It was a rockier ride than many expected with two bumps that could have derailed the train but the Ohio State Buckeyes won the 2024 National Championship as many also expected.
And while losses to Oregon and especially a mediocre Michigan team caused doubts in the minds of some people (including me) about where the season would end, the national championship was achieved.
Ohio State was often tagged as the twenty-million dollar team for the cost through NIL, but what isn't always mentioned is that most of the financial planning involved keeping players already on the team rather than adding players from other schools.
To be fair, Caleb Downs was likely expensive to add, but Downs almost picked Ohio State out of high school as the second choice to Alabama and would have likely stayed in Tuscaloosa had Nick Saban not retired. Will Howard wasn't cheap either, but Ohio State's philosophy on transfers has consistently spent most of its budget on its current roster rather than throwing money around raiding others.
Ohio State made its share of mistakes against Michigan, mainly by playing to the strengths of its undermanned opponent. Still, the Oregon loss was a result of several oddball events coming together in one road game, allowing an excellent team to escape with a one-point win.
It was tough to see the coaching mistakes against Michigan, but I was optimistic about the playoffs because I thought Ryan Day coached so well in their almost win over Georgia in 2022. After a similar defeat against Michigan, I gave Ohio State a good chance of winning the tournament based on talent alone.
My concern was the first-round matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.
Following a traumatic loss, it was unknown how the Buckeyes would respond but if they could rebound against Tennessee, they would immediately return as one of the favorites to win.
After watching the win over Tennessee, I had the feeling that this would be a title-winning run but while I picked Ohio State to win, I would be lying if I was positive before the game!
Watching the effort that Ohio State had against Tennessee answered my questions and while I wouldn't say I was cocky, I was certainly confident that the Buckeyes would be the final team standing.
Other than a late rally by Notre Dame, only the Texas Longhorns pushed Ohio State, and when Jack Sawyer hit Quinn Ewers to send the football careening away to be grabbed by Sawyer for the game-clinching score that will be the lasting memory of the season, I had the feeling that the title was decided then.
In a season that saw a national championship return to Columbus, the Jack Sawyer return was the most memorable play, but surprisingly, it wasn't filled with plays to be remembered.
Other than spectacular catches by Jeremiah Smith, the most memorable play from the regular season was in a loss: the Will Howard scramble, which ended with Howard sliding just as the clock ended the game in the defeat to Oregon.
The loss to Michigan was (and is still) so devastating to the program, its perception, and Ryan Day himself but as in life, sometimes it takes an unexpected step back to move forward.
It's impossible to know if that defeat spurred Ohio State to the National Championship or if the Buckeyes won over Michigan. Would they have had the same motivation to up their game in the postseason?
In the end, it was a memorable season without an overwhelming amount of memorable moments ending with the end goal being accomplished.
It's hard to argue with that.
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