Ohio State Football: Buckeyes to write final chapter of historic story

The Ohio State football team has the chance to write the final chapter in one of the greatest stories in college football has ever seen Monday night in Miami.

Over the summer, the Big Ten announced it would be the first power conference to hold a conference-only slate of games in the fall for football. Then a few weeks later the conference pulled the plug entirely just six days after releasing what we all thought was an impressive and favorable adjustment to the all-league schedule, especially for the Ohio State football team.

The phrase “will not be revisited” will still keep some coaches, players, parents, and fans up at night. The Big Ten sat back and watched the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 successfully, albeit the circumstances, begin their regular seasons throughout September.

Upon seeing the ability to play college football, Justin Fields created a We Want to Play petition that immediately went viral. Fields led the charge with the help and support of his teammates and coaching staff. Just weeks later, Fields and the Buckeyes got their request granted — Big Ten football would return.

The rollercoaster ride that began in mid-July lasted until late October when the foot hit the ball and Ohio State football was underway again. It looked different, but Buckeye football was back. The usually deafening Horseshoe fell virtually silent, as did raucous Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley.

Ohio State would finish the regular season 6-0 having overcome adversity with the likes a college football program had not faced before. Justin Fields and the Buckeyes could have thrown in the towel and complained about the season being canceled, but they didn’t.

Instead, they put their heads down and worked. The leadership from both the coaching staff and players at Ohio State was the largest reason for the Buckeyes’ success in this unprecedented year. Ryan Day gave his players a platform to use their voice and they did just that.

Fields, who possesses one of the largest platforms in the sport, used his like a champion. He took the pen himself and began writing one of the greatest stories college football has ever known.

Ohio State did not know what the season would bring, but all the Buckeyes knew was that they wanted a chance. Elite competitors seize opportunities like Fields and Ohio State. The program, including the parents, embraced and embodied the team’s FIGHT mantra to return to the gridiron.

The tough, winding road landed the Buckeyes in Indianapolis for a four straight year. Ohio State defeated Northwestern to win its fourth title in as many years which clinched a berth into the College Football Playoff.

Ranked No. 3, Ohio State was told it didn’t belong and it wasn’t fair they had only played six games to enter the final field. The Buckeyes controlled what they could control and made the best of their circumstances just like the other teams.

Everyone counted Ryan Day’s bunch out, but the Buckeyes kept believing. The pen Fields took on August 16th has written a magnificent story already. However, there’s still one more chapter to be written — the chapter of champions.

In the final chapter of the 2021 edition, Ohio State’s co-author is Nick Saban and Alabama. Poetic justice if you ask me — being crowned National Champions after winning only eight games and to win it all you defeat the greatest to ever walk the collegiate sidelines boasting one of the best offenses in the history of the sport.

The script is there — the last chapter is in the hands of Justin Fields and his Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday night. It goes without saying, but it’s safe to assume we will all be treated to a remarkable homage to this special and unique college football season as two of the sport’s most storied, tradition-rich programs go toe-to-toe for it all in Miami.