2015 Ohio State University football preview by Plain Dealer Contest

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

OSU & BIG TEN FOOTBALL PREVIEW | SECTION S

DYNASTY DANGERS

If reigning champion Ohio State and coach Urban Meyer hope to extend their dominance to another national title, the Buckeyes must first make it through the always treacherous Big Ten. CHRIS MORRIS | THE PLAIN DEALER

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

OHIO STATE PREVIEW

Ezekiel Elliott | The back

Making another run at the Heisman

Though he downplays individual awards, RB could build on last year’s postseason success to capture trophy

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott’s broken left wrist has healed, meaning the stiff arm — being applied here to Penn State cornerback Jordan Lucas in 2013 — is a viable weapon for him this year.

Bill Livingston

For Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, the Heisman Trophy, a bronzed statuette of a running back striking a fierce stiff-arming pose, is a goal he tries to downplay. The award, emblematic of the best player in college football, also represents other things in the case of the 6-foot, 225-pound junior running back.

What the Heisman means It is, at once, a reminder of past frailty, a promise of improved weaponry, a token of historic deviltry, a symbol of current superiority and by-gone inferiority. The frailty: The broken left wrist with which Elliott played last season turned him into the most rapacious one-armed bandit outside a casino. The weaponry: The wrist is all healed now as Elliott, a junior, embarks on his likely ﬁnal season at Ohio State as one of the frontrunners for the 2015 Heisman. Elliott’s stiff arm, if he develops it with anything approaching his attention to his Eddie Georgian abs, will have the effect of a piston to the face of a would-be tackler. The deviltry: The Heisman is at best a challenge and at worst a curse to its winner. Only nine of the 80 award winners, counting the status of the Buckeyes’ Archie Griffin as the lone repeat winner, have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tim Brown of the Oakland Raiders is the only one to have played in this century. The superiority: The Heisman is the most esteemed trophy in college football, awarded annually to its supposed best player. It has a poor record, however, in predicting professional greatness. The inferiority: As last year’s winner of the James E. Sullivan

award, traditionally more of an award for Olympic sport athletes, as the nation’s top amateur athlete, Elliott has already won something that was more prestigious than the Heisman for decades. That ended when the rise of the NFL turned college careers into what many consider dress rehearsals for the Sunday afternoon spectacles.

Sullivan vs. Heisman The list of Sullivan winners includes Grand Slammers Bobby Jones (golf) and Don Budge (tennis). On it are also Bill Bradley of Princeton and the New York Knicks as the epitome of the student-athlete, and Mark Spitz, the ﬁrst Michael Phelps, as well as the real Michael Phelps, and the now renamed Caitlyn Jenner. The Heisman winners include the imprisoned O.J. Simpson and the scandal-ridden Reggie Bush, who was only leasing the award, as it turns out. Only two men have ever won both the Heisman and Sullivan — Army fullback Doc Blanchard in 1945 and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in 2008, who played there under current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. “I didn’t expect to win it because of all the other other athletes and what they had accomplished in their sports,” Elliott said. “I thought

my accomplishments didn’t compare to what they had done, winning Olympic gold medals. How can you compare a bunch of different sports to each other? You want to be known as the best in your sport, and that’s the Heisman.”

terous: 696 yards, 9.2 average, eight rushing touchdowns. He gained 220 yards against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, 230 against Alabama in the national semiﬁnal and 246 against Oregon in the national championship game.

vice, no one had seen anything like it. And people there know the Space Bar on Tatooine has nothing on what they’ve seen on Bourbon Street. After that, everyone paid more attention to what Ezekiel Elliott did when he had the ball.

A quarterback’s award?

Snubbed

Since 2000, 13 of the 15 Heisman winners (including Reggie Bush’s vacated award) have been quarterbacks. Only Alabama’s Mark Ingram broke through ﬁve years ago. This, however, does not necessarily mean that Elliott has no chance. Meyer detests the concept of spread football as “basketball on grass” as former Purdue coach Joe Tlller called his finesse offense. Power always has a place in football at Ohio State. “My main priority is getting back to the Big Ten Championship Game. That’s all I’m thinking about,” said Elliott. “I’m not focused on individual awards. If we play for each other and play well together, all that other stuff will come with it.”

Elliott was not a ﬁrst-team AllBig Ten selection of either the coaches or media, who dispersed the honors among Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, the only ﬁrst-teamer on both teams, and Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, Minnesota’s David Cobb, and Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah. The coaches did not even make Elliott an honorable mention selection.

Postseason transformation

Elliott vs. Hyde It is a statistical curiosity that Meyer had not coached at any of his stops a 1,000-yard running back (Braxton Miller was a quarterback) until Carlos Hyde erupted for 1,521 yards despite being suspended for three games. In the 2013 regular season, Hyde had 1,290 yards for a 7.8 average and 14 touchdowns. But in the Big Ten Championship Game and Orange Bowl, he dropped to 231 yards, a 5.4-yard average and only one rushing TD. Elliott’s 2014 regular season amounted to 1,182 yards on a 6.0 average and 10 rushing TDs. Elliott’s postseason was prepos-

The Buckeyes’ culture and Elliott After Elliott followed superb blocking, shrugged off an arm tackle, and raced 44 yards to score on fourth-and-1 on the play that broke Michigan in the last 5 minutes, defensive tackle Michael Bennett said to him, “You are our culture.” He meant Elliott’s willingness to do the dirty work, even blocking, a task diva backs avoid. This attitude reﬂected the selﬂessness and toughness of a team dedicated to collective goals, not individual ones. Even after Elliott torched Wisconsin, Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart talked of what the surprisingly fast 225-pound running back did without the ball. So did Elliott, in describing his relishes in “chopping down” defenders on the option. Against mighty Alabama, Elliott gained more yards than anyone ever had in the Sugar Bowl. In New Orleans, a city of voodoo and jazz, pirates and hurricanes, spice and

Elliott’s emergence in the postseason was in a way even more surprising than that of former third-string quarterback Cardale Jones because, while Jones was almost a complete unknown, most people thought they knew who Elliott was — a good, but not overwhelming force, able to be contained. Look at what he did against Virginia Tech in the Buckeyes’ only loss! (You will need your glasses because it wasn’t much. Eight carries, 32 yards). “Zeke was always a great back. The line had to improve for him to show that,” said Buckeyes’ left tackle and potential high NFL Draft pick Taylor Decker. On a first quarter play in the College Football Playoff semiﬁnal in the Sugar Bowl, Elliott showed that, even at less than 100 percent, even against Alabama, he was one of the best athletes on the field. He stiff-armed one Crimson Tide challenger with the damaged arm, hurdled another, and raced 54 yards down the sideline before ﬁnally being stopped.

Play of the playoff In the fourth quarter, Elliott had the signature play of this postseason, maybe the definitive play of this century for Ohio State and the Big Ten. He burst through an arm tackle, sprang into the clear with

the aid of wide receiver Evan Spencer’s crushing block on a linebacker, and then, as a four-time high school track champion in Missouri, outran all the speed Alabama had assembled in its defensive secondary for an 85-yard, game-clinching touchdown. “Slowhio” died as a pejorative concept right there.

Champion’s kiss Even against Elliott’s inferior high school competition, Meyer sensed how good Elliott could be. Ohio State recruited Elliott hard, even though both of his parents had been varsity athletes at Missouri; even though the family lived in St. Louis; and even though Elliott had attended a small school, John Burroughs, with an enrollment of 600. As a Buckeye, he would have to move to another state and attend one of the country’s largest universities. “When I hand you the Crystal Ball, what will you do with it?” Meyer asked Elliott, referring to the BCS era championship trophy. Meyer’s intensity convinced Elliott that the championship trophy hand-off was a promise, not a recruiting pitch. After Elliott won Most Valuable Offensive Player awards in both the Sugar Bowl and national championship game, Meyer handed him the new, gold CFP championship trophy. As Elliott had promised his coach he would do, he raised it high over his head and kissed it, with his face looking back at him in the trophy’s reﬂective surface. His future is as glittering as the trophy. On the eve of another season, Elliott has two sound arms prepared to lift another championship trophy. Perhaps the bronze statuette of the strong-armed running back, too.

Top threats to Ezekiel Elliott’s Heisman hopes Ohio State QB

Trevone Boykin

Nick Chubb

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

That’s right. Elliott’s biggest threat could be sharing the Buckeyes’ backfield with him: Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett (above). Barrett finished fifth in the Hesiman voting last year, while Miller, who is moving to H-back this season, has finished in the top 10 twice.

The TCU quarterback threw for 3,901 yards and 33 TDs last season on the way to earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and a fourthplace finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. With 10 starters returning on offense, the Horned Frogs are expected to be in title contention.

The Georgia running back introduced himself to the SEC with a fine freshman season in 2014, rushing for 1,547 yards, 14 TDs and 7.1 yards per carry. Running behind an offensive line regarded as one of the nation’s best, Chubb could end his sophomore season as a Heisman winner.

Cody Kessler

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

It’s been awhile since USC had a quarterback in the Heisman coversation (Carson Palmer won in 2002, Matt Lienert in 2004), but Kessler could attract consideration in 2015. The senior completed 69.7 percent of his passes last season for 3,826 yards and 39 TDs.

Leonard Fournette

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

For all the success LSU has enjoyed as one of college football’s premier teams, the school hasn’t won a Heisman since 1959. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Fournette could end that drought if he continues to build off a freshman season in which he rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 TDs.

Dak Prescott

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The senior Mississippi State quarterback, who was eighth in last year’s Heisman voting, is one of the more dynamic playmakers in the country. He completed 61.6 percent of this passes for 3,449 and 27 TDs in 2014. As long as the Bulldogs contend in the SEC, Prescott will remain in the spotlight.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

OHIO STATE PREVIEW

Predictions

2015 Ohio State Roster No. Name

Pos.

Ht.

Wt.

Hometown (High school)

Miller, Braxton

QB/HB

6-2

215

Huber Heights (Wayne)

Smith, Erick

SAF

6-0

202

Cleveland (Glenville)

Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis and Ari Wasserman of the Northeast Ohio Media Group predict who will reign at the end of the 2015 season:

2015 Ohio State schedule

Lattimore, Marshon

6-0

195

Cleveland (Glenville)

All radio broadcasts on WKNR AM/850 * Big Ten game

Wilson, Dontre

5-10

195

DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)

Arnette, Damon

6-0

191

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Monday

Thomas, Michael

6-3

210

Los Angeles (Woodland Hills Taft)

Baker, Jerome

6-1

215

Cleveland (St. Benedictine)

Samuel, Curtis

5-11

200

Brooklyn, N.Y. (Erasmus)

Dixon, Johnnie

5-11

194

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Dwyer)

McMillan, Raekwon

6-2

240

Hinesville, Ga. (Liberty County)

Gibson, Torrance

QB/WR

6-4

205

Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage)

Hubbard, Sam

6-5

265

Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller) Detroit (Cass Tech)

Webb, Damon

5-11

193

Conley, Gareon

6-0

195

Massillon (Washington)

Cornell, Jashon

6-3

265

St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)

Burrow, Joe

6-3

208

The Plains (Athens)

Holmes, Jalyn

6-5

265

Norfolk, Va. (Lake Taylor)

Bell, Vonn

SAF

5-11

205

Rossville, Ga. (Ridgeland)

Cook, Justin

6-3

225

Philadelphia (Western Reserve Academy)

Jones, Cardale

6-5

250

Cleveland (Glenville)

Ward, Denzel

5-11

180

Macedonia (Nordonia)

Apple, Eli

6-1

200

Voorhees, N.J. (Eastern)

Collier, Stephen

6-4

225

Leesburg, Ga. (Lee County)

Hill, K.J.

6-0

195

North Little Rock, Ark. (North Little Rock)

Norwood, Joshua

5-10

175

Valdosta, Ga. (Valdosta)

Elliott, Ezekiel

6-0

225

St. Louis (Burroughs)

Howard, Cameron

6-1

203

Columbus (Gahanna Lincoln)

Barrett, J.T.

6-2

225

Wichita Falls, Texas (Rider)

Burrows, Cam

6-0

208

Trotwood (Madison) Middletown (Middletown)

Marshall, Jalin

5-11

205

Lawless, Michael

SAF

6-2

210

Dover (Tuscarawas Central Catholic)

Mitchell, Kato

6-0

190

Cleveland (John Hay)

Glover-Williams, Eric

5-9

175

Canton (McKinley)

Ramstetter, Joe

6-3

225

Cincinnati (Elder)

At Virginia Tech 8 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 12 Hawaii 3:30 p.m., BTN

Saturday, Sept. 19 Northern Illinois 3:30 p.m., ABC ,ESPN2

Saturday, Sept. 26

Western Michigan TBD

Saturday, Oct. 3

at Indiana* TBD

Saturday, Oct. 10 Maryland* Noon, TV TBD

Saturday, Oct. 17

Penn State* 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

Saturday, Oct. 24

at Rutgers* 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 RAINIER EHRHARDT | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Limited to eight games by various injuries in 2014, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 67.9 percent of his passes.

Franklin, Khaleed

SAF

6-1

215

Columbus (Beechcroft)

Weber, Mike

5-10

215

Detroit (Cass Tech)

Doug Lesmerises

Campbell, Parris

6-1

205

Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary)

Forte, Trevon

5-8

175

Youngstown (Cardinal Mooney)

Heisman Trophy winner: Deshaun Watson, Clemson QB

McDaniel, Devlin

5-11

195

Marion (Marion Pleasant)

Orange Bowl semifinal: Clemson over Stanford

Powell, Tyvis

SAF

6-3

210

Bedford (Bedford)

Cotton Bowl semifinal: Ohio State over TCU

Berry, Rashod

6-4

245

Lorain (Lorain)

National Championship: Ohio State over Clemson

Hooker, Malik

SAF

6-2

205

New Castle, Pa. (New Castle)

Dunn, Bri’onte

6-0

215

Canton (GlenOak)

Kelleher, Logan

5-10

195

Cincinnati (Archbishop Moeller)

Barnes, Jarrod

SAF

5-11

193

Westerville (South)

Wise, Patrick

5-10

205

Warren (Warren G. Harding)

Ball, Warren

6-1

225

Columbus (St. Francis DeSales)

Cibene, Michael

SAF

6-0

185

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Pine Crest)

Maduko, Mike

SAF

5-8

188

Naperville, Ill. (Montini Catholic)

Drake, Jared

6-0

220

Westerville (Central)

Durbin, Tyler

6-3

200

Fairfax, Va. (Lake Braddock) Concord, N.C. (Cox Mill)

Goins, Elijaah

6-1

195

Booker, Dante

6-3

233

Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary)

Clutter, Austin

6-0

195

Geneva (Geneva)

Conner, Nick

6-3

230

Dublin (Scioto)

Johnson, Jeffie

5-10

197

Hilliard (Bradley)

Worley, Chris

6-2

225

Cleveland (Glenville)

Turnure, Zach

6-1

235

St. Louis (CBC)

Perry, Joshua

6-4

254

Galena (Olentangy)

Fada, Craig

6-1

230

Columbus (Bishop Watterson)

Berger, Kyle

6-2

230

Medina (St. Ignatius)

Haynes, Bryce

6-4

225

Cumming, Ga. (Pinecrest Academy)

Slade, Darius

6-4

255

Montclair, N.J. (Montclair)

Lee, Darron

6-2

235

New Albany (New Albany)

Ferrelli, Guy

6-1

245

Columbus (Bishop Ready)

Saturday, Nov. 7

Minnesota* TBD, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

Saturday, Nov. 14 at Illinois* TBD

Saturday, Nov. 21

Michigan State TBD

Saturday, Nov. 28 at Michigan TBD

Saturday, Dec. 5

Big Ten Championship Game Indianapolis, Indiana 8:17 p.m., Fox

Thursday, Dec. 31

College Football Playoff semifinals Cotton Bowl, Dallas Orange Bowl, Miami

Monday, Jan. 11

College Football Playoff National Championship University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix

Preseason poll Associated Press 1. Ohio State (61)

1,525

Mawhirter, Aaron

6-1

230

Sandusky (Perkins)

2. TCU

1,428

Haney, Cin’Quan

SAF

6-1

200

Dayton (Chaminade-Julianne)

Hilliard, Justin

6-1

230

Cincinnati (St. Xavier)

3. Alabama

1,322

Burger, Joe

6-2

230

Cincinnati (LaSalle)

4. Baylor

1,263

McCullough, Liam

6-2

210

Columbus (Worthington Kilbourne)

5. Michigan State

1,256

6. Auburn

1,192

Boren, Jacoby

6-2

285

Pickerington (Central)

Hale, Joel

6-4

295

Greenwood, Ind. (Center Grove)

Munger, Donovan

6-4

300

Shaker Heights, Ohio (Shaker Heights)

Hamilton, Davon

6-4

300

Pickerington (Central)

Price, Billy

6-4

315

Austintown (Fitch)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Malik Zaire, a junior quarterback from Kettering, led Notre Dame over LSU in the Music City Bowl and could be poised for a breakout season that ends with the Heisman Trophy.

7. Oregon

1,156

8. USC

1,085

Bill Landis

9. Georgia

991

Williams, Cam

6-1

225

West Roxbury, Mass. (Catholic Memorial)

Heisman Trophy winner: Malik Zaire, Notre Dame QB

10. Florida State

959

Burrell, Matthew

6-4

300

Woodbridge, Va. (Hylton)

Farris, Chase

6-5

310

Elyria (Elyria)

Orange Bowl semifinal: Ohio State over Notre Dame

11. Notre Dame

873

Landers, Robert

6-1

290

Dayton (Huber Heights Wayne)

Cotton Bowl semifinal: Alabama over TCU

12. Clemson

862

Detroit (Cass Tech)

National Championship: Alabama over Ohio State

13. UCLA

698

Alabi, Joshua

6-5

295

Lewis, Tyquan

6-4

260

Tarboro, N.C. (Tarboro)

14. LSU

675

Prince, Isaiah

6-7

305

Greenbelt, Md. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Pfenning, Blake

6-5

305

Wapakoneta (Wapakoneta)

15. Arizona State

605

Gaskey, Logan

6-4

295

Long Grove, Ill. (Adlai E. Stevenson)

16. Georgia Tech

588

Parry, Aaron

6-5

275

Zanesville (Bishop Rosecrans)

17. Ole Miss

563

Woidke, Kevin

6-6

310

Cleveland (St. Ignatius)

18. Arkansas

410

Elflein, Pat

6-3

300

Pickerington (North)

Schmidt, Grant

6-6

300

Sioux Falls, S.D. (Roosevelt)

19. Oklahoma

394

Decker, Taylor

6-8

315

Vandalia (Butler)

20. Wisconsin

393

Pahl, Brandon

6-2

295

Cutler (Warren)

21. Stanford

347

Fong, Chris

6-2

260

Troy (Troy)

22. Arizona

Trout, Kyle

6-6

310

Lancaster (Lancaster)

23. Boise State

240

24. Missouri

219

25. Tennessee

114

Jones, Jamarco

6-5

310

Chicago (De La Salle)

Lisle, Evan

6-7

305

Centerville, Ohio (Centreville)

Bowen, Branden

6-7

320

Draper, Utah (Corner Canyon)

Feder, Kevin

6-9

305

Ramsey, N.J. (Don Boscoe Prep)

Hill, Michael

6-3

295

Pendleton, S.C. (Pendleton)

Knox, Demetrius

6-4

305

Fort Worth, Texas (All Saints Episcopal)

Taylor, Brady

6-5

300

Columbus (Bishop Ready) Flanders, N.J. (Pope John XXIII)

Brown, Noah

6-2

222

Vannett, Nick

6-6

260

Westerville (Central)

Clark, James

5-10

185

New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (New Smyrna Beach)

McLaurin, Terry

6-1

200

Indianapolis (Cathedral)

Smith, Corey

6-1

195

Akron (Akron Buchtel)

Baugh, Marcus

6-5

255

Riverside, Calif. (John W. North)

Jones, Dre’Mont

6-3

280

Cleveland (St. Ignatius)

Stump, Alex

6-3

202

Lakewood (St. Edward)

Alexander, A.J.

6-2

235

Burke, Va. (Lake Braddock)

Greene, Jeff

6-5

220

Peachtree City, Ga. (Starr’s Mill)

Schutt, Tommy

6-3

290

Glen Ellyn, Ill. (Glenbard) Cincinnati (Sycamore)

Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 100, Texas A&M 61, Oklahoma State 46, Virginia Tech 42, Utah 36, Penn State 20, Louisville 12, Cincinnati 8, Nebraska 6, Kansas State 5, Florida 4, NC State 4, Texas 3, BYU 2, Northern Illinois 2, Michigan 2, California 1, Western Kentucky 1, West Virginia 1

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

J.T. Barrett threw for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2014 before an injury ended his season. Should he be named the starter, Barrett continue his quest for the Heisman.

Silverman, Philip

6-0

230

Washington, Adolphus

6-4

290

Cincinnati (Taft)

Sprinkle, Tracy

6-3

290

Elyria (Elyria)

Ari Wasserman Heisman Trophy winner: J.T. Barrett, Ohio State QB

Thompson, Dylan

6-5

275

Lombard, Ill. (Montini Catholic)

Johnston, Cameron

5-11

195

Geelong, Australia (St. Joseph’s)

Nuernberger, Sean

6-1

220

Buckner, Ky. (Oldham Co.)

311

Orange Bowl semifinal: Ohio State over TCU

Bosa, Joey

6-6

275

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Cotton Bowl semifinal: Alabama over Oregon

Willoughby, Jack

6-2

210

Princeton, N.J. (Lawrenceville)

National Championship: Alabama over Ohio State

More online Before each game: Get the latest news, injury reports and watch our live pregame show. During the game: Join our reporters and other fans to chat about the game. After the game: Check out our stories, analyses, videos and photo galleries. cleveland.com/osu/

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Special report

Can the Buckeyes build a dynasty?

It will take the right personnel on the field and the sidelines, a potent recruiting program — and money

CHUCK CROW | THE PLAIN DEALER

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer celebrates with his wife, Shelley, after the Buckeyes won the college football national championship with a 42-20 victory over Oregon in January.

Doug Lesmerises | dlesmerises@cleveland.com

As college football's defending national champion and the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in the Associated Press poll, Urban Meyer said of his 2015 Ohio State team, “We created a monster. You've got to feed it.” Not just this season, but beyond. What's next for Ohio State isn't just another title chase, but something more. It's a chance to build an empire and own an era in a sport where change is required. First, the Buckeyes will try to repeat. But from money to coaching to recruiting, the pieces are in place for a greater goal — a dynasty.

The coaches

Meyer accepts that OSU’s success means he’ll lose assistants. Page S5

The Big Ten

Conference lends legitimacy, without the weekly grind. Page S6

The title chase

Playoff system offers advantages and challenges alike. Page S7

The recruiting

Team strives to be No. 1 in the off-season, too. Page S8

This series was taken from the Cleveland.com special report “Buck Dynasty,” which ran in August 2015. The full series can be found at cleveland.com/osu.

The money

OSU’s football program can draw from a healthy bottom line. Page S9

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Part 1 | The coaches

A winning program loses its coaches Meyer knows his assistants often aspire to run their own teams, and that’s not a bad thing

Doug Lesmerises | dlesmerises@cleveland.com

Chris Ash isn’t a guy to make a big deal of things, so his breakfast routine isn’t a swing by Starbucks or a homemade power smoothie. To explain what he eats every morning after he pulls into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at 5:30 a.m., Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator rises from the chair in his office and pulls open the door of a skinny closet. ¶ Out comes a half-eaten bag of wheat bread and a jar of Jif. ¶ “If I’m lucky, I have some jelly,” Ash says, eyeing the empty minifridge on the floor. “But it’s been a while. It’s mostly peanut butter and bread.” ¶ So it’s no surprise when Ash’s story about his first-time meeting Urban Meyer comes with the caveat that Meyer doesn’t recall it and Ash has never bothered to remind him. The belief from the head coach is that his first conversation with Ash arose when he called to gauge his interest in joining the staff after the 2013 season. tency in the midst of turnover. It’s an ability to change that could keep talent interested in working in Columbus. “As an assistant coach, I know I can bring him a new idea,” Ash said. “If you can prove to him this will benefit our coaches or players or program, he’ll do it. Some coaches who have been doing it a long time and have been successful say, ‘It’s my way and that’s it.’ ”

As the Buckeyes approach the 2015 season looking for a second consecutive national title, and a run that could allow them to claim this early era of college playoff football as their own, remember that phone call. Remember what happened in the 12 months after it. And allow that to explain why this middle-management tier of the OSU program could keep the Buckeyes in position to win, even if the faces change. Ash is part of the proof that the “how” can define the 10 men — nine assistants and a strength coach — whom Meyer trusts to implement his plan as much as the “who.” At Florida, Meyer relied on assistants he already trusted. At Ohio State, he’s been rolling with guys he barely knew, or didn’t know at all, until he hired them. “I think he’s learned how to adjust to that and deal with that coming here,” said Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, Meyer’s long-time friend and former Florida assistant, who saw the problems when Meyer lost assistants with the Gators. That has to change here. The Buckeyes lost two coaches after the 2013 season and two after 2014, and Meyer said he expects two departures a year from now. When Nick Saban won his third title in four years at Alabama in 2012, he did it with only three of nine assistants who had been there for the first championship in 2009. Ash won a national title in his first year in Columbus. If the Buckeyes win a second this season, he may not be around for a shot at a third. And that might be OK.

The principal and the teachers

When you win, you lose “I hate when I lose really good coaches,” Meyer said Saturday as the Buckeyes ﬁnished their most difficult part of preseason camp. “But I also love the fact that Tom Herman is leading a program.” Herman is the Buckeyes’ former offensive coordinator who is now the head coach at Houston after three years at Ohio State. As Meyer lists more of his assistants who have moved on to head jobs — Mullen, Steve Addazio (Boston College), Doc Holliday (Marshall), Dan McCarney (North Texas) — he knows what his program has become: a training ground. Ash listed a chance to be a head coach as a primary factor in his move to Columbus. “I guess that’s kind of why guys come here now, because they know if things work out, they’ll get that [chance to be a head coach],” Meyer said. “I hate losing great coaches, like I hate when a junior declares early [for the NFL Draft]. But I also love it for them. That’s why we do it.” Meyer loves to talk about the great state of Ohio, and in his ﬁrst season he hyped the Ohio ties of eight of his nine assistants. Ash was born and raised in Iowa, had no Ohio connections and knew only Herman, his former colleague and neighbor at Iowa State, when Meyer called. Roots only go so far. Coaching goes further.

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Co-defensive coordinator/safeties Chris Ash is part of a strong group of assistants serving under Urban Meyer. Ash joined the Buckeyes in 2014, after working as defensive coordinator at Arkansas.

“I guess that’s kind of why guys come here now, because they know if things work out, they’ll get that [chance to be a head coach]. I hate losing great coaches, like I hate when a junior declares early [for the NFL Draft]. But I also love it for them.” Urban Meyer

Ash’s hiring came from nowhere after safeties coach Everett Withers departed an OSU secondary that clearly needed revamping after the 2013 season. “I had a really good job,” said Ash, who was the defensive coordinator at Arkansas under Bret Bielema, the boss he’d followed from Wisconsin. “[But] I’ve never been one to shy away from taking a risk.” They’d met before when Ash was at Wisconsin and Meyer called a Badgers game during his year as an ESPN analyst in 2011. But that’s Ash’s secret. The new ﬁrst meeting with Meyer at a coaching convention in Indianapolis sold him. “I liked the way he did business. I liked his vision for the program,” Ash said. “I liked that he was talking about national championships, though at the time he thought 2014 was good but 2015 might be the year. I felt like the pieces of the puzzle were in place. And I liked a lot about what he said he wanted to do on defense. If I didn’t like what he wanted to do on defense, I wouldn’t have done it. But the stars kind of

aligned with what he wanted and what I believed in.” As co-defensive coordinators, Ash and OSU veteran Luke Fickell, now entering year 14 as a coach with the Buckeyes, revamped a defense that dominated during the College Football Playoff run. So has Ash now sold Meyer on a guy he’d only known through the coaching grapevine? “To this day, does he completely, fully trust me? I don’t know, I hope so,” Ash said. “Probably it happened when the season was over. At the end of the day, let’s be honest, we can all like each other, but you’ve got to trust someone to do it. But it wasn’t going to be just walk in the door and that trust would be built. Building trust with a player and coach takes a long time, and building trust with a coach and head coach takes a long time.”

What’s next? Ash wants to run a program. Ed Warinner, the offensive line coach who is taking more play-calling responsibilities this season with Herman’s departure, wants to run

a program. They won’t jump for bad jobs, because when a team like Ohio State wins consistently, opportunities aren’t ﬂeeting. They will be there. But eventually, they will go. And Ohio State will have to go on, trading continuity for fresh ideas, like it or not. “Continuity is great if the people there are continually trying to improve themselves and each other. If continuity breeds complacency and you become stale, continuity is no good, in my opinion,” Ash said. He thinks the same of constant turnover, of staffs working in multiple new guys if they are always talking about how they did it at their last stop. “I do want to be on a staff that is continually trying to be creative but has a real guiding light or map on how we’re going to do business,” Ash said. Herman has said what he learned most from Meyer was the way he kept a program aligned, with everyone on the coaching staff and roster pulling the same direction in the same way. Ash has mentioned that as well, and it’s that alignment that could create consis-

Meyer clearly has his way, his talk of leadership more prevalent now than his talk of his spread offense. The staff connects it all. Ash estimates Meyer spends 10 percent of the time with each player that a position coach does. “We want him to be able to come in our meeting room and congratulate guys and keep that going rather than going in and blowing it up because an assistant coach is not doing his job,” Ash said. “Coach does a great job spending time with kids, but it’s our job to keep them out of the principal’s office.” Principal Meyer has found his teachers in various ways. He’s hired three assistants straight from Notre Dame (firstyear running backs coach Tony Alford, tight ends coach Tim Hinton and Warinner), a school at which he coached for five years; two former Ohio high school coaches (Hinton and corners coach Kerry Coombs); a lifelong Buckeye he didn’t know at all previously (linebackers coach Fickell); the grandson of his mentor Earle Bruce (receivers coach Zach Smith); a veteran he plucked from Penn State the moment that coach left State College (defensive line coach Larry Johnson); and a guy who previously coached with Warinner (first-year quarterbacks coach Tim Beck).

Marotti is a strength The one guy Meyer knows won’t leave him is strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti, his right-hand man and one of his best friends who followed him from Florida. And then there’s Ash. His alarm goes off at 4:30 each morning, because he gets antsy and out of sorts if he doesn’t hit the office by 5:30. It’s there he partakes in the “solitude time” that Meyer encourages for each assistant. Ash watches film and cuts up NFL clips for his safeties, which they love. He clears his head, organizes his schedule and makes sure he’s not seeing film in full staff meetings for the first time. In its own way, it’s Ash’s favorite time of the day. “Some people need that morning coffee; I need that morning time,” Ash said. “It gets me going.” Maybe going toward another national title. Maybe toward a job that will take him away from Ohio State. That mission may be one and the same. To win, Ohio State must be ready to lose.

Dynasties of the past 30 years Alabama (2009-12)

Florida (2006-09)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alabama is still at the top of the college football world, depending on whom you talk to. But from 2009-12, Alabama was college football. Nick Saban took over the program in 2007, and got it to 12 wins in 2008. Then from 2009 to 2012, Alabama went 49-5 and won three national titles.

Urban Meyer has done this before, though you may find some who don’t consider his Florida team a dynasty. There’s room for argument, but the Gators won two BCS National Championships during this span, and were an SEC title game loss to Alabama away from playing for a third.

Southern Cal (2003-05)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

You could probably expand USC’s run all the way out from 2002-08 if you wanted to. The Trojans went 82-9 during that stretch under Pete Carroll. USC was named national champs by the AP after the 2003 season. The Trojans won the BCS title in 2004, a win that was eventually vacated.

Oklahoma (2000-08)

Nebraska (1994-97)

Miami (1985-1992)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Under Bob Stoops, the Sooners were dominant from 2000-08, appearing in four BCS National Championship games, beating Florida State in 2000 for the crown. During that span, Oklahoma went 102-19 with seven BCS bowl appearances and two Heisman Trophy winners.

The Cornhuskers went 49-2 from 1994-97 under Tom Osborne, including undefeated seasons in 1994, 1995 and 1997 — each of those three years ended with national championships. In 1997, Nebraska won the coaches poll, while Michigan was named the AP champ.

Jimmy Johnson’s teams were in contention for national titles in 1985 and 1986 before a 12-0 season and AP National Championship in 1987. The Hurricanes stayed in the national title picture through 1992, even after Johnson left. Dennis Erickson secured titles in 1989 and 1991.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Part 2 | The Big Ten

Foes know, conference is tougher

League isn’t brutal enough to wear a team down, but it’s strong enough to produce a champion

Doug Lesmerises | dlesmerises@cleveland.com

Is it what you want, really? A top-10 quality foe every week? Test after test, no breather? ¶ An awesome conference, top to bottom? ¶ “No. No,” Urban Meyer said. ¶ “I’m joking,” he added. ¶ Are you sure? Ohio State’s coach was at least a little bit serious, right? ¶ Because it’s time to slow the roll on the comparisons between the Big Ten East of now and the SEC West of recent vintage. ¶ At the top? Absolutely. Ohio State won a national title and stands as a unanimous preseason No. 1; Michigan State won at least 11 games in four of the last five years and stands as an absolute College Football Playoff threat this season; Penn State looks ready to turn James Franklin’s recruiting prowess into on-field results in the near future; and Michigan got Harbaughed. ¶ “Our side of the conference is kind of ridiculous right now as far as the quality of teams,” Meyer said, impressed by the East’s 5-1 bowl record last season. have the Buckeyes at No. 1, Penn State at No. 5, Michigan at No. 9 and Michigan State at No. 12. Throw in the bountiful recruiting grounds in New Jersey and Maryland, and the East’s new additions, Rutgers and Maryland, could be top-25 contenders soon enough. So Ohio State’s run at a dynasty may be coming at the ideal time, with the Big Ten on the way up but not yet at its peak. In the meantime, the Buckeyes should embrace, appreciate and capitalize on this limbo. Where the SEC West has five teams in the AP preseason poll: No. 3 Alabama, No. 5 Auburn, No. 14 LSU, No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 18 Arkansas. Where the Pac-12 South has four teams: No. 8 USC, No. 13 UCLA, No. 15 Arizona State and No. 22 Arizona. And where the Big Ten East has two: No. 1 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan State. Where the Big Ten is now enough of a threat to legitimize a conference king, but not enough of a grind to threaten to knock off the champ each week. Where the Big Ten, in more than a few eyes, is on the rise, while the SEC is in decline.

But overall? Some people think the SEC West may not be college football’s top division anymore — but those huzzahs go now to the Pac-12 South. Not to Ohio State’s home. If the Buckeyes are going to build a dynasty here in the next few years, the conference will matter. Each game, Ohio State is only half the equation. So yes, a better Big Ten means a bigger, broader platform for the Buckeyes.

Talk has changed “You look at the discussions and the things that are being talked about nationally, the excitement, and it’s a 180-degree turn from the conversations that were going on a year ago,” Franklin said. “That’s exciting. The perception really has changed.” “I think it’s good for our conference the better we are,” Meyer said. Just not too much better. Reality is perception’s twin, but they wear different outfits. Check out the first six games of Ohio State’s conference schedule. Indiana, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Illinois. Reality is a little rumpled. The Big Ten, in this moment, may be exactly what Ohio State needs. The Buckeyes received 1,525 points in the preseason Associated Press poll. Those six teams earned 20, all to the Nittany Lions and their preseason No. 31 ranking. Top to bottom, the Big Ten, right now, is not what the Southeastern Conference has been. And that’s great for the Buckeyes. The league no longer is mocked. But this also isn’t the weekly grind where a tight, physical win one week can help a team lose the next. Meyer has lived that. He went back nine years. “I remember at Florida, there was that run every October — a gantlet now — I want to say it was Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, LSU right after each other,” he said at Big Ten Media Days in July. 3 Try 2006 — the year of his first national title. Sept. 30 to Oct. 28. Alabama, in the last year before Nick Saban. No. 9 LSU. No. 11 Auburn. Georgia. Won three of four. Went on to win it all. 3 Try 2007. Sept. 29 to Oct. 27. Auburn. No. 1 LSU. No. 7 Kentucky. No. 18 Georgia. Lost three of four. 3 Try 2010. Meyer’s final year in the SEC. Oct. 2 to Oct. 30. No. 1 Alabama. No. 12 LSU. Mississippi State. Georgia. Lost three of four and the win was in overtime. He retired. “Delany would probably love it,” Meyer said of a Big Ten stacked with contenders. That’s Jim Delany, Big Ten boss, first of his name, ruler of commissioners, creator of TV networks, expander of boundaries, embracer of demographics. Top-20 matchups every week. Sure thing. Great programming. “But to answer your question, no.” Meyer doesn’t want it. Not top

Who’s mocking now?

CHRIS O’MEARA | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin linebacker Marcus Trotter stops Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, on New Years Day. The Badgers won, 34-31, in a game that may symbolize the rise of the Big Ten Conference. 10 every week. “It’s a one-year cycle. And we’ve got to do this for a while. The SEC Right conference, had a seven-year cycle going. So right time The Big Ten can’t be what it there’s a lot of pressure on the Big was. If you thought the Buckeyes were going to miss the four-team Ten to keep this rolling.” College Football Playoff last sea-

son, it wasn’t about who they were as much as where they came from.

Urban Meyer

Did winning the mediocre Big Ten mean enough? But what the Big Ten might become could make things more difﬁcult the other way. Michigan and Penn State could join Ohio State and Michigan State as legitimate top-10 teams in a year or two. Right now, 247sports.com’s recruiting ratings for the class of 2016

“It’s a one-year cycle,” Meyer said. “And we’ve got to do this for a while. The SEC had a seven-year cycle going. So there’s a lot of pressure on the Big Ten to keep this rolling.” Pressure, expectation and beneﬁt of the doubt — which the Big Ten hasn’t earned since Ohio State and Michigan played their No. 1 vs. No. 2 game at the end of the 2006 regular season. Consider these comments ESPN analyst and former Michigan receiver Desmond Howard made before the national title game in January. This was before the Buckeyes had won a ring but had vanquished Alabama on the same day Wisconsin beat Auburn and Michigan State rallied against Baylor. Meyer said those wins by the Badgers and Spartans fueled the Buckeyes in their win over Alabama. Howard: “I think the perception of the Big Ten would change dramatically if they were to win this game.” “The SEC West kind of dominated the regular season, then got dominated in the bowl season.” “I think the perception of the Big Ten is trending upwards now, without a doubt.” And then he went at length into the SEC’s 2-5 bowl record by its ranked teams, with the league 7-5 overall. “Mississippi State got drilled by Georgia Tech. Ole Miss got annihilated by TCU. Alabama got manhandled by a Big Ten school with a third-string quarterback. Auburn got beat by an interim coach (Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez.) So a lot of things didn’t look good for the SEC West.” And they looked better for the Big Ten East. As the Big Ten has learned the hard way, looks matter.

Near-dynasties of the past 30 years Oregon (2009-12)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chip Kelly almost got Oregon there. Almost. This is a weird pick, because how can a team be considered a near-dynasty without winning at least one title? By going 46-7 in four years and finishing in the top five of the AP poll three times. Oregon lost to Auburn in the 2010 BCS Championship Game.

LSU (2003)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

After Nick Saban led the Tigers to a shared title in 2003, beating Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship, he departed for the NFL and Miami Dolphins in 2004. Yes, Les Miles led the Tigers to a title in 2007, but Saban’s departure leaves many to ponder what could have been.

Florida St. (1987-2000)

Miami (2000-03)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This might be the best team ever assembled. We’re talking 17 first-round NFL Draft picks and a 46-4 record. But they only won one national title (2001), and dynasties win more than one. Larry Coker guided the Hurricanes back to the championship game in 2001, but lost to Ohio State.

Bobby Bowden is one of the best coaches in college football history. His best run came from 1992-2000 when his Florida State teams dominated the ACC, and earned a pair of national titles. But the gap between the 1993 and 1999 crowns keeps this from becoming a true dynasty.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio State’s 31-24 double-overtime victory over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl kept the Hurricanes from winning a ﬁfth national title and establishing the program’s second dynasty.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Part 3 | The title chase

Playoff system puts up more hurdles

Repeating as national champion means winning tough games at season’s end in a short time frame

Bill Landis | blandis@cleveland.com

Barry Alvarez knows a monster when he sees one. ¶ He admired the juggernaut that was Nebraska’s early 1990s college football dynasty from afar while in the early stages of his own head-coaching career at Wisconsin. He never coached against one of Tom Osborne’s Cornhuskers teams, but he didn’t have to to know what he and everyone else were watching. ¶ It was dominance. The kind that leads to multiple championships. ¶ And Alvarez sees some similarities between that team, and this current Ohio State football team. ¶ “It was hard for people to stay on the field with Nebraska back in the ’90s,” Alvarez said last month at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. “They probably had one game a year, and the bowl game where people were even competitive with them. Ohio State has a team that I’m sure will be favored in every game they’ll play in.” NEOMG last month. “ We reviewed it all during the offseason and concluded that no changes were necessary. The committee’s policies and protocol will remain the same as they were. Our theory is don’t fix it if ain’t broke, and there was nothing broken about this playoff.” That’s good for Ohio State, because that means the road to winning more championships will at least be a familiar one for the next few years. It won’t have to worry about figuring out a way to win multiple titles with an expanded playoff field. But the Buckeyes also can’t expect their standing as the reigning national champions to have an effect on their playoff chances this year, or any other year. The committee doesn’t care. “Every year is a new page,” Hancock said. “It wouldn’t be fair to have any factors in the selection committee’s decision other than a team’s performance on the field that year. This is about the best four teams that season, and not about anything that happened in the past.”

Nebraska had a larger-thanlife head coach. Ohio State has Urban Meyer. Nebraska had players, and money. Ohio State has both. You could spend a long time coming up with other similarities. But here’s something Ohio State has that Nebraska didn’t while building its dynasty: A completely new landscape in which to chase championships, thanks to the College Football Playoff. Dynasty chasing is in a new era, one that requires teams to play 15 games, asks more of players and has a new selection process to determine who gets to play for a championship. Osborne, Bobby Bowden, Pete Carroll, Nick Saban — any coach who has built a college football empire to this point — didn’t have to contend with it. Now anyone who wants to must navigate this landscape that is at the same time more inclusive, but challenging in a completely new way.

The 15th game Let’s remember what we’re talking about. Essentially, the College Football Playoff only added one extra game for any team that already went through a 12-game regular season, then played in a conference championship before moving on to bowl season. Not that big of a difference, right? It’s not just an extra game, though. To win a championship now, the only way to do it is by beating two top-four teams in less than two weeks. When Bowden was chasing titles at Florida State, he often had to get through a top-five Florida team in the regular season finale before moving onto to a bowl game. When the Seminoles won the 1999 BCS Championship, they beat No. 4 Florida on Nov. 20, then beat No. 2 Virginia Tech on Jan. 4 in the title game at the Sugar Bowl. That’s tough, but there were nearly 50 days between games. When Meyer won his second national title in 2008, his Gators had to beat No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship on Dec. 6, then play No. 2 Oklahoma in the BCS Championship on Jan. 8. The Gators and Crimson Tide also met the year after in an SEC title game that Alabama won to start its stretch atop college football. “I think maybe the best two teams might have been playing in the SEC title game in 2009,” Saban said last December. “It was a playoff game in a sense.” But only in that the winner knew it was going to play for a national championship. There was still more than a month between games. Ohio State had 11 days between its semifinal against Alabama and the National Championship against Oregon. That quick turnaround, for anyone, makes championship chasing a lot tougher.

The path

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Ohio State and quarterback Cardale Jones had to vault Michigan, Wisconsin and Alabama before facing Oregon in the title game.

“I think it’ll be harder maybe to (build) a dynasty out with repeat championships because the gauntlet is extended further than it was before.” Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen

“ You’re talking about at a school like Ohio State, they’re going to play their big rival, which is probably going to be a big game, followed by a championship game, followed by games against two top-four teams,” Mississippi State head coach and former Meyer assistant Dan Mullen said this spring while in Columbus to speak at Ohio State’s coaches clinic. “So that’s four consecutive games you’ve got to go win at a very, very high level. And I think that’s a lot harder to do. I think it’ll be harder maybe to [build] a dynasty out with repeat championships because the gauntlet is extended further than it was before.”

The training How do you prepare your team for a playoff run in the moment? Ohio State head strength coach Mickey Marotti leaned on his experience with Meyer at Florida for that. “I think when we were in it, it’s hard because we were trying to win a game, then you win and move on,” Marotti told Northeast

Ohio Media Group this week. “We had an idea because we’ve been through it before at Florida when we went to those National Championship games, but then it was another game. We talked a lot about giving them rest, but getting them ready, especially with a team like Oregon and that fast pace.” How do you rest and recover their bodies in the offseason to take another run at it? That’s been at the front of Meyer’s mind. “Now how do you build chemistry? Execution? Team building? You have to stay healthy,” Meyer said at Ohio State’s media day. “And that’s the — that’s all I keep thinking about — even as I’m talking to you, it’s all I’m thinking about because that’s a tough — I mean it’s a good thing to have. I just want to do right by these players.” He had Marotti handle the winter and spring a little differently, because even if Meyer doesn’t talk about winning another national title, he knows it’s going to take 15 games to get there. The winter conditioning, usually a brutal time of year meant

to get guys ready for spring ball, moved a little more gradually. The intense, explosive workouts with heavy weights started later than normal for the guys who played the bulk of the snaps last year. Their bodies needed more time to recover from the playoff run. That carried over into spring ball when members of what Meyer and Marotti call the 2,000rep club didn’t participate in as many live-contact drills as they would in the past. That extra game changes a lot. “No question,” Marotti said. “Everybody saying ‘let’s have eight teams and play like 18 games,’ there’s no way. Because it’s not just the extra game, it’s the seven practices. That’s the wear and tear.”

The structure Mariotti doesn’t have to worry about that 18th game. At least not anytime soon. The playoff committee has no intentions of expanding right now. “It went off without a hitch,” College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock told

Part of the reason Ohio State is so heavily favored to win the National Championship again this year is because many, including Meyer, felt last year’s team was a year ahead. The talent was there, but it needed to grow, and this was supposed to be the year it all came together. Here’s another idea: Last year was exactly the right time for Ohio State. It wasn’t the best team in the country in December, it was a top-four team. And in this new era, top-four teams get the play for a championship. That left Meyer wondering what could’ve been with his undefeated 2004 Utah team, the one that finished fourth in the country and won the Fiesta Bowl. “I would love to have this in 2004 and take that group of players and swing as hard as you can, and who knows what happens,” Meyer said in December. That Utah team was early. Now there are more spots for a team like that to get a shot at a championship. Which in a sense can make the path to dynasty chasing for a program like Ohio State a little more accessible. As long as you have the profile to stay in the national conversation over the course of a season, you have a shot at being in consideration for the top four by the end of year. The committee showed last year that it will even be forgiving of a bad loss if a team shows progress, something the computers weren’t always so lenient on in the BCS era. So in many ways, Ohio State has this new structure to thank for being in this position. Maybe the Buckeyes got a little lucky, and were the right team for the right era. Now they’ll be the first to try to turn playoff success into a dynasty.

Most important players to help build a dynasty J.T. Barrett, QB

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

The starting quarterback is always vital to a team’s success. But Barrett is important even if he’s not the starter, because he’s already been crowned as a leader of this team. Even if he isn’t the guy, his leadership will be needed as Ohio State chases another title this year.

Joey Bosa, DE

Cardale Jones, QB

Vonn Bell, S

Ezekiel Elliott, RB

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

Bosa is one of four players out for the opener at Virginia Tech, and you get the sense that his absence is the only one of the four that has Meyer really worried. It’s because there might not be a more impactful defensive player in the country. With the NFL calling, this could be Bosa’s final season.

Jones is important in whatever role he ends up taking on too, he showed that much last year in the championship run. If Barrett is the starter, then Jones needs to be ready to take over should Barrett be injured If Jones is the starter, then it’s his team.

Who’s going to make the big play on defense? How about the former five-star prospect on the back end? Bell has already shown a knack for making interceptions in big moments. Bell has real NFL buzz already, but first he needs to be the guy the defense can look to in a pinch.

Does Ohio State have the best running back in the country? The fact that you can even ask that question shows how important Elliott is to the Buckeyes’ success. They basically rode him to a championship last year; expect a heavy dose of the run again this year.

Tommy Schutt, DT

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

This might seem like a weird one. Why not fellow lineman Adolphus Washington? Because it’s a safe bet that Washington will be good before heading off to the NFL next year. Schutt has a say in how good Washington, and the rest of the defensive line, will be.

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Part 4 | The recruiting

National title drive starts in high school Ohio State has trailed Alabama in luring top prospects, but Buckeyes are working to catch up

Ari Wasserman | awasserman@cleveland.com

Anyone can have the endless conversation about the imperfection of recruiting rankings, that the numbers are different for every program’s class, that recruiting experts are wrong, that unranked gems become stars one day. Stop it. ¶ Ohio State’s coaching staff cares about the rankings. You should, too. ¶ “If you’re not No. 1 every year, you’re trying to figure out why,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “We weren’t No. 1, so we analyze why. Because it’s simple — we just have to have great players.” ¶ Ohio State’s dominance in recruiting since Urban Meyer’s arrival turned into a national championship. Ohio State has always been a powerhouse, but the program’s positioning before Meyer’s arrival almost pales in comparison to now. ¶ But think about this: Ohio State isn’t the best at recruiting. Alabama is.

Topping off the roster

Ohio State’s four signed recruiting classes under Meyer ranked No. 5 in 2012, No. 2 in 2013, No. 3 in 2014 and No. 7 last year, according to 247Sports. Here are Alabama’s rankings in those years: No. 1, No. 1, No. 1 and No. 1. “We haven’t been No. 1,” Ohio State tight ends coach Tim Hinton said. “That’s what we are here. That’s what Coach Meyer says in interviews all the time: We want to be the best in America. That’s ultimate in what we’re trying to do ... “Are you the best recruiting class in America?” Before you rush to your keyboard to type — “But Ohio State beat Alabama last year” — that’s not what this is about. Meyer isn’t satisﬁed with one championship and one season in which the Buckeyes were better than Alabama on the ﬁeld. This is about creating a college football dynasty, a system that’s steadfastly built on constant success. Every year Ohio State expects to be No. 1, expects to beat Alabama — and teams like it — on the way to national supremacy. How does that happen? By bringing in the best high school players in the country. It may seem kind of nitpicky considering the success Ohio State has had, but this question has to be asked now that last year is in the past and the Buckeyes are solely focused on creating that dynasty: Is Ohio State recruiting well enough to sustain this success?

The difference between Alabama’s class and the ones assembled by Ohio State the last four years may seem trivial. Ohio State won a national championship last season because its 2013 class — one made up of players like Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Darron Lee and others — was so impeccably dominant. But in the world of dynasty-building, Meyer isn’t afraid to admit that he wants more. Because when you look at the future, there’s a major question: What’s next? “My concern is, I think we’re a very good team coming back (in 2015),” Meyer told NEOMG, “then there’s a chance we’re going to see an exodus of players, some very good ones, upperclassmen and a few underclassmen. And you’re always thinking in your head — we always are — ‘Are we ﬁlling it back up the way it’s ﬁlled right now?’”

Using social media Over and over again while talking to Ohio State’s staff members, all that was said was how they need to take the momentum from the national title and parlay it into even more dominant recruiting. A major theme discussed was a better and more tangible presence on social media, a more efficient way of reaching out to prospects who are far more reachable through things like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat than they are opening up a physical piece of mail. That’s part of the reason a youthful guy like Smith is the new recruiting coordinator. “Kids today are bombarded with information,” cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said. “They have their Facebook, their Twitter, their Instagram, their Snapchat. Opening a letter in the mail is different than it was ﬁve years ago. “So now our mission is to ﬁnd creative ways to reach out to those kids and get them to see what they have to offer. I truly believe if we do a good job of getting them to see it, they’re going to be Buckeyes.” Ohio State wants to change with the times. Sammy Silverman, a graphic designer for Ohio State football, creates noticeable pictures and graphics and circulates them to recruits and through the Internet. That’s working.

Hounding the best Look at the top three uncommitted prospects in the 2016 recruiting rankings and you’ll find that Nick Saban has Alabama deeply invested in all of them. Ohio State is involved with the top overall player — five-star New Jersey defensive end Rashan Gary — but the Crimson Tide have a certain flair for those truly elite, almost NFL-ready, prospects that change programs. In the four recruiting classes from 2012-15, Alabama’s top recruiting classes signed 21 five-star prospects and 56 four-star prospects. Ohio State is second behind Alabama during that stretch with five five-star prospects and 57 four-star prospects. But there’s a lopsided difference in the top-end talent that signed with Alabama, and that’s directly correlated to a run that ultimately concluded in three national championships in four years. When you think college football dynasty right now, you still think Saban and Alabama. Recruiting. “Coach Saban looks at recruiting film every day. He knows that’s what keeps a program going, and he’s every competitive,” Northern Illinois defensive coordinator Kelvin Sigler, a former Alabama player and assistant, told NEOMG. “They want the absolute best guy at every position, the absolute best. They rank kids coming out of high school, and they are relentless in trying to get them.” If you heard that quote out loud, you’d think that’s someone talking about Meyer. That accurately describes Meyer, too, but the Buckeyes, through last year’s recruiting

Tide is turning

BILL HABER | ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio State running back Jalin Marshall is hit by Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland during the 2015 Sugar Bowl. Ragland was the nation’s top-rated inside linebacker in 2012 and part of the Crimson Tide’s top-rated recruiting class that year.

“They want the absolute best guy at every position, the absolute best ... and they are relentless in trying to get them.” Northern Illinois defensive coordinator Kelvin Sigler, a former Alabama player and assistant

class, were still a step behind Alabama. That step behind seems like it’s everywhere. Take The Opening’s tweet from Wednesday, listing the college rosters with the most players from their ﬁnals camp, one that hosts the most elite prospects annually. Alabama has the most with 34 — No. 1 is a theme, right? — and Ohio State is closely behind at No.

2 with 30. “I think what they do a great job of is an evaluation,” Ohio State wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Zach Smith said of Alabama. “First they evaluate, and they evaluate early, then they are relentless. “They do a phenomenal job of identifying kids and relentlessly attacking them.”

Ohio State is currently No. 1 in the recruiting rankings in 2016 and 2017. So what you’re seeing now is that self-awareness of maybe not being the best at something. The recruiting rankings matter. And as you’ve heard multiple Ohio State assistants bring up the fact that the Buckeyes haven’t been No. 1 in those rankings, remember where they got that message. “As long as we’re keeping score,” Meyer said, “We’re trying to win.” Alabama is winning that battle. But if things keep progressing the way they are now, Ohio State’s hopes of a dynasty could be so much closer than people think.

Some key figures off the field who can help Ohio State build a dynasty Shelley Meyer

Jim Delany

Thomas Wilcher

Brad Bertani

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TANYA MOUTZALIAS | MLIVE

OSU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Personal happiness is the foundation that Urban Meyer must build his career upon and that starts with his wife, Shelley, who is nearly as invested in the football program as he is. Their partnership keeps the coach grounded, and her role in the success of the team is very profound.

The health of the Big Ten helps drive the finances that keep the Ohio State football program flush. Ohio State is the league’s gem, and Delany is the jeweler. Self-assured and unafraid to stand up for his league, what Delany thinks, says and does influences every major college athlete in the nation.

The head football coach at Cass Tech in Detroit, Wilcher has sent exceptional players to the Big Ten. Recruiting has fueled Ohio State’s rise, and maintaining a relationship with a coach like Wilcher, even as the competition increases, is crucial in keeping the Buckeyes on top.

His name you might not know, but his role at Ohio State is vital — compliance. NCAA violations ended Jim Tressel’s run and paved the way for Urban Meyer’s arrival. With so much else in place, NCAA issues are among the only things that could truly blow a hole in the OSU program right now.

Mark Dantonio

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Strange? Maybe. Dantonio isn’t here because he makes things easy for Ohio State. He’s here because he makes things difficult for everyone. Ohio State will never overlook the Spartans. Dantonio and the Spartans help make Big Ten competition fierce, essential to any national-title ambitions.

Woody Hayes

MARVIN FONG | THE PLAIN DEALER

A poster of Hayes hangs in Urban Meyer’s office at home, and this statue guards the entrance to the building where Meyer spends most of his days. If Meyer ever needs inspiration or a reminder of the history of Ohio State and the place he could hold in that history someday, Hayes isn’t far.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

OHIO STATE: DAWN OF A DYNASTY?

Part 5 | The money

The bottom line: Wish lists get filled

Football revenues, Excellence Fund help keep Buckeyes’ facilities on par with other elite programs

Doug Lesmerises | dlesmerises@cleveland.com

They debated the waterfall. ¶ “We had a huge debate,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. “I had to be sold. I didn’t want some waterfall that comes from 12 feet high.” ¶ “We downgraded it,” said Martin Jarmond, the associate athletic director with direct oversight of the OSU football program. ¶ Eventually, the waterfall was approved. ¶ So when Urban Meyer shared photos on social media of renovations to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in July 2014, the waterfall was part of it, situated in the locker room, Smith persuaded by the design. Overall, that general overhaul to the Buckeyes’ football home, which included several changes to the locker room and practice field, cost $2.8 million, Smith said, with $2.5 million covered by donors and the last $300,000 from athletic department funds. things the football coach and AD want to say about each other? But remember, discord between a coach and athletic director isn’t unusual. When there’s a problem, that generally doesn’t help a program win.

In a self-sustaining athletic department with a budget of more than $153 million for 2015-16, with a football program projected to pull in more than $64 million in revenue this season, this is the kind of thing that happens. Needs are discussed. Money is available. Changes are made. In most college athletic departments, it’s not that easy. At Ohio State, it is. “Football,” said Pete Hagan, Ohio State’s associate athletic director for ﬁnance, “is very wellfunded. It’s the horse that pulls the wagon.” It’s a formula that doesn’t directly create wins on the field but builds a foundation for them. Smith and Meyer said their relationship is excellent, the monetary needs and grants in step with one another. If you want to build a dynasty and sustain an elite football program and chase a second straight national championship, you’re going to need to break open some checkbooks. “We have tough conversations sometimes, but not a lot,” Smith told the Northeast Ohio Media Group, “because [Meyer] gets it. And with the Excellence Fund, they can do what they want to do.”

Does winning make money?

What the fund can get you There are greater debates out there, about the excesses of college athletics, of the arms race in college football, of the money spent on things other than direct payments to players, which is a system some would prefer. This isn’t a debate. This is the current reality. And what’s clear is that Ohio State isn’t going to fall behind other college powers because of cash. Alabama got a waterfall in the locker room. A year later, the Buckeyes matched it. Anything short of the waterfall — the ponds, streams and puddles of daily football life — is where the Excellence Fund comes in. It’s similar to what other schools have, the Buckeyes say, a discretionary fund outside the yearly budget that allows football to act quickly when it sees a need. “I’m not going to waste money,” Meyer told the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “But if it’s to enhance our players’ experience, we’re doing it. That’s the locker room and nutrition and weight room equipment, all those kinds of things that are out there to make it as nice as possible. That’s what the Excellence Fund is for.” An open records request to Ohio State in late July for specifics of the Excellence Fund has not yet been fulfilled, but according to conversations with several athletic department officials recent projects funded at least in part by the Excellence Fund include: 3 T he new tunnel from the locker room to the field in Ohio Stadium that debuted last season. 3 The current renovation to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center trophy lobby .

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

Among projects that Ohio State’s Excellence Fund helped pay for was a new tunnel from the locker room to the ﬁeld in Ohio Stadium.

“You don’t want to fall behind, especially when it comes to attracting excellent student-athletes. If Alabama or Oregon or Florida State has something, you need to be cognizant of where they are.” Ohio State associate athletic director Martin Jarmond

3 Changes near the roofline of the indoor ﬁeld at the WHAC that allowed more natural light into the indoor practice ﬁeld. 3 Banners at one end of the indoor field, where the football players specifically work out, honoring past stars of each position group. 3 Padded Nike girdles for the players so they have thigh protection on non-padded practice days. 3 A new podium at the front of the team meeting room. 3 Renovations to the recruiting room at Ohio Stadium. Recruiting, obviously, is another consideration for the Excellence Fund (and plenty of other football expenditures), under the general philosophy that facilities won’t win you a recruit, but a lack of facilities may lose you one. “You want to offer an elite experience for your student-athletes,” Jarmond said. “And you don’t want to fall behind, especially when it comes to attracting excellent student-athetes. If Alabama or Oregon or Florida State has something, you need to be cognizant of where they are.”

Funding the fund Brian Voltolini, the director of football operations who has worked under Meyer since his days at Bowling Green, oversees the Excellence Fund. He works directly with Jarmond, keeping the athletic department informed of planned uses, discussing any larger expenditures. But the fund allows the freedom that would be limited by trying to fit items into the preexisting budget. Voltolini completes that football budget every year with the costs he knows will arise — like ink and paper for recruiting mailings — but inevitably there are surprises. “If [strength coach Mickey Marotti] all of a sudden needs a new bike for the weight room because one breaks, that’s not in the budget,” Voltolini said. “So we use the Excellence Fund.” Ohio State’s development ofﬁce works to make sure the fund has a balance, offering it as an option to donors. It’s often presented as an option particularly to former football players. “There are people who want to

donate specifically to football,” Smith said. “So they can do that.” And Smith and Meyer can worry about things other than a debate over every unexpected cost. There was a similar structure during Meyer’s time at Florida, but it ran more directly through the AD for every item. And a previous football fund at Ohio State wasn’t quite so structured. Meyer said football funding was discussed when he took the job, but the trust that has built up as Meyer enters his fourth season allows the Excellence Fund to work. “I have a great coach that understands protocol and accepts yes or no,” Smith said. “I don’t have a coach standing on his desk saying, ‘I need this, I need this.’” “This is as good a relationship as I’ve ever had with our administration, because I think the trust is there,” Meyer said. “There’s nothing frivolous. I’m not worried about coaches’ gear. I’m worried about the players. And Gene played [college football at Notre Dame], so every time I bring something to Gene on the welfare of the player, he gets it.” Geez, any other wonderful

The fund takes care of the extras because all the real needs are covered. Ohio State’s athletic department doesn’t take student fees, like many schools, and gives money back to university causes each year. And all that was in place before the national title. Because winning wasn’t a ﬁnancial windfall, according to Smith. “We’ve already optimized the majority of our revenue streams,” Smith said. “We’ve always driven hard and we do well. So you don’t see that upside.” At a school that wasn’t previously selling out, a title might pack a stadium and offer a huge bump in attendance and dollars. Not the case in Columbus. As for merchandise, Smith said the Buckeyes brought in about $17 million in revenue instead of $13 million, a nice $4 million championship increase. But Smith said the formula for that disbursement sends 55 percent of merchandise revenue to the university, 15 percent to student life and 15 percent to the alumni association. The final 15 percent goes to the athletic department, which would mean that confetti shower in Texas on Jan. 12 led to a $600,000 bump in that area. “There’s a real misconception out there,” Hagan said. “There wasn’t a Brink’s truck that backed up and unloaded tons of cash when we got back from Dallas.” Smith said the Buckeyes about broke even on their two playoff trips. Donations to the Buckeye Club are expected to go up, but that’s more because that donor club works a year ahead and the 2016 season has a home game with Michigan. The budget projects an $885,000 bump, to more than $12.6 million. And Smith said boosters in a good mood make it easier in general to fundraise, which will help with three major planned building projects at a total cost of nearly $70 million. It’s worth watching what Ohio State does with ticket prices and parking prices in years ahead, and whether a title, or a sustained run, would lead to substantial increases. Ohio State is already moving toward dynamic ticket pricing, with the best games costing more and the least interesting games slightly less. But those Michigan tickets could really skyrocket in coming years. As to whether winning a national title costs money or makes money, Smith and Hagan said the same thing. Yes and yes. At Ohio State, when it comes to football, that may be a common phrase. Do the Buckeyes need something? Yes. Do they get it? Yes.

Some key figures off the field who can hurt Ohio State in building a dynasty Jim Harbaugh

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The possibility of a new Michigan — yes, that would change everything. The Buckeyes have won 10 of the last 11 against the Wolverines, including Urban Meyer’s 3-0 mark. Michigan doesn’t have to be a top-tier team right away to start pulling out of these rivalry games every now and then.

Nick Saban

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

When the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes met in a playoff semifinal last season, it was their first showdown in 20 years. This isn’t a regularseason issue. This is a playoff issue. Saban and Meyer, the two best active coaches in college football, likely haven’t seen the last of each other.

Jerry Jones

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

What’s Jones doing here? He’s a deep-pocketed NFL owner who conceivably could be interested in hiring the current highly successful college football coach who has never tried the NFL. Saban has. Harbaugh has. Meyer hasn’t. It’s speculative, but it’s possible Jones or some other NFL could come calling.

D.J. Gillins

Ed Rife

247SPORTS.COM

The little-known dual-threat Wisconsin backup quarterback could be the type of gamechanging player who gives the Big Ten and the Buckeyes headaches in the very near future. Gillins could be the Badgers’ starter behind center for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Stay tuned.

DOUG LESMERISES | NEOMG

Rife was the drug dealer and tattoo parlor owner at the heart of the OSU NCAA violations that felled Jim Tressel’s regime. He couldn’t do it alone. Ohio State players and coaches had to let Rife be a problem. But those kinds of issues are out there, and will always be out there, at every major program.

Josh Gattis

THE PATRIOT-NEWS

The Penn State receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator was named the Big Ten’s Recruiter of the Year by Scout.com. Penn State’s aggressive approaches have won some recruiting battles with Ohio State and could continue to stand in the way of the Buckeyes’ ambitions.

S10

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

College football 2015

Saturday, September 5, 2015

BIG TEN PREVIEW

Conference breakdown

Buckeyes vs. an improved field

Everything’s going well for Ohio State, but backing up 2014’s title run is a tall order in Columbus

Peter Berkes Special to The Plain Dealer

fter spending years as a national punchline, the Big Ten broke out in 2014. The conference is the home of the College Football Playoff champions in Ohio State, and the conference’s upper echelon teams had solid postseason showings, something that hasn’t happened in years.

There’s still a lot of progress to be made from top to bottom, but 2014 was the year the Big Ten pulled itself off the mat. That’s due in large part to Ohio State. Nearly everyone returns for the Buckeyes in 2015, and they’re overwhelming favorites to repeat as Big Ten champions. The quarterback race went from a three-horse race down to two after Braxton Miller moved to H-

back, and whether it’s J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones taking the snaps, conﬁdence is high that they’ll get the job done. But repeating as conference champions, let alone national champions, is hard. The bullseye is squarely on Ohio State’s back, and they’ll get every team’s best shot. They do, however, get the beneﬁt of playing both Michigan State and Penn State at home.

Michigan has a new head coach (who you may have heard of), and there’s still the matter of playing Virginia Tech, this time in Blacksburg. Ohio State’s schedule is deﬁnitely maneuverable, but the landmines on it are very real. Around the conference, the story is new faces at big jobs. Jim Harbaugh has taken over at Michigan, and after a couple false starts under Rich Rodriguez

and Brady Hoke, you would be surprised if he doesn’t get the program headed in the right direction. Mike Riley was a bit of a surprise to take over for Bo Pelini at Nebraska, but he’s the polar opposite of the Huskers’ explosive former coach. Wisconsin brought in former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst to replace Gary Andersen, who —

in a shocking move — left Madison to replace Riley at Oregon State. Chryst is as Wisconsin as they come, though, so it would seem foolish to expect much of a hiccup from the Badgers. Ohio State has the most talent and the best coach in the conference, and it shows. But the crown can weigh heavy, and the rest of the Big Ten is coming.

CHUCK CROW / THE PLAIN DEALER

In 2014, Urban Meyer, Cardale Jones (right) and the rest of the Buckeyes lifted the Big Ten championship trophy after defeating Wisconsin, 59-0, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Don’t miss ...

Michigan State at Michigan

Michigan State at Ohio State

Ohio State at Michigan

Wisconsin at Nebraska

Penn State at Ohio State October 17

October 17

The Buckeyes and Spartans are clearly the best teams in the conference, and if Michigan State wants a chance at winning the Big Ten, they must win this game. This should be Ohio State’s toughest test of the year, so if they go into this game undefeated, the pressure will be immense. Barring something drastic and unforeseen, the winner of this game will be the odds-on favorite to win the conference.

Even when the rivalry gets one-sided, The Game is still The Game. The hype surrounding Jim Harbaugh at Michigan has been buzzing unabated for months now, but the Wolverines have to actually go out and play, and it remains to be seen just how good they’ll be this year. A win over the Buckeyes would put Michigan fans over the moon, but the odds of the Wolverines earning their second win in 12 years in this series are still looking slim.

A game on Oct. 10 shouldn’t be considered a de facto Big Ten West title game, but a loss in this game by either team will be a major impediment to their divisiontitle hopes. The Huskers will be looking to make amends for their defensive performance against the Badgers last year, a 59-24 blowout in which Melvin Gordon (brieﬂy) set the NCAA record for rushing yards in a single game with 406.

L a s t y e a r, P e n n S t a t e ’ s offensive line was one of the worst in the country, which contributed heavily towards Christian Hackenberg’s sophomore slump. The line comes back with another year of experience and some new faces, but Ohio State’s pass rush will be easily the fiercest they face in 2015. Despite their line woes, the Nittany Lions took the national champions to double-OT last year, so this is not a game the Buckeyes should take lightly.

Before the Wolverines can tangle with the Buckeyes, they’ll face another tough test in October from their in-state rivals. The Spartans haven’t played like “Little Brother” against Michigan for years now, and Jim Harbaugh himself has said Michigan State deserves lots of respect. Most expect the Wolverines to improve this year, but this will be an early measuring stick to see just how much they’ve improved.

November 21

October 10

November 28

MORRY GASH / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin dominated Nebraska 59-24 in 2014.

Projected finish | Big Ten West 1. Wisconsin

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

2. Nebraska

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. Minnesota

ASSOCIATED PRESS

4. Iowa

5. Northwestern

ASSOCIATED PRESS

6. Purdue

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. Illinois

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave.

New Nebraska coach Mike Riley.

Minnesota coach Jerry Kill is in his ﬁfth year.

Kirk Ferentz has been Iowa coach since 1999.

Zack Oliver, senior Northwestern QB.

Purdue coach Darrell Hazell at media day.

Bill Cubit, Illinois interim coach for 2015.

Melvin Gordon is gone, but Wisconsin has replaced star running backs before. The coaching change shouldn’t change how the Badgers play, and it’s not like they haven’t survived coaching changes before.

A total personality change from Pelini to Riley will do the program some good, but the defense showed vulnerability and the offense has to replace star running back Ameer Abdullah.

Jerry Kill has done a great job at Minnesota, but you wonder if the Gophers have hit their ceiling as a program.

The Hawkeyes are going to play it safe and keep doing what they always do. That’s probably not a good thing, but they’re going to do it anyway.

It’s hard to tell which way the Wildcats are going as a program right now. The administration will give Pat Fitzgerald all the time in the world to figure it out, though.

The Boilermakers are still in the territory where they can show improvement and it won’t translate into wins. Darrell Hazell appears to have them moving in the right direction, but progress is slow.

It’s hard to expect much from a team that loses its head coach a week before the season. The Illini improved incrementally under Tim Beckman, but it’s easy to see them taking a step back in 2015.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

S11

College football 2015

BIG TEN PREVIEW

Keep an eye on ...

It’s hard to pick a single most important player for Ohio State, but Lee makes plays all over the field. Outlook On the hot seat ... With so much coaching turnover in the Big Ten over the past two seasons, the hot-seat ranks have thinned considerably. There are only two or three coaches that can realistically claim to be under immense pressure, and that number just went down with Tim Beckman’s firing at Illinois on Aug. 26, a week before the season opener after the university corroborated claims of player abuse. Offensive coordinator Bill Cubit will serve as interim coach for the season, but the most likely Big Ten coach to be fired this year was gone before a game was even played. So who’s left? There’s eternal grumbling about Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, but his enormous buyout clause and support from administration make it supremely unlikely he’ll be going anywhere.

MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER

CHRIS O’MEARA / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio State LB Darron Lee returns an interception against Illinois in 2014.

Wisconsin’s Corey Clement on a long run against Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

Kevin Wilson’s an interesting case at Indiana. The Hoosiers have been stuck between four and five wins for three seasons now, and the feeling seems to be improvement must happen or else it’s time to turn the page. Wilson will have quarterback Nate Sudfeld back and healthy after missing half the season last year with a shoulder injury, but workhorse running back Tevin Coleman is now in the NFL. A bowl game would take a lot of the heat away, but that’s a big ask at Indiana. It’s tough to say what will happen with Kyle Flood at Rutgers. On paper, he’s done a pretty good job, going 23-16 and going to a bowl game in each of his three seasons in Piscataway. But throw in an academic scandal in which he was reported to have contacted professors directly to check in players — a definite no-no — and things aren’t looking so secure. As far as scandals go, this one seems to fall on the more benign end of the spectrum, but it would be in Flood’s best interest for Rutgers not to regress on the field this year.

Conference Champion Ohio State over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Again. ABBY DREY / CENTRE DAILY TIMES

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

NATI HARNIK / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr.

Michigan running back De’Veon Smith.

Penn State quarterback

Tommy Armstrong Jr.

Nebraska quarterback

All the running backs

Hackenberg came to Penn State with a ton of hype. A five-star, blue chip recruit expected to guide the program out of sanctions and back to prosperity, he showed lots of flashes as a true freshman, but regressed significantly as a sophomore in 2014. A patchwork offensive line was to blame for some of his struggles to be sure, but he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory either, completing 55.8 percent of his passes and throwing 15 interceptions to only 12 touchdowns. It’s really up to Hackenberg — and the offensive line — to see whether Penn State wins 10 games or spins its wheels and struggles to be more than bowl eligible.

Armstrong’s, well, strong suit, is his legs. He completed just over 53 percent of his passes for the Huskers last season, and it’s fair to say other teams aren’t losing sleep at the thought of him throwing holes in their defenses. However, new coach Mike Riley had a long line of productive quarterbacks at Oregon State, and it will be interesting to see how much Armstrong improves under the new staff’s tutelage. If he can push that completion percentage up towards the 60 percent mark, the loss of Ameer Abdullah won’t sting quite so much.

De’Veon Smith was named the starter ahead of the opener, but the Wolverine backfield is crowded. Considering the uncertainty at quarterback and Harbaugh’s coaching style, one would expect Michigan to lean on its running game. Smith led the team in rushing yards last year, but it was with only 519 yards. Former ﬁve-star recruit Derrick Green and USC transfer Ty Isaac (another former ﬁve-star recruit) are both in the picture, so it wouldn’t be shocking if someone else ended up with more carries than Smith. Whether it’s Smith, Green or Isaac, Michigan needs them to keep chains moving, or things can get ugly for the offense.

Ohio State linebacker

Corey Clement

Wisconsin running back

Christian Hackenberg

Ask a person on the street who Ohio State’s most important player is, and you’ll probably get a lot of answers saying one of the quarterbacks, Ezekiel Elliott or Joey Bosa. They’re all phenomenal players, but playmaking linebacker Darron Lee deserves to be mentioned in that group as well. He absolutely stuffed the stat sheet last year, piling up 81 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries, both of which were returned for touchdowns. It’s hard to pick a single most important player for Ohio State, but Lee makes plays all over the ﬁeld, and that’s hard to top.

Wisconsin replaces productive running backs like shark’s teeth, and Corey Clement is the next in line to receive the bulk of the carries in Madison. Melvin Gordon deservedly received the lion’s share of accolades last year, but Clement quietly rushed for 949 yards and nine touchdowns as an understudy, averaging a very robust 6.46 yards per carry. The offense shouldn’t change much with former Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst back in town as head coach, so get ready to see Clement running the ball early and often.

Darron Lee

NAM Y. HUH / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michigan

Player of the year J.T. Barrett, Ohio State. He hasn’t officially been named the starter, but it’s hard to imagine a quarterback better suited to run that offense. Barrett was an absolute terror for opposing defenses last year before he got hurt. Expect him to do it again.

Coach of the year Urban Meyer, Ohio State. It’s hard to believe Meyer has yet to win Big Ten Coach of the Year during his time at Ohio State, but he hasn’t. If the Buckeyes play to their potential, he can’t possibly be snubbed again. Peter Berkes writes about college football for SB Nation. He can be found on Twitter at @peterberkes.

Projected finish | Big Ten East 1. Ohio State

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2. Michigan State

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. Penn State

THE PLAIN DEALER

4. Maryland

ASSOCIATED PRESS

5. Michigan

ASSOCIATED PRESS

6. Rutgers

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. Indiana

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Michigan State QB Connor Cook.

Penn State’s offensive line must improve.

Maryland coach Randy Edsall.

Jim Harbaugh enters ﬁrst year as UM coach.

Kyle Flood took Rutgers to a bowl last season.

Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld.

Until someone shows they can beat the Buckeyes, they will remain the heavy favorite to win both the division and the conference.

The Spartans bring back quarterback Connor Cook, and are the most immediate threat to unseat the Buckeyes. Losing defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi hurts, but don’t expect the defense to suffer.

Unyoked from NCAA sanctions, the Nittany Lions are still rebuilding their depth but are stocking the roster with high-level talent. The passing game is ready to shine if Christian Hackenberg and the line are up to the task.

Their first year in the Big Ten went better than most could have predicted. Randy Edsall may not be the flashiest coach in the world, but he’s done a good job stabilizing the program.

The Wolverines will have a good defense, and if the offense can get it together under Harbaugh’s watch, they have plenty of room to move up the standings. That’s a big if for this year, though.

The Scarlet Knights return only 10 starters, including five on an offense that wasn’t exactly a world beater. That could potentially be a good thing, but it’s hard to expect much here.

The offense must replace its biggest weapon and the defense is hardly a unit that you can lean on. Hard to expect anything other than more of the same.

Vic Janowicz

Howard Cassady

Archie Griffin

Eddie George

Ezekiel Elliott

Les Horvath

The Plain Dealer | cleveland.com

ELLIOTT PHOTO BY MARVIN FONG / THE PLAIN DEALER, ALL OTHER BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OHIO STATE: THE TRADITION

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott enters 2015 with a chance to become the seventh Buckeye to win the Heisman Trophy. With the exception of quarterback Troy Smith in 2006, it's been a running back to bring back to Columbus. Les Horvath, 1944: The Parma native who also played quarterback won the school’s first Heisman when he rushed for 924 yards and 12 touchdowns. Vic Janowicz, 1950: The Elyria native was an all-around force for the Buckeyes, starring on offense, defense and special teams. As a junior in 1950, he totaled 561 passing yards, 314 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, 1955: The Columbus native won the award his senior season when he rushed for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns. Archie Griffin, 1974 & 1975: Griffin became the first player ever to win a second Heisman, rushing for 3,145 yards and 16 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons. Eddie George, 1995: The last Ohio State running back to win the award, George rushed for 1,826 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior season, and finished as the school’s all-time rushing leader with 3,768 yards.

Elliott poised to join Buckeyes’ elite class of Heisman-winning runners

Super six pack

S12 Saturday, September 5, 2015

College football 2015