EJ Manuel believes Ohio State could soon join the 1999 Florida State Seminoles and 2004 USC Trojans in being the only programs to ever be ranked No. 1 from the start of the season until the very end.
Manuel essentially predicted a 16-0 season where the Buckeyes win all 12 regular-season games, take the Big Ten Championship crown, and then win the three games necessary to become national champions.
“Well, my bold prediction is Julian Sayin, the Ohio State quarterback, will lead his team to a national title, wire-to-wire as the number one team in the country,” Manuel said on ESPN's Get Up. “When reading this poll, think about some of the games they have on the road at Texas, at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC. I think Ohio State can win them all."
With the toughest schedule of anyone this season, a 16-0 run would certainly qualify as the greatest season in the history of the sport. Indiana was the first team to go 16-0 last season, but as underrated as Kennesaw State and Old Dominion will be in history books, the two didn't combine to make up the threat that Texas is at DKR Stadium in Austin during Week 2.
Ohio State doesn't need perfection, but it'd be nice
With how tough OSU has it this fall, 10-2 would be forgivable and get the Buckeyes into the CFP. 9-3, depending on the timing of the losses, could also probably get Ohio State into the CFP if there aren't a ton of dominant teams.
Perfection would obviously be ideal, but this team won it all two seasons ago with losses to Oregon and TTUN. The Buckeyes didn't have to play in the Big Ten Championship Game but had to beat four CFP opponents to finish the job.
Who doesn't want to win every game? That's the best outcome, but it's not one required for Ryan Day's (and every coach's) endgame.
A Big Ten Championship would solidify Ryan Day's legacy
Day's first two Ohio State teams as head coach won the Big Ten Championship, but those were both pre-NIL, and the 2020 title game had an asterisk. The conference changed the rules mid-season to allow the Buckeyes to qualify during that COVID-19-stricken campaign.
Day could prove that his dominance transcends any era by winning one more Big Ten crown in a full season where players get paid millions to play this game. Everyone says the big dogs can't dominate like they used to, but Day could roll back the clock and oversee a season-long effort to win like a pre-NIL Nick Saban Alabama team with the most talented roster in college football.
It's the preseason, so talking about 16-0 seasons and winning the conference is easy now. Injuries haven't truly transformed expectations yet, and controversy hasn't arisen yet.
But if any team has the chance to change the narrative about how good a team could be in an era of increased parity, it's this Ohio State roster.
Add us as a preferred source on Google