2. The 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes
Regardless of what happens in the future, this team will always be remembered as the winner of the first ever college playoff for major college football. But the road to that playoff berth was a rocky one, and the final destination was in doubt until the very end.
Ohio State began the 2014 season ranked #5 in the AP poll, but before the team ever saw the field that ranking was already in jeopardy. Just eleven days before the opening game, starting quarterback Braxton Miller (2012, 2013 Big Ten OPOY) was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. The Buckeye offense would now be in the inexperienced hands of redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett, who had never taken a snap at the college level. To make matters worse, Barrett would be operating behind an offensive line that was breaking in four new starters, none of whom had been a blue chip recruit.
The Buckeyes opened on the road against Navy, and they certainly didn't look like a top-ten squad. Trailing 7 to 6 early in the third quarter, Ohio State got its first touchdown of the year on a 61-yard fumble recovery by freshman linebacker Darron Lee; the offense wouldn't find the end zone for another nine minutes, when Barrett connected on an 80-yard pass to wide receiver Devin Smith. A pair of fourth quarter scores pushed the final score to 34-17. In the end, the more talented team won, but it was a struggle the entire way.
The offense's woes became much worse in week two against Virginia Tech. Facing the Hokies' "Bear" defense, the Buckeyes managed only 21 points and 327 yards. Barrett completed just 9 of 29 passes, was sacked seven times, and threw three interceptions. The defense wasn't much better, especially in the first half when it allowed the Hokies to score 21 points and convert 7 of 9 third downs. Despite the uninspiring effort, with 59 seconds left on the clock the Buckeyes had the ball at midfield with a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but Barrett threw a pick six to seal the defeat. Final score: 35-21.
The Buckeyes quickly rebounded with easy victories over a series of overmatched opponents: Kent State (66-0); Cincinnati (50-28); Maryland (52-24); Rutgers (56-17). In week seven, Ohio State faced its next serious test, a road trip to Happy Valley to play Penn State. The Buckeyes owned the first half, 17-0, but the Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to send the game into overtime. Barrett scored a pair of touchdowns in the extra frames, and defensive end Joey Bosa closed out the 31-24 victory with a walk-off sack at the end of the second overtime period.
After the narrow escape from Happy Valley, the Buckeyes blew out Illinois (55-14) at home, thereby setting up a showdown with #8 Michigan State at East Lansing. Ohio State got down early, but a pair of long touchdown passes in the final 3:19 of the first half gave the Buckeyes the lead for good. On the night, the Buckeyes' explosive offense scored seven touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the country, and the defense did just enough to secure a 49-37 win.
The following week, Ohio State faced a surprisingly good Minnesota team on the road in near-blizzard conditions. The highlight of the day was an 86-yard touchdown run by Barrett, the fourth-longest play from scrimmage in Ohio State history. However, the Buckeyes made three costly turnovers that kept the Golden Gophers in the game, and the good guys weren't able to close out the 31-24 victory until the final seconds of the contest.
Ohio State had beaten the Indiana Hoosiers 19 straight times, and it was assumed that number 20 would come easily. But in week eleven the Buckeyes might have been looking ahead to the regular season finale against Michigan, and in the closing minutes of the third quarter they found themselves on the wrong end of a 20-14 score, thanks in large part to Indiana running back Tevin Coleman (27 rushes, 228 yards, 3 TDs). Then freshman flanker Jalin Marshall exploded for four straight touchdowns – a 54-yard punt return followed by pass receptions of 6, 15, and 54 yards. Indiana could not recover from that barrage, and Ohio State held on for a 42-27 victory.
Ohio State entered The Game ranked #6 with a record of 10-1, facing a 5-6 Michigan team that was playing for pride (and for a chance to spoil Ohio State's slim playoff hopes). The contest was close throughout, but with 4:58 left on the clock running back Ezekiel Elliott busted a 44-yard run that proved to be the game-clinching score. Linebacker Darron Lee capped off the Buckeyes' scoring with a 33-yard fumble recovery, and Ohio State had earned another hard-fought victory, 42-28.
The most significant play of the Michigan game came at the start of the fourth quarter, when quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle, a season-ending injury. By that time, Barrett had already set Ohio State's single-season records for total offense (3,772 yards) and total touchdowns (45). Barrett had come a very long way since his 3-pick, 7-sack performance against Virginia Tech in week two, and he was getting some serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy (he would finish fifth in the voting). Barrett had led the Buckeyes to a fine 11-1 record during the regular season, but the team would have to turn to its third-string quarterback in postseason, a grim prospect indeed.
With a perfect 8-0 record in conference play, #5 Ohio State represented the East Division in the Big Ten Championship game. The West Division champion was #13 Wisconsin, sporting a 10-2 record, the nation's leading rusher (Melvin Gordon with 2,260 yards and 29 TDs entering the contest), and one of the best defenses around (#2 total defense, #4 scoring defense). In order to move up the rankings and earn a spot in the four-team playoff, Ohio State would have to have a stellar performance against one of the best teams in the country, an unlikely proposition with a very inexperienced quarterback.
Prior to the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game, Cardale Jones was best known for a Tweet in which he said that he didn't come to Ohio State to "play school, classes are POINTLESS." In playing football, Jones didn't have much on his résumé: 11 for 19 passing for 121 yards and 2 TDs, with an additional 317 yards and one touchdown on the ground in two seasons of limited work. Ohio State fans were not hopeful, but Jones would prove his doubters wrong.
The Buckeyes received the opening kick in the Big Ten Championship game and Jones drove the team the length of the field, eventually hitting Devin Smith for a 39-yard touchdown. Two drives later, Ezekiel Elliott broke an 81-yard run to give Ohio State a 14-0 lead, and the rout was on. Jones would connect with Smith on two more bombs (42 and 44 yards), Elliott would have another touchdown run (he would finish the day with 20 carries for 220 yards), reserve running back Curtis Samuel would add two more touchdowns in garbage time, and Joey Bosa got into the end zone with a fumble recovery. Meanwhile, the defense held Heisman runner-up Melvin Gordon to just 76 yards on 26 carries for a 2.9 average (well below his 8.0 yards per carry entering the game), and forced four turnovers. When the dust settled, Ohio State had completely demolished Wisconsin by the score of 59-0.
Based on its dominating performance, Ohio State moved up to #4 in the CFP rankings and claimed the last spot in the four-team playoff. That was the good news. The bad news was that Ohio State would be squaring off against #1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. And the Buckeyes were still stuck with their third-string quarterback, while the Crimson Tide had All American wide out Amari Cooper (115 receptions for 1,656 yards and 14 TDs entering the game; #3 in the Heisman voting) and a defense that ranked #1 in the nation against the run (88.4 yards per game).
The Buckeyes gained a lot of yards early in the game but turned two first-and-goal opportunities into field goals while the Tide was scoring touchdowns when they had the ball. By the middle of the second quarter, Ohio State found itself down 21-6 and on the wrong end of a potential rout. Then Cardale Jones came to life. On 3rd-and-10 from the Buckeyes 29-yard line, Jones hit Jalin Marshall for 26 yards. A few moments later Jones converted on 3rd-and-9, once again connecting with Marshall. A 13-yard pass to Elliott set up yet another first-and-goal, and this time the Buckeyes were able to punch the ball into the end zone to cut the lead to 21-13.
After a quick three-and-out, the Buckeyes received the ball at their own 23-yard line with 1:32 left in the half. Jones was the story once again, with three straight completions followed by a 27-yard scramble into the red zone. Two plays later, offensive coordinator Tom Herman dialed up some trickeration: a double-reverse pass with wide receiver Evan Spencer hitting wide receiver Michael Thomas with a perfect strike in the corner of the end zone with just twelve ticks left on the clock. Going into halftime, Ohio State was still down by one point, 21-20, but the Buckeyes had all the momentum.
The Buckeyes built on their momentum in the third quarter, with Jones hitting Devin Smith on a 47-yard bomb to give the Buckeyes a 27-21 lead. Then defensive end Steve Miller came up with one of the most improbable plays in Buckeye history: dropping into coverage on a zone blitz, Miller intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a pick six and a 34-21 advantage.
But Alabama was #1 for a reason, and the Tide were able to close the gap with a touchdown late in the third quarter. Both offenses ground to nearly a halt in the fourth quarter. Then with 3:24 left in the game, Ezekiel Elliott broke off an 85-yard touchdown run, giving him 230 yards on just 20 carries. The subsequent two-point conversion gave Ohio State a seemingly insurmountable 42-28 lead.
But again Alabama was not done. Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims completed a quick six-play touchdown drive highlighted by a 51-yard pass to DeAndrew White, cutting the score to 42-35. The Buckeyes recovered the ensuing onside kick, but failed to run out the clock.
After the Ohio State punt, Alabama had the ball at their own 18-yard line with 1:33 left in the game. The Tide were able to move the ball into Buckeye territory, but a final Hail Mary was intercepted by safety Tyvis Powell in the end zone to clinch the victory. Ohio State would play for the national championship!
After the thrilling come from behind victory in the Sugar Bowl, the national title game against the #2 Oregon Ducks was a bit of a let down. Oregon got off to a quick 7-0 lead, but Ohio State manhandled the Ducks the rest of the way. The Buckeye offense committed four turnovers, but Ezekiel Elliott posted his third straight 200-yard game (36 carries for 246 yards and 4 TDs), and the defense was able to keep Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Marcus Mariota in check. The final outcome wasn't close: 42-20 in favor of Ohio State, and it really could've been a lot worse.
The win gave the Buckeyes their eighth national championship. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer earned his third title, to go along with the pair that he won at Florida in 2006 and 2008. Ezekiel Elliott finished with 1,878 yards rushing (the second highest single-season total in school history) and 18 touchdowns. J.T. Barrett set single-season records for total yards (3,772) and total touchdowns (45). Devin Smith set another single-season school record with 28.2 yards per catch (33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 TDs). The Buckeyes had four touchdowns of 80+ yards, the most in any one season. All American defensive linemen Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett combined for 20.5 sacks and 35 TFLs.
Yet 2014 will always be remembered as the year that a third-string quarterback led the Buckeyes to a national championship in the first ever college playoff.
Final thoughts: This super talented team was able to overcome the loss of two starting quarterbacks to win a national championship. However, this team also had a tendency to play sloppily on both sides of the ball: the offense surrendered 26 turnovers (almost 2 per game), the defense allowed several big plays (13 plays of 49+ yards, 6 for TDs), and the team committed 84 penalties (5.6 per game).
The 2014 Buckeyes became the first team in history to beat three top-5 opponents, but they also lost to unranked Virginia Tech.
In the end the good far outweighed the bad, but not quite enough to get this group to #1 on the list of greatest Buckeye teams ever.
Regardless of what happens in the future, this team will always be remembered as the winner of the first ever college playoff for major college football. But the road to that playoff berth was a rocky one, and the final destination was in doubt until the very end.
Ohio State began the 2014 season ranked #5 in the AP poll, but before the team ever saw the field that ranking was already in jeopardy. Just eleven days before the opening game, starting quarterback Braxton Miller (2012, 2013 Big Ten OPOY) was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. The Buckeye offense would now be in the inexperienced hands of redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett, who had never taken a snap at the college level. To make matters worse, Barrett would be operating behind an offensive line that was breaking in four new starters, none of whom had been a blue chip recruit.
The Buckeyes opened on the road against Navy, and they certainly didn't look like a top-ten squad. Trailing 7 to 6 early in the third quarter, Ohio State got its first touchdown of the year on a 61-yard fumble recovery by freshman linebacker Darron Lee; the offense wouldn't find the end zone for another nine minutes, when Barrett connected on an 80-yard pass to wide receiver Devin Smith. A pair of fourth quarter scores pushed the final score to 34-17. In the end, the more talented team won, but it was a struggle the entire way.
The offense's woes became much worse in week two against Virginia Tech. Facing the Hokies' "Bear" defense, the Buckeyes managed only 21 points and 327 yards. Barrett completed just 9 of 29 passes, was sacked seven times, and threw three interceptions. The defense wasn't much better, especially in the first half when it allowed the Hokies to score 21 points and convert 7 of 9 third downs. Despite the uninspiring effort, with 59 seconds left on the clock the Buckeyes had the ball at midfield with a chance to tie the game and force overtime, but Barrett threw a pick six to seal the defeat. Final score: 35-21.
The Buckeyes quickly rebounded with easy victories over a series of overmatched opponents: Kent State (66-0); Cincinnati (50-28); Maryland (52-24); Rutgers (56-17). In week seven, Ohio State faced its next serious test, a road trip to Happy Valley to play Penn State. The Buckeyes owned the first half, 17-0, but the Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to send the game into overtime. Barrett scored a pair of touchdowns in the extra frames, and defensive end Joey Bosa closed out the 31-24 victory with a walk-off sack at the end of the second overtime period.
After the narrow escape from Happy Valley, the Buckeyes blew out Illinois (55-14) at home, thereby setting up a showdown with #8 Michigan State at East Lansing. Ohio State got down early, but a pair of long touchdown passes in the final 3:19 of the first half gave the Buckeyes the lead for good. On the night, the Buckeyes' explosive offense scored seven touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the country, and the defense did just enough to secure a 49-37 win.
The following week, Ohio State faced a surprisingly good Minnesota team on the road in near-blizzard conditions. The highlight of the day was an 86-yard touchdown run by Barrett, the fourth-longest play from scrimmage in Ohio State history. However, the Buckeyes made three costly turnovers that kept the Golden Gophers in the game, and the good guys weren't able to close out the 31-24 victory until the final seconds of the contest.
Ohio State had beaten the Indiana Hoosiers 19 straight times, and it was assumed that number 20 would come easily. But in week eleven the Buckeyes might have been looking ahead to the regular season finale against Michigan, and in the closing minutes of the third quarter they found themselves on the wrong end of a 20-14 score, thanks in large part to Indiana running back Tevin Coleman (27 rushes, 228 yards, 3 TDs). Then freshman flanker Jalin Marshall exploded for four straight touchdowns – a 54-yard punt return followed by pass receptions of 6, 15, and 54 yards. Indiana could not recover from that barrage, and Ohio State held on for a 42-27 victory.
Ohio State entered The Game ranked #6 with a record of 10-1, facing a 5-6 Michigan team that was playing for pride (and for a chance to spoil Ohio State's slim playoff hopes). The contest was close throughout, but with 4:58 left on the clock running back Ezekiel Elliott busted a 44-yard run that proved to be the game-clinching score. Linebacker Darron Lee capped off the Buckeyes' scoring with a 33-yard fumble recovery, and Ohio State had earned another hard-fought victory, 42-28.
The most significant play of the Michigan game came at the start of the fourth quarter, when quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle, a season-ending injury. By that time, Barrett had already set Ohio State's single-season records for total offense (3,772 yards) and total touchdowns (45). Barrett had come a very long way since his 3-pick, 7-sack performance against Virginia Tech in week two, and he was getting some serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy (he would finish fifth in the voting). Barrett had led the Buckeyes to a fine 11-1 record during the regular season, but the team would have to turn to its third-string quarterback in postseason, a grim prospect indeed.
With a perfect 8-0 record in conference play, #5 Ohio State represented the East Division in the Big Ten Championship game. The West Division champion was #13 Wisconsin, sporting a 10-2 record, the nation's leading rusher (Melvin Gordon with 2,260 yards and 29 TDs entering the contest), and one of the best defenses around (#2 total defense, #4 scoring defense). In order to move up the rankings and earn a spot in the four-team playoff, Ohio State would have to have a stellar performance against one of the best teams in the country, an unlikely proposition with a very inexperienced quarterback.
Prior to the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game, Cardale Jones was best known for a Tweet in which he said that he didn't come to Ohio State to "play school, classes are POINTLESS." In playing football, Jones didn't have much on his résumé: 11 for 19 passing for 121 yards and 2 TDs, with an additional 317 yards and one touchdown on the ground in two seasons of limited work. Ohio State fans were not hopeful, but Jones would prove his doubters wrong.
The Buckeyes received the opening kick in the Big Ten Championship game and Jones drove the team the length of the field, eventually hitting Devin Smith for a 39-yard touchdown. Two drives later, Ezekiel Elliott broke an 81-yard run to give Ohio State a 14-0 lead, and the rout was on. Jones would connect with Smith on two more bombs (42 and 44 yards), Elliott would have another touchdown run (he would finish the day with 20 carries for 220 yards), reserve running back Curtis Samuel would add two more touchdowns in garbage time, and Joey Bosa got into the end zone with a fumble recovery. Meanwhile, the defense held Heisman runner-up Melvin Gordon to just 76 yards on 26 carries for a 2.9 average (well below his 8.0 yards per carry entering the game), and forced four turnovers. When the dust settled, Ohio State had completely demolished Wisconsin by the score of 59-0.
Based on its dominating performance, Ohio State moved up to #4 in the CFP rankings and claimed the last spot in the four-team playoff. That was the good news. The bad news was that Ohio State would be squaring off against #1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. And the Buckeyes were still stuck with their third-string quarterback, while the Crimson Tide had All American wide out Amari Cooper (115 receptions for 1,656 yards and 14 TDs entering the game; #3 in the Heisman voting) and a defense that ranked #1 in the nation against the run (88.4 yards per game).
The Buckeyes gained a lot of yards early in the game but turned two first-and-goal opportunities into field goals while the Tide was scoring touchdowns when they had the ball. By the middle of the second quarter, Ohio State found itself down 21-6 and on the wrong end of a potential rout. Then Cardale Jones came to life. On 3rd-and-10 from the Buckeyes 29-yard line, Jones hit Jalin Marshall for 26 yards. A few moments later Jones converted on 3rd-and-9, once again connecting with Marshall. A 13-yard pass to Elliott set up yet another first-and-goal, and this time the Buckeyes were able to punch the ball into the end zone to cut the lead to 21-13.
After a quick three-and-out, the Buckeyes received the ball at their own 23-yard line with 1:32 left in the half. Jones was the story once again, with three straight completions followed by a 27-yard scramble into the red zone. Two plays later, offensive coordinator Tom Herman dialed up some trickeration: a double-reverse pass with wide receiver Evan Spencer hitting wide receiver Michael Thomas with a perfect strike in the corner of the end zone with just twelve ticks left on the clock. Going into halftime, Ohio State was still down by one point, 21-20, but the Buckeyes had all the momentum.
The Buckeyes built on their momentum in the third quarter, with Jones hitting Devin Smith on a 47-yard bomb to give the Buckeyes a 27-21 lead. Then defensive end Steve Miller came up with one of the most improbable plays in Buckeye history: dropping into coverage on a zone blitz, Miller intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a pick six and a 34-21 advantage.
But Alabama was #1 for a reason, and the Tide were able to close the gap with a touchdown late in the third quarter. Both offenses ground to nearly a halt in the fourth quarter. Then with 3:24 left in the game, Ezekiel Elliott broke off an 85-yard touchdown run, giving him 230 yards on just 20 carries. The subsequent two-point conversion gave Ohio State a seemingly insurmountable 42-28 lead.
But again Alabama was not done. Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims completed a quick six-play touchdown drive highlighted by a 51-yard pass to DeAndrew White, cutting the score to 42-35. The Buckeyes recovered the ensuing onside kick, but failed to run out the clock.
After the Ohio State punt, Alabama had the ball at their own 18-yard line with 1:33 left in the game. The Tide were able to move the ball into Buckeye territory, but a final Hail Mary was intercepted by safety Tyvis Powell in the end zone to clinch the victory. Ohio State would play for the national championship!
After the thrilling come from behind victory in the Sugar Bowl, the national title game against the #2 Oregon Ducks was a bit of a let down. Oregon got off to a quick 7-0 lead, but Ohio State manhandled the Ducks the rest of the way. The Buckeye offense committed four turnovers, but Ezekiel Elliott posted his third straight 200-yard game (36 carries for 246 yards and 4 TDs), and the defense was able to keep Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Marcus Mariota in check. The final outcome wasn't close: 42-20 in favor of Ohio State, and it really could've been a lot worse.
The win gave the Buckeyes their eighth national championship. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer earned his third title, to go along with the pair that he won at Florida in 2006 and 2008. Ezekiel Elliott finished with 1,878 yards rushing (the second highest single-season total in school history) and 18 touchdowns. J.T. Barrett set single-season records for total yards (3,772) and total touchdowns (45). Devin Smith set another single-season school record with 28.2 yards per catch (33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 TDs). The Buckeyes had four touchdowns of 80+ yards, the most in any one season. All American defensive linemen Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett combined for 20.5 sacks and 35 TFLs.
Yet 2014 will always be remembered as the year that a third-string quarterback led the Buckeyes to a national championship in the first ever college playoff.
The 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes
Final record: 14-1-0
Poll rankings: #1 AP; #1 CFP
Defeated #2 Oregon (Title game); #4 Alabama (Sugar Bowl); #5 Michigan State; #13 Wisconsin (B1G championship)
Lost to unranked Virginia Tech
Final record: 14-1-0
Poll rankings: #1 AP; #1 CFP
Defeated #2 Oregon (Title game); #4 Alabama (Sugar Bowl); #5 Michigan State; #13 Wisconsin (B1G championship)
Lost to unranked Virginia Tech
Final thoughts: This super talented team was able to overcome the loss of two starting quarterbacks to win a national championship. However, this team also had a tendency to play sloppily on both sides of the ball: the offense surrendered 26 turnovers (almost 2 per game), the defense allowed several big plays (13 plays of 49+ yards, 6 for TDs), and the team committed 84 penalties (5.6 per game).
The 2014 Buckeyes became the first team in history to beat three top-5 opponents, but they also lost to unranked Virginia Tech.
In the end the good far outweighed the bad, but not quite enough to get this group to #1 on the list of greatest Buckeye teams ever.
