The 10 most memorable moments from the Ohio State football 2014 national title
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football program won the first national championship of the College Football Playoff era. A lot has changed since then. Conference alignment is different, players get paid now, and the Playoff has expanded. How fast things change in just ten years!
When the Buckeyes started this season, they were one of the favorites to win it all. Then, their starting quarterback went down to start the year. We knew right then and there that things were going to be tough for this team despite the talent they had.
While Ohio State was one of the favorites to win, they weren't THE favorite. That still belonged, rightfully so, to Alabama. Ohio State was seen as still being one year away from true contention. They still had a young team heading into the 2014 season.
With it being a notable anniversary, we want to take a look back at the ten most memorable moments from that season. Not every one of these moments will be a good one though. These moments are also not chronological. They are just the ones that stick out from that season the most.
The first one happened before the season even started.
10. Braxton Miller is ruled out for the year with a shoulder injury
Two weeks before the season started, Ohio State football fans got the worst possible news. Braxton Miller was going to miss the entire season with a shoulder injury. It was devastating news because the Buckeyes had no experience behind Miller. Only Cardale Jones had taken a snap before and he was the third-string QB heading into 2014.
Miller had hurt this shoulder in the Orange Bowl the previous season but it wasn't expected to affect his 2014 season. In fact, it would turn out to affect the rest of his football career. Miller would never throw another pass again. That injury messed his shoulder up so bad that it wasn't possible.
Who did the Ohio State football team turn to? J.T. Barrett. Barrett was a freshman from Texas and was a four-star recruit. He was expected to be the next starter once Miller was gone, but it wasn't supposed to be this soon. He was thrust into the toughest possible spot; quarterbacking a team who had a national championship aspiration without having any experience.
All Barrett would do is lead the team to win after win and finish fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year. No one expected that level of play from a quarterback who had never taken a snap. While he wasn't as fast or as shifty as Miller, he was still really good in the run game.
The next memorable moment was actually a happy one that was really the first time Ohio State football fans thought this season could end up being something special.