You never want to let go of a good thing. Good things take time to plan, construct and coordinate. When they go well, it's human nature to want to bask in the glory of achievement.
It took Urban Meyer three short seasons to build a title winner at Ohio State, a story you know fondly. The Buckeyes lost two quarterbacks, fought through the death of a teammate and even lost their home opener during 2014, but improbably push passed any and all that opposed them in the end to win the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Quickly thereafter, Meyer, quarterback Cardale Jones, running back Ezekiel Elliott and many others made a vast array of publicity rounds from baseball games, to the NBA Finals and eventually the ESPYs in Los Angeles.
Fans savored every moment of it, too, suckling at the chance to see their favorite Buckeyes thrust into the spotlight while knowing in the back of their head it eventually had to come to an end.
That time has come. That time is now.
"Most cultures and really its the one we're in right now ... it's incredible right now.You wish you could bottle it because it's a fight to stay there. Every school wants this culture."– Urban Meyer
Friday, Twitter user @callie_vogel alerted the world of the "2014" title banner getting put in its rightful place at Ohio Stadium. A few minutes later, 11W commenters Niblick and BuckeyeEddie27 gave everyone a look at the finished product, of which you see above.
The 2014 run at the national title is officially canonized in Buckeye lore, another reason to finally seal the success from the season away in the memory bank.
Fall camp opens in a few short weeks, with Big Ten Media Days just preceding it at the end of July. Ohio State has a wealth of talent back from the title team. Expectations will forever be high when it comes to the Buckeyes, but this season they seem a bit more lofty.
"It's getting close. I can tell the buzz is heating up around here. The players are excited and summer goes fast, but there's a lot to look forward to," offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said Wednesday at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "We're all excited for that."
There is plenty to look forward to, which is why the school's immortalization of the 2014 squad Friday should finally be the back page of the storybook season.
"I think our team’s already done that," Elliott said Tuesday of his team moving on from last season's success. "That's something that the coaches emphasize, that last year was last year. It's a new year now."
The players have moved on from it. The coaches have, too, undoubtedly hammering home the idea that allowing players to become complacent with what they did in January as the best way to become stagnant.
If you're an Ohio State fan, by all means, look back on last season with great fondness. Seeing your team rise to the top of the college football mountain isn't something you want to forget anytime soon, and you don't have to. But since the school's placed those Buckeyes next to the others who've won national championships, it too is preparing to move forward into the 2015 title defense.
"Most cultures, and really its the one we're in right now ... it's incredible right now," Meyer said July 10 in Sandusky, Ohio, at a charity event. "You wish you could bottle it because it's a fight to stay there. Every school wants this culture."
Meyer was talking about the three-way battle at starting quarterback he currently has on his plate, but by extension meant the program as a whole. He's trying to keep whatever mojo last year's team found in the post-season by his side for years to come, starting with 2015. He's turned the page to what's next.
"Even at this point right now, we're not talking about scaling the mountain, we're just talking about getting a team together of guys that can play and they're going to be ready to go to camp," senior leader and linebacker Joshua Perry said Tuesday.
So while forgetting the 2014 title team isn't something fans want to do too quickly, those directly involved with building Meyer's program have already stepped foot out onto the first rock of climbing the powerful ridge of this season to win it all again. Last season's success won't be indicative of this season's, and the team knows it.
"As far as what’s going on around here we’ve definitely put last year in the past," Perry said. "We’re really working toward next year. We’ve got a new team and we’ve got something to grind for, we haven’t proven anything yet so we’ve got to keep that in mind."
