Urban Meyer's Winning Formula For 2020 Fits Clemson, Ohio State
In an interview with the Big Ten Network, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer gave the formula for winning in 2020.
Meyer said Clemson and Ohio State are the early front runners due to the fact they return a star quarterback and will continue to play in the same system as last year.
"(Clemson and Ohio State) are so far advanced right now because they have a great player returning at quarterback," Meyer said in the interview. "When I took over four jobs, and you're installing an offense with a new quarterback, the amount of time that goes into that very unique position is inordinate. It's not normal. Other positions don't have to put that time in."
Meyer had his best season at Utah after Alex Smith returned for his junior season. He led the Utes to an unbeaten record and a win in the Fiesta Bowl over Pitt.
At Florida, Meyer won the national title in 2006 with the return of Chris Leak and again in 2008 with Tim Tebow in his second full season as the starter.
Clemson sits at the top of the latest Top 25, released by the Sporting News, followed by Ohio State.
Trevor Lawrence returns for his junior season at Clemson after having led the Tigers to a national championship as a freshman in 2018 and a national championship appearance last season against LSU.
Lawrence was named first-team all ACC last season while leading the league in passing. He needs just 42 touchdown passes to become the career leader at Clemson.
Ohio State, ranked second behind the Tigers, returns Justin Fields who was the Big Ten Player of the Year last year after throwing for 41 touchdowns and leading the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff.
Ian Book returns for Notre Dame after leading the Fighting Irish to a 20-3 record in his first two years including a playoff berth in 2018.
Texas returns Sam Ehlinger who has shown flashes but has yet to get the Longhorns over the hump in the Big 12.
The SEC features two returning quarterbacks that could be potential playoff contenders in Florida's Kyle Trask and Auburn's Bo Nix.
In addition to returning quarterback and system, the second half of the winning formula, according to Meyer, is an easy early-season schedule.
"That's basically your spring practice," Meyer said. "I actually treated some of those games as a chance to get some guys playing time. If you're opening up against Virginia Tech or Oklahoma you can't do that."
Clemson may not have that luxury with early ACC games against Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Louisville at home.
Ohio State opens with Bowling Green before heading to Eugene for a top-10 matchup against the Oregon Ducks.
"If you're playing a team you're just so far superior in talent, I treated that as an extension of training camp," Meyer said. "That's what I think you're going to see with teams breaking in new quarterbacks."
