‘Improbable’ Is A Term That Binds The Recent Ohio State National Championship Teams

It is crazy to think of everything that transpired in the month of January. Ohio State kicked off the New Year by handily defeating Oregon in The Rose Bowl, 41-21. Growing up, THAT would have been the end of the college football season, and then depression would have settled in for your author here.

Fortunately for all of us, the advent of the College Football Playoff expansion meant that Ohio State was moving onto the Cotton Bowl, and this is where Ohio State battled Texas until the final moments before prevailing, 28-14. It was after this game that my beautiful daughter, a proud Ohio State graduate, called me in the aftermath to say how close that game was – more on that below.

The National Championship 34-23 victory over Notre Dame on January 20th was the culmination of not only the longest college football season in history, but also after a series of events that inspired me to write this article.

It is still difficult for me to reconcile this, but Ohio State has won three national championships over the past 23 years. Considering how eversoclose Ohio State would be throughout the 1990s, only to suffer the bitter taste of heartbreak, I am determined to savor this feeling of accomplishment and pride in what Ohio State did in 2024.

As I reflect upon the previous national championships, a word came to mind as to what all three teams have in common – improbable. Each team had its share of challenges, controversies, and issues that were faced, and each were able to conquer those obstacles to become national champions.

• The 2002 National Championship Team – As referenced up above in my conversation with my daughter, who was an infant when this first national championship took place, the 2002 National Championship team had so many close calls that it would be difficult to adequately list. In all fairness to this year’s Texas victory, I would have to rank it far down the list of what were truly heartstopping events back in 2002. A fond memory I hold from that magical season was “Holy Buckeye” – as I wrote about my daughter being an infant, I distinctly recall holding her in my arms during that specific play, as it truly came down to that clutch play. I do give myself all the credit in the world for being as cool and calm as Craig Krenzel in that moment for not dropping her, jumping up and down, or screaming as that touchdown was being scored.
• The 2014 National Championship Team – The 2014 National Championship team did not have nearly as much flair for the dramatic as the 2002 team did, but they had their moments. In preseason, projected starting quarterback Braxton Miller was injured, thrusting an unknown and untested quarterback by the name of J.T. Barrett into the starting role. The week two 35-21 home loss to Virginia Tech left Ohio State in the precarious situation of having to continually try to gain ground in the standings. J.T. Barrett was lost to injury in THE GAME, forcing Cardale Jones to pilot the team for the national championship stretch run that included the dramatic comeback wins over Alabama and Oregon to win the title.
• The 2024 National Championship Team – Admit it, Ohio State fans. The day after the loss to “That Team Up North” in THE GAME had you truly questioning if Ohio State would be able to be successful in the College Football Playoff. That is why it is so truly satisfying and heartwarming to see Ryan Day basking in the accomplishments of everything that has transpired since that painful event.

It is going to be challenging for me to move on from 2024, and start focusing upon the upcoming 2025 season; it is crazy to think about how winter conditioning and spring football will be starting very soon. “Improbable” may be an adequate term for associating the last three Ohio State national championship teams. No matter what, they all hold a special place in my heart and memory, even if the routes that they took to immortality had its moments of peril.