Ohio State football: 3 best teams to not win a National Championship
By Ryan Stano
Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones. Those were the three options that Urban Meyer had at quarterback going into the 2015 season. His Buckeye team was the defending national champion, and it seemed no matter what quarterback he picked was going to be a winner.
That quarterback decision would plague the team the entire year. Meyer decided on Jones first and Miller was moved to receiver, but eventually made the switch to Barrett midway through the season. The offense never quite was able to click at their 2014 level.
The 2015 team was and still is the only team to ever be voted unanimously as the preseason number one team by the AP. That led to some very lofty expectations. This team had a ridiculous 12 players selected in the draft following the 2015 season, including 5 first-round picks.
Ultimately, the team failed to defend its national title because of an excruciating loss to Michigan State at home in some terrible weather. MSU was playing with a backup quarterback in a cold, rainy afternoon against a stacked Ohio State team, and won.
Tim Beck failed to give Ezekiel Elliot the ball enough in the second half, giving the All-American running back the ball just twice. Elliot voiced his displeasure in that play-calling after the game. Because of their poor offensive gameplan, the Buckeyes lost on a last-second field goal 17-14.
That loss in the second to last week of the season pushed them out of playoff contention. Of course, right after that loss, Ohio State played their two best games of the year. They destroyed Michigan and Notre Dame by a combined score of 86-41.
This next team was also stacked with future NFL talent and also let Michigan State ruin their chance at a national title.