The Buckeyes Can Win the National Title

November 30th sucked.  A pretty good football team played an absolutely atrocious football game against the one team that they couldn't.  Sure, they're still in the playoff and the perceived ultimate goal of a national championship is still on the table, but after the past three seasons, that was just a game that they couldn't lose.  I'm not over it.  It will be on my mind until November 29th, 2025, hopefully no longer.  It was an unacceptable loss that should not swept under the rug, but let's just pretend that it was a similar loss in October to a different middling B1G team.

In 2017 the Buckeyes lost an early season game to Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma, the original Ohio Stadium flag planting.  They were rolling until the first weekend of November in Iowa City.  The Bucks were throttled, losing by 31 points.  They went on to win their last three games and beat an undefeated Wisconsin team in the B1G title game, finishing 5th in playoff rankings, one spot out.  I'm not sure if that team was good enough to win a national title, but they would have been the six seed under the current playoff format.  

In 2018 the Buckeyes were coasting until an October night at Purdue.  They lost that one by 29 points, went on to win out, and win another B1G title.  They finished 6th in the playoff rankings, two spots out.  The defense wasn't nearly as good as the 2024 defense, but they had an electric offense and would have been positioned well in the playoff as the seven seed in the current format.

Two weeks ago the Buckeyes lost by three points and made every mistake possible.  The kicker missed two FG's under 40 yards when he had only missed a single 46-yarder all season.  The offense sputtered when it hadn't struggled to move the ball all season.  The defense allowed a 4th quarter sustained drive when it had stood tall at the end of games.  Nothing went right.  

If they get out their own way, this team can win a national title this year.  It's not going to be an easy road.  A home game against Tennessee, Oregon in the Rose Bowl, potentially Texas in Dallas, and possibly Georgia in Atlanta.  If they win it, it will be be earned, but will it be deserved?