GLENDALE, Ariz.: The 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes didn’t deserve to be in the College Football Playoff.
But they proved on Friday that they are among the nation’s top four teams.
They proved they had perhaps the greatest collection of talent assembled at OSU, a group that in late April could threaten the NFL record the Buckeyes hold with 14 players drafted in 2004.
It’s not impossible that they will break the league record set by the University of Miami with six first-round picks in 2004.
Something needed to be proved, a statement sent that a crushing Nov. 21 loss to Michigan State in the wind and driving rain at Ohio Stadium that cost the Buckeyes a chance to defend their national championship wasn’t what they were all about.
No. 7 Ohio State accomplished that goal, whether a spoken one or not, by dominating No. 8 Notre Dame 44-28 in the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
It was a perfect finish, crushing the Irish after closing out the regular season with a 42-13 rout of rival Michigan in Ann Arbor.
No. 3 Michigan State’s 38-0 loss to No. 2 Alabama Thursday night in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl might have made it sweeter, although no one in the locker room would admit that.
“I think we wanted to make a statement,” OSU left tackle Taylor Decker said. “Not because of how any of the other games went, just because we controlled our own destiny, we shot ourselves in the foot, we still wanted to show we’re a good football team and more importantly show what this program’s about. Just because things didn’t go our way doesn’t mean we’re going to pack it up.”
Decker took pride in the fact that his senior class finished 50-4, tying Boise State’s 2011 senior class for the most victories at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
“At times we played really well and at other times we didn’t. Just because we didn’t make the playoff doesn’t mean this season was a failure,” Decker said. “This season was a huge success. I’m walking out of here 50-4 in my career. We’re arguably one of the best classes to ever play. That’s something special, something that shouldn’t be overlooked.”
Avoiding distraction
After they finished 12-1, redshirt sophomore quarterback J.T. Barrett said the Buckeyes didn’t take the field with the mission Decker suggested in mind. Or at least Barrett didn’t.
“Reflecting on it now, I think we did make a little statement being that we weren’t in the playoff,” Barrett said.
The notion of proving something could have been poison, and defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, a former defensive lineman at Ohio State, feared as much.
“As a coach that’s what you worry about. I know those games were on last night and I told all the defensive guys, ‘If I were you I wouldn’t even watch ’em because the last thing you want to do is start thinking what if,’ ” Fickell said of the two playoff games, with No. 1 Clemson defeating No. 4 Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl. “We can’t worry what’s behind us.
“The maturity showed. We said before the Team Up North game, we’d know a lot more about these guys after that game. They didn’t dwell upon the past and they continued to move forward.”
Afterward, thoughts of “what if” hung over the season like a massive anvil. What if the Buckeyes coaching staff had given running back Ezekiel Elliott more than two second-half carries in the 17-14 loss to Michigan State? What if OSU coach Urban Meyer had picked the right quarterback to start the season or gone back to Barrett sooner? What if Meyer had straightened out the play-calling system, sending offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Ed Warinner to the booth earlier than against Michigan?
Those questions could have eaten them alive, could have robbed them of their motivation against Notre Dame, even though it was only Ohio State’s sixth meeting with the Irish.
But the Buckeyes managed to bury those thoughts for one more day and played for each other, further cementing a special bond born during the national championship season.
Run to remember
They cemented their place in Ohio State history as well, even though some might call it heresy to mention them in the same breath with a team that won an NCAA, BCS or CFP title.
It shouldn’t be heresy. Not with such a special collection of talent, toughness and tenacity.
On Tuesday, junior safety Vonn Bell was asked what it would mean to finish 12-1.
“It would show a lot,” Bell said. “That big, tough loss we had and bouncing back, it would really show the character of this team.”
That trademark of the 2015 Buckeyes shouldn’t be forgotten, national championship or not.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.