Buckeyes Title-Game Bound In 247's Post-Spring Projections
The Ohio State Buckeyes have their work cut out for them next season.
Ahead of coach Ryan Day's fifth full season with the team, the Buckeyes will be looking to earn their first national championship since 2014 and the first since Urban Meyer's departure from the program.
Though there are still many factors in play and questions regarding how Ohio State, which will be under a new direction at quarterback, will respond to back-to-back seasons without a title game appearance, 247Sports shared its take on the Buckeyes' ceiling next season.
The verdict? A meeting with the two-time defending national champions in the CFP National Championship.
Three consecutive national championships for the Bulldogs? Kirby Smart's squad has to beat the Buckeyes again to do it. These two squads are stacked and if Ohio State can get through a challenging Big Ten schedule with one loss or fewer, we expect the selection committee to put the Buckeyes back in a semifinal setting. Carson Beck against Kyle McCord in this quarterback matchup would be intriguing, along with Ryan Day trying to become the next first-time national championship-winning head coach.
Last season, Ohio State's meeting with Georgia seemed to be going well ... until it wasn't.
After building a 14-point lead over the Bulldogs, two scores from Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennet and a field goal put them back up by one, but a missed field goal as time expired sealed the fate of the Buckeyes and ended their season just short of a national title appearance.
Since then, things have changed for the Buckeyes. Instead of C.J. Stroud, Ohio State will look to either Devin Brown or Kyle McCord, while Marvin Harrison Jr. is preparing for what could be a Heisman-level season for him.
Still, the Buckeyes have proven to be a top team year in and year out, with next season likely to be no exception. And if 247Sports is correct, next season could be one for the history books, should Ohio State overcome a matchup with Georgia and give Day his first title.
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