Ohio State Football: 2017 season preview, predictions

Ohio State football will need a nice bounce-back after getting blown out in last year’s College Football Playoff. Talent riddles the 2017 roster.

Urban Meyer isn’t used to losing at Ohio State. In fact, since taking over the Buckeyes five years ago, he’s posted a 61-6 record and has Big Ten titles as well as a national championship to his name. He is one of college football’s most successful head coaches and the Buckeyes are glad he decided to come out of retirement to lead the program.

However, he’s coming off his worst loss as the head coach of Ohio State, a 31-0 thrashing at the hands of Clemson in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers were just too much for the Buckeyes to handle as they pounced early and often, using Ohio State as a stepping stone to the national title.

It’s time to move forward, though. Meyer is recruiting at a high level. He’s consistently bringing in top-two or three recruiting classes, keeping pace with Nick Saban and Alabama. He’s the Big Ten’s top recruiter, followed by Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Penn State’s James Franklin. He’s keeping a safe distance between himself and those two.

Entering the 2017 season, his Buckeyes are considered to be the most talented team in the Big Ten, by a decent margin, and were even ranked No. 2 overall in the preseason coaches poll. This team isn’t rebuilding after losing multiple players to the NFL, it’s reloading.

What will the 2017 season bring for Ohio State? Could another national title be heading the way of Columbus?