Urban Meyer is very bullish about the Ohio State Buckeyes. The former college coach spent his final seven seasons in the NCAA with the University. He still tracks the team closely as a fan after retiring back in 2018. After watching them in the CFP, Meyer thinks that the Buckeyes have what it takes to win it all this season.
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Meyer went on his podcast, The Triple Option, and laid out what makes Ohio State so much better than the rest of the teams remaining. He talked about their roster construction and how it’s all coming together at the right time.
“If team A shows up, this will be a wrap,” Meyer claimed. “Ohio State will lift the gold trophy if the best roster in the country plays like the best roster in the country. They’ll be national champs in a few weeks.”
A bold claim to make ahead of the Cotton Bowl against Texas. While the Buckeyes are favored to win by six points, Texas is still the higher-ranked team and plays in the tough SEC. It won’t be a walk in the park like it was against Tennessee and Oregon.
But Meyer thinks it has a chance to be. He watched Ohio State obliterate the Volunteers firsthand in round one. Meyer also thought the outcome against the Ducks could’ve been much worse for the green and yellow.
“They took Tennessee, and I stood right there, and it was not close. It was worse in person,” Meyer addressed. “And then the game against Oregon, it was much worse in person. Once again, standing there watching it, and Oregon, the number one team in the country. After the Wolverine game, I said Oregon would win the national title.”
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But the Ducks were taken to the woodshed by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes hopped out to a 34-0 early lead and never looked back. Meyer is thus right — Ohio State has established itself as the most dominant team still in the bracket.
They have a great QB in Will Howard. Two excellent RBs with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. And another stellar WR core with Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.
The defense has started to step up too. Players like Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, and Davison Igbinosun have all stepped up in recent weeks and are playing like the top recruits they were out of high school. Yet, Meyer thinks the key to the Buckeyes’ turnaround in recent weeks has been because of the offensive line, before making another bold claim about the futures of the Ohio State alumni in the NFL.
“My understanding is Ohio State simplified things with the offensive line. That’s the one area that has struggled. Every player at Ohio State will be playing in the National Football League, substantially. That’s how good they are.”
The Buckeyes are well known for their ability to develop NFL-quality talent. Will Howard looks like he could be an exciting QB prospect for any team. Jeremiah Smith will be clawed over by teams when he’s ready to make the jump. Egbuka is already on several team’s draft boards as a first-round talent.
Some of the greatest players today and in NFL history have come out of Ohio State. Guys like Cris Carter, Ezekiel Elliott, and the Bosa brothers have all carved out successful careers. Marvin Harrison Jr. was also just selected out of the school last season as the number four overall pick in the draft. They are typically known for producing exciting players with upside.
Meyer could be right. This team has all of the makings to win it all on January 20th. But they can’t get ahead of themselves and need to focus on the task at hand. Texas is a good football team that’s been itching to get back to the national championship since 2010. Focus on the task now and worry about the natty later.
