Three Ohio State football teams that lived up to the preseason hype

1. 2019 Ohio State football team

The 2019 team is still the best Ohio State team I've ever seen. Offensively, it was a roster loaded with Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. Defensively, Jeff Okudah, Malik Hooker, and Chase Young led the way. Young is still the best Ohio State football player I've ever personally witnessed.

With all of those players, this team was expected to be a massive contender for a national championship. Even though it was Ryan Day's first team as a head coach, he was expected to lead a very talented team to the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes certainly lived up to the hype. They went undefeated in the regular season and were the number-one team in the country for a large chunk of the season. They only fell out of that top spot after the Big Ten Championship Game saw them trail after the first half.

That final ranking ended up playing a massive part in how the Buckeyes ended their season. Instead of playing a weaker Oklahoma team, Ohio State was forced to play Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Even so, they should have won that game. Three horrible calls from the refs cost them a chance at a national title.

Ohio State football fans will never forgive that terrible call that switched a fumble returned for a touchdown to an incomplete pass. That team lived up to the hype. They just had it stolen from them by forces outside of their control.