With 3:47 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, the Ohio State defense took the field against Oklahoma with a 13-10 lead. 92 yards and 1:40 seconds later, the season was over. I don’t mean that the Buckeyes playoff hopes were finished (it would take one of the most baffling losses of the millennium for that to happen), but rather that the pattern that stalked the entire season was set, the pattern that would deny them a berth in the playoffs, the pattern of inconsistency. That pattern could be seen from game to game, following up the worst performance of the season against Iowa with the best performance of the season the next week against MSU. It could be seen from half to half and quarter to quarter as it was against PSU, UM, and Wisconsin. It could even be seen from drive to drive as it was in the second half of B1GCG where the Buckeyes possessions looked like this: -6 yards, punt; 65 yards, FG; 5 yards, punt; 6 yards, interception; 72 yards, FG. This inconsistency hit the offense and the defense. It plagued JT Barrett, who was the very model of consistency in 2014 and is now the holder of nearly every record a quarterback at Ohio State would want to hold, and it infected the coaching staff as well. I think it is this inconsistency that the Committee saw on tape and that ultimately cost the Buckeyes a spot in the playoff.

The impossible question for the board is this: why were the Buckeyes so inconsistent? All the factors that one usually credits for consistency were there. Senior leadership? Urban Meyer has been raving about JT Barrett’s leadership for at least three seasons. It is supposed to be his greatest asset, but in addition to Barrett there are senior leaders like Billy Price, Tyquan Lewis, Chris Worley. Hell, there were 9 captains on the team. The coaching staff? It has a legend at its helm, and two former head coaches heading up the offense and the defense. Distractions/turmoil? If so, everyone did an amazing job at keeping it quiet, because from the outside, at least, it looks exactly like the brotherhood all the coaches and players have declared it to be. So, I repeat the question for the board, why was this team so inconsistent, and can the Buckeyes clean it up before the bowl game and play 9 units strong for 4 quarters against USC? Finally, what can be done to make the 2018 season more consistent?