Some Lessons The Buckeyes May Have Learned In The College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff is down to the final two teams, and obviously I could not be happier that Ohio State is one of them. The College Football Playoff has been everything I hoped it would be and more.

Sure, there were some things I would have changed, and I am speculating that we will be hearing about adjustments after this first iteration, but overall, I would say that the expanded College Football Playoff has delivered the fans a true playoff experience, with the two teams earning their way into a national championship game, versus being voted in like their predecessors.

As I write this, Ohio State is an 8-point favorite by the Las Vegas oddsmakers over Notre Dame. While I am excited for the game, I would be remiss if I did not mention some anxiety about playing a team coached by Marcus Freeman that gave Ohio State all they could handle in both 2022 (Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10) and 2023 (Ohio State 17, Notre Dame 14). Throw in the similarities to the 2002 Ohio State national championship team (strong special teams units, excellent defense, dependable running game) that defeated the favored Miami Hurricanes, and it provides me an opportunity to reflect upon some possible lessons that the Ohio State players and coaches have learned along the way in The College Football Playoff.

1. Patience On Offense Versus Notre Dame Will Be Crucial ~ Texas demonstrated a method of taking star WR Jeremiah Smith out of the game, and I have no doubt that Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden will be trying to replicate it, if not outright duplicate it. Ross Fulton has provided people an opportunity to learn what Texas did well, and I highly recommend listening to it. I will simply say that Ohio State wisely took advantage of other opportunities involving their other offensive weapons in their Cotton Bowl win over the Longhorns, and it will not be surprising to me that Ohio State has to do more of the same versus the Fighting Irish in the national championship.
2. Substituting On Offense And On Defense Has Been Key For Ohio State ~ Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has been effusive all season long about the need for depth throughout the long college football season, and the wins over Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas have demonstrated that belief to be correct. In the wins over Tennessee and Oregon, Ohio State raced out to early leads, allowing the Buckeyes to put backup players into the game very early. In the Texas game, injuries to Denzel Burke and J.T. Tuimoloau necessitated that Jermaine Mathews, Jr. and Kenyatta Jackson would come into the game in crunch time, and they responded well. Ohio State will want to continue to rotate fresh players in and out of the lineup versus Notre Dame, especially if the game is coming down to the wire like it did in The Cotton Bowl.
3. Playing Your Game, And Not Someone Else’s ~ The painful memories of the 13-10 home loss to Michigan on November 30th seem to have taught Ryan Day and Chip Kelly a valuable but painful lesson, and that is to not care about the perception that Ohio State is not a physical team on offense. Ohio State’s early successes versus Tennessee and Oregon allowed the Buckeyes to run effectively later in the contests, after establishing leads via the passing game. Notre Dame prefers to run the ball, like Michigan does – the appropriate response is “Who Cares?!?” Who cares what Lou Holtz may say or do about Ohio State, especially if the Buckeyes defeat Notre Dame. Want to know where the critics will be saying these things? From outside the winning locker room of the national champions.

Ryan Day, his coaching staff, and the players seem poised and prepared to win their fourth playoff game and win the national championship on Monday night. Here is to hoping that they remember the lessons that they seem to have learned along the way.