2014 - Joey Bosa, Mike Bennett, Adolphus Washington, Noah Spence, Steve Miller, Rashad Frazier, Tommy Schutt
2017 - Sam Hubbard, Dre'mont Jones, Michael Hill, Tyquan Lewis, Nick Bosa, Jayln Holmes, Robert Landers, Tracey Sprinkle, Jonathon Cooper
At think point in 2014 we were still expecting Spence to be back after two games, So I included him just to keep it fair for both years which makes this a pretty difficult question in my mind. On one hand, you have 4 current NFL players and the most dominant player I've ever seen in Joey Bosa. On the other hand, you have enough depth to be able to have the entire line take a rest and not see much of a drop off in talent.
2014 Strengths-
Power, Holding Gaps, Getting to the QB, TFL, Controlling LOS
It's a scary thought knowing how good this DL was even after losing an NFL caliber player like Spence. They were 5th in TFL (110) and 7th in sacks (45)
2014 Weaknesses-
Speed, Depth, Run Stopping
This team had a great starting front four, but there wasn't really much bench support after that. This let teams wear them out and run for huge chunks. 8 times they gave up over 125 rushing yards including 370 to Navy, 149 to Rutgers, 218 to Minnesota, and 281 to Indiana.
2017 Strengths-
Speed, Depth, Versatility, Disruptive
It would be hard to find a team that comes close to the overall depth that Ohio State has in 2017. Most teams would be content with our entire 2nd team (Holmes, Landers, Hill/Sprinkle, Bosa) starting for them. We have multiple packages to utilize each persons strengths and multiple players can rotate in at different positions where they are needed. Most teams will struggle to keep up with the pressure that OSU will put on the offensive line the entire game.
2017 Weaknesses-
Power, Size, Keeping the Trenches, Finishing
It was painful to see how easily Clemson's OL pushed the line of scrimmage all night in last year's CFB. Their size and power exposed our front four as they rarely entered the backfield all night. This team is full of talent, but they are all mostly all around the same size and are more so considered speed rushers than power rushers. In 2016, they ranked 54th in sacks (28) and 35th in TFL (87).
There is an argument to be made either way, but I would lean towards 2014 because I believe they were built to withstand multiple types of teams. They were strong enough to push back Alabama for an entire game but they also endured the speed attack of Oregon without having much bench rotation. As great as the depth is for 2017, they can sometimes be overmatched by bigger bodies. It will be interesting to see if they give Bosa a more prominent role and if Dre'mont Jones becomes the much needed big body inside. Who would you guys go with?
