Ohio State football was all but counted out in late November. Many fans and pundits believed that Ryan Day’s squad was dead in the water and saw him as nothing more than a lame-duck coach after the team’s disastrous loss to their archrival Michigan.
Yet, Day brought his team back from the dead and the Buckeyes rallied to run the table in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, absolutely obliterating every team they played and leaving no doubt as to who the best team in the country was.
Now, Ohio State faces a new question: With Will Howard, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and many other players departing for the NFL, will the Buckeyes be able to defend their title and repeat as champions next year?
It will be a tough battle, but Ohio State is certainly capable of achieving this feat.
Key Ohio State football players are expected to return
The two most important players for the Buckeyes are both expected to return next season. On the offensive side of the ball, Jeremiah Smith had a dynamic freshman debut. He wasn’t only the best freshman receiver in college football, the best freshman in all college football, or the best receiver in all of college football. A strong argument can be made that Smith was the best player in all of college football as a freshman, regardless of age or position.
