Ohio State has looked impressive through the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes blasted Tennessee in Columbus in round one before a convincing win over then-unbeaten Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Tomorrow night, they’ll take on Texas in the Cotton Bowl with a berth in the national title game at stake. It’s been a satisfying few weeks for Ohio State, which ended the regular season on a sour note, losing to rival Michigan for the fourth-straight year.
This offseason, much was made of the Buckeyes’ roster and how much it cost in terms of NIL money. In the eyes of ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, this has led to a misunderstanding of the makeup of Ohio State’s team.
During tonight’s pregame show before the Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State, Herbstreit argued that while Ohio State brought in some key outside transfers, a lot of the money was spent on retaining talent that was already in the program.
That talent, and the experience that comes with it, has spearheaded the Buckeyes’ run to this point.
“The perception is wrong with Ohio State,” Herbstreit declared. “The perception is they went out and found players. The reality is, this is a veteran defense. You know what it’s like when you have three and four-year guys that have been there forever, won a lot of great games, lost a lot to Michigan, lost to Oregon, lost to Georgia. It’s a hardened team that’s been through a lot of s—, and I think that’s what makes them really have a little bit like, this is our last dance.”
Herbstreit didn’t mince words. He is right that Ohio State brought back many key defensive contributors, including defensive end Jack Sawyer, linebacker and Rose Bowl MVP Cody Simon and four starters in the defensive backfield.
Of course, major transfers like quarterback Will Howard and safety Caleb Downs have only helped matters, but the continued maturation of the Buckeyes’ established vets has played a major role in their success.
Texas and Ohio State will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow night on ESPN.
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