2020 Team Preview: Can Ohio State Reach The National Championship Game?

The Ohio State Buckeyes have won three consecutive Big Ten championships. From 2011 through 2016, they won only one Big Ten title, though in 2012 they were ineligible for postseason competition. Even if you accept that Ohio State was the Big Ten’s best team in 2012, the Buckeyes still won just two Big Ten titles in a six-year period. The past three years, they have fulfilled their potential in Big Ten play. They simply haven’t been able to take the next step. Ohio State has lost twice to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals over the past four years. The Buckeyes came really close this past December, but receiver Chris Olave made the wrong break on a route in the end zone, causing the pass to be intercepted and denying Ohio State a winning touchdown. Ohio State will try to get past Clemson or Alabama this season. If the Buckeyes do, they will play in the national championship game for the first time since January of 2015, when they beat Oregon and ruled college football.

Offseason Changes

The Buckeyes watched supreme pass rusher Chase Young go to the NFL. Cornerback Jeff Okudah also went to the pros. This definitely takes a lot of power and speed from the Buckeyes’ defense. On offense, running back J.K. Dobbins – who was great against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl – left for the NFL.

On the coaching staff, defensive whiz Jeff Hafley, widely credited with improving the Buckeyes’ 2019 defense, left to become the head coach at Boston College. This is a huge story, one which will get a lot of attention if the 2020 season gets underway.

The Buckeyes Will Succeed If…

Kerry Coombs is a great defensive coordinator. With Hafley gone, the Ohio State defense requires leadership, especially since Young and Okudah, two bona fide stars, won’t be around to anchor the defense. Ohio State’s defense was a mess a few years ago before Hafley fixed the unit last season. If Coombs is as good as Hafley, Ohio State should be a top-three team with a great chance to win it all. If Coombs isn’t up to the task, the program could take a small step backward.

The Buckeyes Will Fail If…

The pass rush takes a nosedive. Chase Young was such a uniquely disruptive player for the 2019 Buckeyes. His ability to speed rush opposing quarterbacks was special. It was better than Nick Bosa, given that Bosa was more of a power rusher. Bosa was a great player, but in a speed-based context, Young made it a lot harder for opposing quarterbacks to feel comfortable. Bosa is going to have a mammoth NFL career because he holds up well on a physical level. Young might not thrive in the pros to the extent that Bosa has. However, in college football, being the fastest guy in a front seven is such a massive advantage. Ohio State might have a much worse pass rush without Young. The team needs to find answers to at least partly compensate for Young’s absence this year.

Prediction

Ohio State is the class of the Big Ten, and the key point about this year’s team is that Justin Fields is back for one more year at quarterback. He scored over 50 touchdowns this past season and threw just one interception in the team’s first 12 games. He was ridiculously good. Having Fields back for one more year is what should keep Ohio State at the very top of the Big Ten, and in the hunt for the national title.

Prediction: 1st In Big Ten East, Big Ten Champion