Winning national championships is hard. All one has to do is look back through the years at loaded Ohio State teams that didn’t get the job done to see that. Or you could look at Jim Tressel’s one-for-three in title games. Seriously, when was the last time Jim Tressel won only one of three anythings?
Winning back-to-back national championships must be doubly hard. It’s easy to point at how much talent Ohio State has coming back—and add in a ridiculous athlete like Braxton Miller who is about to embark on an assault on the H-back position—and say, “yup, we got this.”
Talent helps, but it doesn’t necessarily win you a national title. Look at the 1998 Buckeyes, one of the most absurdly dominating teams to ever take the field in Ohio Stadium. No opponent got within single-digit points of that Ohio State team, and no non-bowl opponent got closer than within 15 points of the Buckeyes—except a .500 Michigan State team that somehow pulled off a 28-24 win in Columbus after trailing 17-3.
Another cautionary tale took place 20 years ago. The 1995 Buckeyes were stacked. Eddie George ran away with the Heisman Trophy and the Doak Walker Award en route to becoming a first-round NFL draft pick. Joining Eddie in the first round that year were Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Terry Glenn and tight end Rickey Dudley. Quarterback Bobby Hoying would become a third-round selection after the season.
Orlando Pace was on that team. The defensive backfield included Shawn Springs, Antoine Winfield, Rob Kelly, Ty Howard and Ahmed Plummer. The defensive line included Mike Vrabel, Matt Finkes and Luke Fickell. There was a boatload of talent on that 1995 team.
The 1995 Buckeyes had a great mixture of returning veterans and gifted young players ready to step in. Hoying was a returning starter at quarterback. George ran for nearly 1,500 yards the year before. Leading receiver Joey Galloway was replaced by Glenn. Vrabel, Finkes and Fickell combined for 25 sacks in 1994. Big things were expected in 1995.
And the season reflected that. Ohio State opened the year as the country’s No. 12 team by throttling No. 22 Boston College by 32 points in the Kickoff Classic in New Jersey. They followed with a 10-point home win over No. 18 Washington and a 40-point win at Pittsburgh, as the Buckeyes climbed into the Top 10, at No. 7 after the 54-14 demolition of Pitt.
No. 15 Notre Dame became the third of Ohio State’s four non-conference opponents to be nationally ranked on game week. The Buckeyes disposed of the Fighting Irish, 45-26 behind big days for Eddie George and Terry Glenn. Ohio State moved up to No. 5 prior to its trip to Happy Valley. No. 12 Penn State gave the Buckeyes a game, but ultimately fell, 28-25.
A trip to No. 21 Wisconsin resulted in a 27-16 win and the Buckeyes held firm to the country’s No. 4 spot. Then Ohio State really turned it on. The Buckeyes crushed Purdue, 28-0, then followed with wins over No. 25 Iowa (56-35), Minnesota (49-21), Illinois (41-3) and Indiana (42-3).
But just as things were really rolling, The Game reared its ugly head and Ohio State turned two Wolverines into folk heroes. Ohio State drives stalled throughout the first half and the Buckeyes settled for three Josh Jackson field goals, trailing 10-9 at the break. The normally sure-handed OSU tacklers could not figure out how to wrap up running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka, who had 195 yards at the half and finished with 313 yards. Glenn dropped two passes. Hoying threw two interceptions to a true freshman from Ohio named Charles Woodson. Everything was awful and that eventual 9-4 Michigan team walked off the field with a 31-23 win, ending Ohio State’s national championship dreams.
The Buckeyes went on to lose the “cleat-gate” game against Peyton Manning and No. 5 Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl, 20-14, to close the season.
The 2015 Buckeyes must learn the lessons left behind by the 1995 team. Talent and experience are not enough to win a championship. Just when things seem to be going well, that’s when concentration is most crucial. There can never be a letdown. Fundamentals matter in every game.
By winning the national championship in 2014—a year earlier than many expected them to even challenge—Ohio State has ramped up everyone’s expectations in 2015. Only a championship will be viewed as a successful season and anything less will be a disappointment. If the 2015 team can keep the lessons of 1995 in mind, it could produce one of those rare championship repeats.
Then again, winning a national championship is hard. Winning back-to-back national championships must be doubly hard.
