school.

1/23/14: The Buckeyes had to refill some assistant coaches after co-defensive coordinator Everett Whithers and defensive line coach Mike Vrabel were hired away. Head coach Urban Meyer replaced them this past week. Former Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Chris Ash is taking Whithers old post. Meanwhile, long-time Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson is moving to Columbus to replace Vrabel. Johnson had been at Penn State for 18 years but was not retained by incoming coach James Franklin. It could bode well for the Buckeyes to get a couple of guys with significant Big 10 experience. Ohio State should be the favorite for next year, and an improved defense will help them out on a national scale.

1/16/14: After winning 24 straight games, the Buckeyes find themselves in a two game losing streak that they cannot reverse until next fall. They will have at least one big weapon when they start their 2014 campaign - star quarterback Braxton Miller announced that he would return for his senior season, despite all the speculation that he would go to the professional ranks. It is good for Ohio State, and it is good for Miller. He is a talented and athletic young man, but does not have the skill set yet for the NFL. Another year of seasoning and work on the mechanics may change that and better prepare him for Sunday games.

1/9/13: The Buckeyes lost out at a shot at the national championship, or at least, a Rose Bowl appearance, when they fell in the Big 10 Championship Game to Michigan State. That landed the Buckeyes in the Orange Bowl against Clemson. Ohio State put up a good fight, but ultimately had no answer for Tahj Boyd and Sammy Watkins. It was the second consecutive loss after 24 straight wins. Ohio State is still rebuilding and has steadily improved over the last two years. Considering the relative young age of the team as a whole, the Buckeyes should be a contender next season.

1/2/14: Make no mistake about it. The Buckeyes need to beat the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl to justify themselves. Ohio State won 24 straight games to start Urban Meyers' head coaching tenure at the school. The only loss, of course, was in the Big 10 Championship Game a month ago to the Michigan State Spartans. The knock on the Buckeyes is that they have not played any legitimate competition except the Spartans. Clemson is a legitimate team, and a win would go a long way to giving OSU credibility amongst the experts. The Orange Bowl will be played in Miami on January 3rd.

12/26/13: An actual problem with having a winning program is losing quality coaches to promotion. Since the Big 10 Championship game a few weeks ago, the Buckeyes lost one assistant and now comes word that co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner is being considered by Army for their vacant position. Warinner served as an assistant coach with Army from 1987-99 so he has familiarity with the service academy. The head coach for Georgia Southern is also being considered for the job. OSU still has to keep focus though. The Buckeys still must contend with Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

12/19/13: While the debate rages on at the University of Texas, some pundits have speculated that Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer may be considered for the Longhorns job. Meyer has only been with the Buckeyes for two years. In those two years, the team has only lost one game - the Big 10 Championship Game to Michigan State two weeks ago. The good news for OSU is that the common consensus is that Meyer is happy OSU and that is his dream job - so there is probably little chance of him skipping town to Austin any time soon.

12/12/13: The Great Debate will never have a chance to be settled since OSU fell to Michigan State Spartans 34-24 in the Big 10 Championship Game. Had the Buckeyes won, the argument would be if a one-loss SEC team should jump an undefeated Big 10 team due to the relative strength of the SEC schedule. The loss made the point moot as one-loss Auburn easily jumped over one-loss Ohio State. OSU will still get a BCS game, though. They are headed to sunny South Florida to play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson on January 3rd. Michigan State will represent the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl.

12/5/13: OSU survived a scare from host Michigan to remain unbeaten. Ohio State should have dominated this game, and did overwhelm the Wolverines offensively. However, OSU had trouble stopping Michigan and were just a completed two-point conversion from losing the game. The final score was 42-41 in favor of OSU. The Buckeyes moved into the number two spot in the BCS standings with the loss by Alabama. OSU will face Michigan State in the Big 10 title game. A win would open the floodgates for arguments for the Buckeyes or a one-loss SEC team in the national championship game.

11/28/13: The Buckeyes are trying to make their case that they should be among the top two teams in the nation and have the right to play for the national championship. Ohio State went into the weekend ranked #3, though many people would make the argument that Baylor should have that ranking. The Buckeyes easily handled Indiana 42-14 to remain undefeated. That being said, Indiana only has four wins on the season and is hardly a quality team. The overall weakness of the Big 10 Conference is hurting the Ohio State Buckeyes and will likely keep them out of the National Championship Game.

11/21/13: The Buckeyes have now won 22 games in a row, the longest active streak in Division 1 football. Urban Meyer took over the program in 2012 and has never lost as the head coach of Ohio State. The Buckeyes have benefited from a down cycle in the Big 10 Conference, but still, 22 games is very impressive. OSU overwhelmed Illinois last Saturday 60-35. Despite the big win, it is not enough to move the Buckeyes into the top two, especially after both Florida State and Baylor are coming off more impressive wins. However, should Alabama, FSU, and/or Baylor lose, then OSU should be able to get into the National Championship Game.