Ohio State football: Would a 2020 national title be tainted?

Ohio State has as good of a chance as anyone to win the national title in 2020. If they do, would the season feel tainted at all?

Ohio State will only play Big Ten opponents in 2020 until a bowl game. That much has already been decided. There will be no high profile trip to Oregon to help boost playoff positioning. It will just come down to how good they are in their own conference.

Because the Big Ten made that decision, the Buckeyes will likely only play about 10 games this season. They are still one of the best teams in America and are still a favorite to make the College Football Playoff. They still have the talent to win the national championship.

If Ohio State wins the 2020 national championship, would it feel tainted in some way? Will we look back in history and say that this wasn’t a “real” championship because there were no nonconference games? Will the lack of a complete slate of games change the way the 2020 season is looked at?

These are questions that fans will have to come to terms with at the end of the season. I can tell you right now though, if Ohio State does win the title, I will celebrate it like any other championship they have won. It doesn’t matter to me that there were no nonconference games played.

Other teams and fanbases will likely discredit whoever wins the 2020 national title if it isn’t them. Just because it isn’t a normal year doesn’t mean that the championship doesn’t matter. There wouldn’t be plans for a 2020 season if it didn’t.

Ultimately, it will be up to each fan to decide how deserving the 2020 champ is, no matter what team is holding the trophy at the end. I have a feeling though that most Buckeye fans will still celebrate massively if it is Ohio State winning it all.