3. The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes
In the eight-year span from 1954 to 1961, Woody Hayes won three national titles (1954, 1957, and 1961) and four Big Ten championships (1954, 1955, 1957, and 1961); and produced thirteen All Americans and a Heisman Trophy (Hopalong Cassady), a Maxwell Award (Bob Ferguson), and an Outland Trophy (Jim Parker).
But after those glory days, Hayes saw his program enter the doldrums. From 1962 to 1967, Ohio State had a record of 35-18-1 (.657 winning percentage), with no Big Ten championships, no major award winners, and only six All Americans. To many observers, it looked like Woody's career at Ohio State might be done.
And then came 1968. In a year that symbolized unrest in the world at large, Ohio State arose from the ashes to upend the college football world. The Buckeyes were young, and they would start as many as twelve untested sophomores, including Rex Kern at the all-important quarterback position. By the end of the season, these fine rookies would prove their worth and would become known as the "Super Sophs".
As in 1957 and 1961, the Buckeyes began their 1968 national championship run against a team from Texas. This time it was SMU instead of TCU. Unlike those earlier seasons, however, the Buckeyes won their opening contest by a comfortable 35-14 margin. After defeating the Oregon Ducks 21 to 6, Ohio State began its conference slate with a game against Purdue. The Boilermakers had won the Big Ten crown in 1967, and they were favored to repeat in 1968; at that early point in the season, Purdue also held the number one ranking in the AP poll. With All American tailback Leroy Keyes and quarterback Mike Phipps, the Boilermakers were a solid 13-point favorite, but the Buckeyes were not intimidated by the high-powered Purdue offense. A stifling Buckeye defense held Keyes to just 18 yards rushing, and Phipps to 10 of 28 passing for 106 yards and a "pick six", all while holding the Boilermakers scoreless. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State rolled up 411 yards of offense, including a 14-yard touchdown run from back-up quarterback Bill Long. The final score: Ohio State 13, Purdue 0.
After a blow-out of Northwestern on Homecoming, the Buckeyes had narrow victories in three of their next four contests, edging Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa by a combined 18 points. Then came The Game, featuring a showdown between the #2 Buckeyes and the #4 Wolverines. Although the teams appeared to be fairly even on paper, on the field Ohio State was clearly superior. The Buckeyes won a laugher, 50-14, as the offense rolled up 467 total yards, 28 first downs, and 7 touchdowns, while the defense had three interceptions and held the Wolverines to just 311 yards. The Buckeyes were the outright Big Ten Champs and the new #1 team in the country, and they were headed to Pasadena to face undefeated #2 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
The Trojans opened up an early 10-0 lead on an 80-yard touchdown run by Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson, but the Buckeyes evened the score by halftime. Leading 13-10 after three stanzas, Buckeye quarterback Rex Kern threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, one each to halfbacks Leo Hayden and Ray Gillian. Once again, the Buckeye defense played masterfully, forcing five Trojan turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions), and holding the mighty USC offense to just 16 points. With a perfect 10-0-0 record, the Buckeyes won both the AP and UPI titles, and were regarded as the undisputed champions of college football.
Junior fullback Jim Otis led the Buckeyes in rushing in 1968 with 985 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior in 1969, Otis would become the first Buckeye to crack the 1,000-yard barrier for a single season (1,027 yards, 15 TDs), and he would leave Ohio State as the school's all-time leading rusher (2,542 yards, currently 14th) and yards rushing per game (94.1 yards, currently 2nd). Otis's rushing records would soon be broken. The following season Super Soph John Brockington rushed for 1,142 yards, and Eddie George has the current single-season mark with 1,927 yards in 1995. Of course Archie Griffin (1972-75) would set the career rushing mark with 5,589 yards and 121.5 yards per game.
Two of the leaders of the Super Sophs were defensive lineman Jim Stillwagon and defensive back Jack Tatum. In 1970, Stillwagon became the second Buckeye to win the Outland Trophy and the first to win the Lombardi Award. In the same season, Tatum was named the National Defensive Player of the Year.
Another Super Soph, defensive back Mike Sensibaugh, still holds Buckeye records for most interceptions in a single season (9 in 1969; he also had 8 in 1970) and for a career (22). Fellow defensive back Ted Provost (a junior in 1968) finished with 16 career interceptions, tied for third place in Buckeye history.
Although Ohio State had only two All Americans in 1968 - senior offensive tackles Dave Foley and Rufus Mayes - many of the younger players would go on to earn All American recognitions during the next two seasons:
Twelve of the Super Sophs were selected in the 1971 NFL draft, including four in the first round (Tatum, Brockington, Anderson, and Hayden).
Final thoughts: 1968 was Ohio State's fifth national championship, but the first that was unanimous. There was no coaches poll in 1942 when the Buckeyes won the AP title. The Buckeyes again won the AP title in 1954, but UCLA won the coaches poll. The Buckeyes finally won the coaches poll in 1957, but the AP title went to Auburn. And Alabama won both major polls in 1961, while Ohio State was awarded the FWAA national championship.
The Super Sophs would end their careers with an overall record of 27-2. However, both those losses came in season-ending games (Michigan in 1969, Stanford in the 1971 Rose Bowl), and both cost the Buckeyes national championships.
So why is this team only #3 on my list? Mainly because they won only ten games, when the top two teams each won fourteen. Also, the 1968 Buckeyes beat only three ranked teams, while the other contenders each beat four. Finally, the disappointing losses in 1969 and 1970 have a retroactive negative effect for me (even though they really shouldn't). The Super Sophs were certainly great, but they could have been (and probably should have been) the best of all time, not just at Ohio State but maybe even in the history of college football. Beating Michigan and Stanford would have put them on the pinnacle.
In the eight-year span from 1954 to 1961, Woody Hayes won three national titles (1954, 1957, and 1961) and four Big Ten championships (1954, 1955, 1957, and 1961); and produced thirteen All Americans and a Heisman Trophy (Hopalong Cassady), a Maxwell Award (Bob Ferguson), and an Outland Trophy (Jim Parker).
But after those glory days, Hayes saw his program enter the doldrums. From 1962 to 1967, Ohio State had a record of 35-18-1 (.657 winning percentage), with no Big Ten championships, no major award winners, and only six All Americans. To many observers, it looked like Woody's career at Ohio State might be done.
And then came 1968. In a year that symbolized unrest in the world at large, Ohio State arose from the ashes to upend the college football world. The Buckeyes were young, and they would start as many as twelve untested sophomores, including Rex Kern at the all-important quarterback position. By the end of the season, these fine rookies would prove their worth and would become known as the "Super Sophs".
As in 1957 and 1961, the Buckeyes began their 1968 national championship run against a team from Texas. This time it was SMU instead of TCU. Unlike those earlier seasons, however, the Buckeyes won their opening contest by a comfortable 35-14 margin. After defeating the Oregon Ducks 21 to 6, Ohio State began its conference slate with a game against Purdue. The Boilermakers had won the Big Ten crown in 1967, and they were favored to repeat in 1968; at that early point in the season, Purdue also held the number one ranking in the AP poll. With All American tailback Leroy Keyes and quarterback Mike Phipps, the Boilermakers were a solid 13-point favorite, but the Buckeyes were not intimidated by the high-powered Purdue offense. A stifling Buckeye defense held Keyes to just 18 yards rushing, and Phipps to 10 of 28 passing for 106 yards and a "pick six", all while holding the Boilermakers scoreless. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State rolled up 411 yards of offense, including a 14-yard touchdown run from back-up quarterback Bill Long. The final score: Ohio State 13, Purdue 0.
After a blow-out of Northwestern on Homecoming, the Buckeyes had narrow victories in three of their next four contests, edging Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa by a combined 18 points. Then came The Game, featuring a showdown between the #2 Buckeyes and the #4 Wolverines. Although the teams appeared to be fairly even on paper, on the field Ohio State was clearly superior. The Buckeyes won a laugher, 50-14, as the offense rolled up 467 total yards, 28 first downs, and 7 touchdowns, while the defense had three interceptions and held the Wolverines to just 311 yards. The Buckeyes were the outright Big Ten Champs and the new #1 team in the country, and they were headed to Pasadena to face undefeated #2 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.
The Trojans opened up an early 10-0 lead on an 80-yard touchdown run by Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson, but the Buckeyes evened the score by halftime. Leading 13-10 after three stanzas, Buckeye quarterback Rex Kern threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, one each to halfbacks Leo Hayden and Ray Gillian. Once again, the Buckeye defense played masterfully, forcing five Trojan turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions), and holding the mighty USC offense to just 16 points. With a perfect 10-0-0 record, the Buckeyes won both the AP and UPI titles, and were regarded as the undisputed champions of college football.
Junior fullback Jim Otis led the Buckeyes in rushing in 1968 with 985 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior in 1969, Otis would become the first Buckeye to crack the 1,000-yard barrier for a single season (1,027 yards, 15 TDs), and he would leave Ohio State as the school's all-time leading rusher (2,542 yards, currently 14th) and yards rushing per game (94.1 yards, currently 2nd). Otis's rushing records would soon be broken. The following season Super Soph John Brockington rushed for 1,142 yards, and Eddie George has the current single-season mark with 1,927 yards in 1995. Of course Archie Griffin (1972-75) would set the career rushing mark with 5,589 yards and 121.5 yards per game.
Two of the leaders of the Super Sophs were defensive lineman Jim Stillwagon and defensive back Jack Tatum. In 1970, Stillwagon became the second Buckeye to win the Outland Trophy and the first to win the Lombardi Award. In the same season, Tatum was named the National Defensive Player of the Year.
Another Super Soph, defensive back Mike Sensibaugh, still holds Buckeye records for most interceptions in a single season (9 in 1969; he also had 8 in 1970) and for a career (22). Fellow defensive back Ted Provost (a junior in 1968) finished with 16 career interceptions, tied for third place in Buckeye history.
Although Ohio State had only two All Americans in 1968 - senior offensive tackles Dave Foley and Rufus Mayes - many of the younger players would go on to earn All American recognitions during the next two seasons:
DB Jack Tatum: All American 1969, 1970
DT Jim Stillwagon: All American 1969, 1970
QB Rex Kern: All American 1969
FB Jim Otis All American 1969
DB Ted Provost All American 1969
TE Jan White: All American 1970
DB Mike Sensibaugh: All American 1970
DB Tim Anderson: All American 1970
RB John Brockington: All American 1970
DT Jim Stillwagon: All American 1969, 1970
QB Rex Kern: All American 1969
FB Jim Otis All American 1969
DB Ted Provost All American 1969
TE Jan White: All American 1970
DB Mike Sensibaugh: All American 1970
DB Tim Anderson: All American 1970
RB John Brockington: All American 1970
Twelve of the Super Sophs were selected in the 1971 NFL draft, including four in the first round (Tatum, Brockington, Anderson, and Hayden).
The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes
Final record: 10-0-0
Poll rankings: #1 AP; #1 CP
Defeated #4 Southern Cal (Rose Bowl); #10 Purdue; #12 Michigan
Final record: 10-0-0
Poll rankings: #1 AP; #1 CP
Defeated #4 Southern Cal (Rose Bowl); #10 Purdue; #12 Michigan
Final thoughts: 1968 was Ohio State's fifth national championship, but the first that was unanimous. There was no coaches poll in 1942 when the Buckeyes won the AP title. The Buckeyes again won the AP title in 1954, but UCLA won the coaches poll. The Buckeyes finally won the coaches poll in 1957, but the AP title went to Auburn. And Alabama won both major polls in 1961, while Ohio State was awarded the FWAA national championship.
The Super Sophs would end their careers with an overall record of 27-2. However, both those losses came in season-ending games (Michigan in 1969, Stanford in the 1971 Rose Bowl), and both cost the Buckeyes national championships.
So why is this team only #3 on my list? Mainly because they won only ten games, when the top two teams each won fourteen. Also, the 1968 Buckeyes beat only three ranked teams, while the other contenders each beat four. Finally, the disappointing losses in 1969 and 1970 have a retroactive negative effect for me (even though they really shouldn't). The Super Sophs were certainly great, but they could have been (and probably should have been) the best of all time, not just at Ohio State but maybe even in the history of college football. Beating Michigan and Stanford would have put them on the pinnacle.
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