Despite Preseason Plaudits, Buckeyes Have Long Journey to Repeat as Champions

By Nicholas Jervey on July 12, 2015 at 10:00 am
Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott
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Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

When William Shakespeare wrote those words, he captured the essence of royalty, with its stress and need for constant vigilance against would-be usurpers. The Ohio State Buckeyes, as the reigning kings of college football, understand that aphorism all too well.

It's not just foes the Buckeyes need to watch out for, though: they must also be wary of flattery, which can weaken their resolve. In this regard, preseason buzz can be seen as a threat to a repeat title.

The defending national champions are always beloved in the preseason, but these Buckeyes may be even more highly touted than usual. Joey Bosa, for instance, is the cover boy for Athlon Sports' football preview and a potential No. 1 selection in the 2016 NFL draft. The best representation of the flattering words Ohio State is receiving, though, comes from Phil Steele, the top name in national college football previews.

Steele is an expert at judging teams in the preseason. His website has the garish color scheme of a GeoCities home page in 1995, which is fitting since 1995 was the first year he put together a preview.

Good previewers help you to understand more obscure players on each team; Steele takes this to obsessive lengths. For each conference, he picks a first-team, second-team, third-team and fourth-team. While this sometimes results in absurd selections and flyer picks that don't work out, his attention to detail is admirable.

This year, Steele is especially bullish on the Buckeyes. One of Steele's trademarks is to rank position groupings nationally; according to Georgia blog Get the Picture, who first mentioned the topic, every single unit for the Buckeyes verges on the top ten.

UNIT RANK
Quarterbacks 1st
Running Backs 2nd
Receivers 8th
Offensive Line 4th
Defensive Line 3rd
Linebackers 2nd
Defensive Backs 3rd
Special Teams 12th

Per Get the Picture: "I’ve bought his preview for over a decade, and I can’t recall a year where he’s been so overwhelmingly positive about a school’s prospects as he is about Ohio State’s this season."

He's right; such a positive outlook is unheard of, and it is reason to be suspicious. It's common for fans to think the defending national champions are going to waltz through the next season on superior talent, but it rarely turns out that way.

In the last 20 years, only Alabama (2011 and 2012) has repeated as national champions. More recently, Florida State fans thought their team would crush everyone in 2014, but the undeniably talented Seminoles had to scratch and claw for win after win. While the Buckeyes will likely have an easier time, fans should be prepared for similar struggles.

If Ohio State is as good as advertised, it will be the most complete team in the country. If Ohio State can live up to the position rankings Steele assigns, they will be be the most fearsome team since 2005 USC or 2002 Miami – both of which failed to win the national championship, it should be noted.

Should the Buckeyes do the improbable and repeat, then we can give credence to future predictions that the have the Buckeyes as one of the best teams in the country in all aspects of the game. Until then, we should do as always, and practice healthy skepticism.

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