Gophers

Ohio State takes aim at fifth straight Big Ten football title and much more

The loss to Alabama for the national championship fuels the Buckeyes, who are overwhelming favorites to win the conference and open the season Thursday against the Gophers.

By Randy Johnson

August 30, 2021 at 12:05AM

C.J. Stroud has yet to throw a college pass, but the Ohio State quarterback is expected to pick up where the departed Justin Fields left off. (Paul Vernon, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

When Thayer Munford faced the questioners during Big Ten media days in Indianapolis in July, he was matter-of-fact about Ohio State's expectations for the 2021 football season.

"We need to be better than Bama,'' the preseason All-America offensive tackle said. "We need to be better than everyone else.''

Confident? Yes, and maybe even a bit cocky, but Munford and the Buckeyes have their eyes on more than just a fifth consecutive Big Ten title. They have serious national championship aspirations, aiming to overcome the sting of a 52-24 to loss to Alabama in last season's College Football Playoff final.

"It's more about winning the whole thing,'' Munford added. "We know we can get there. We know we have the potential to do that. All it is now, it's on us.''

More than any other Big Ten team, Ohio State has been the Big Ten's standard-bearer on the national stage this century. The Buckeyes have won the past two national championships by the conference — in 2002 over Miami (Fla.) in the Rose Bowl for the BCS title and in 2014 in the inaugural playoff by stunning Alabama in the semifinals and beating Oregon in the final.

Heck, Ohio State even fits right in with the Alabamas, Clemsons and LSUs of the college football world when it comes to players cashing in on their name, image and likeness. Last week, a car dealership in the Columbus suburb of Pataskala gave six prominent Buckeyes — quarterback C.J. Stroud, wide receiver Chris Olave, running back Miyan Williams, defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, defensive end Zach Harrison and linebacker Teradja Mitchell — free use of vehicles for the season, with promotional and charitable work in the deal. We're not talking Chevy Sparks here, either. Players posed with a fully loaded Camaro and a decked-out Ford pickup, among other rides.

Managing all of this is third-year Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, who accepts the challenge of being a player on the national stage but knows the process to get there is long and full of challenges.

"The easy thing to do, coming off last year, is to focus on what would happen in the game at the end of the year, how do we get back to the national championship game,'' said Day, who's 23-2 in his Ohio State career, including 15-0 against Big Ten teams. "More importantly this year it's going to be, 'How do we win that first game at Minnesota with a young team?' ''

Ohio State, ranked fourth in both the Associated Press media and USA Today coaches preseason polls, opens against the Gophers on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. Oddsmakers have the Buckeyes as 13½-point favorites. They're also the choice of all 34 media members in the Cleveland.com preseason poll to return to Indianapolis in December and win that fifth consecutive Big Ten championship.

Trying to knock the Buckeyes from their lofty position will be No. 17 Indiana and No. 19 Penn State in the East Division, while No. 12 Wisconsin is the preseason favorite in the West, with No. 18 Iowa, Northwestern and the Gophers in the mix.

"It sounds like coach talk, but in order to get back here, we have to figure out a way to win the first game,'' Day said in Indy. "Otherwise, it doesn't matter.''

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck sees the Buckeyes as a program that reloads rather than rebuilds. That will be put to the test at quarterback this year, where Stroud, a redshirt freshman, replaces Justin Fields, the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears this year.

Stroud appeared in three games last year and did not attempt a pass, though the 6-3, 218-pounder's speed was on display with his only carry, a 48-yard touchdown run against Michigan State. Coming out of Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High School in 2020, Stroud was the nation's second-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 274Sports.com composite ratings of major national recruiting services.

Stroud beat out redshirt freshman Jack Miller and true freshman Kyle McCord for the starting job, and Munford doesn't expect the offense to miss a beat.

"Whoever's behind me or the offensive line is going to do that job, no matter what,'' the tackle said.

Of course, any quarterback would love to have Ohio State's wealth of talent at wide receiver. Olave might be the Big Ten's best receiver — if teammate Garrett Wilson isn't. Fleck calls Olave (50 catches, 729 yards, seven TDs in 2020) and Wilson (43-723-6) the best duo he's faced as a coach. Add in tight end Jeremy Ruckert (five TD grabs in 2020), and Stroud has options.

Ohio State's athletes aren't limited to offense. The defense is led by its line, featuring Garrett, an All-America tackle, and standout ends Harrison and Tyreke Smith. A strong pass rush will be key because the secondary had issues last season as the Buckeyes surrendered 304 passing yards per game.

The expectations, both internally and externally, are high in Columbus, and the Buckeyes are relishing the challenge.

"It's something that we embrace,'' Harrison said. "We know that every time we step on the field, we're going to get every team's best. They're going to go 100 percent that week, and it's been circled on their calendar for the whole year.''