A new era dawns for Ohio State after Urban Meyer retired after coaching the Buckeyes to victory in his first and only Rose Bowl appearance. Now the program is in Ryan Day’s hands full-time following his interim role leading the program when Meyer was suspended at the beginning of last season, and he will hope to remain undefeated in that capacity.
Day won’t have Dwayne Haskins to lean on this year after the quarterback went 15th overall to Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft. Instead, Justin Fields looks to be the new starter. After transferring from Georgia, Fields successfully argued for a waiver to play immediately. He didn’t officially earn the starting role this spring, but it feels like a foregone conclusion at this point.
Ohio State also lost co-defensive coordinators Greg Schiano and Alex Grinch, the former to unemployment and the latter to Oklahoma. Now the defensive coordinator job falls to longtime NFL position coach Jeff Hafley as Day builds up his own staff. As the unit adapts to the new scheme, it could result in more consistent efforts.
Group of Five opponents Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, and the Miami RedHawks represent the sum total of Ohio State’s non-conference schedule. If it comes down to splitting hairs for the top four spots in the College Football Playoff, that could doom the Buckeyes. Entering the year, though, they look likely to land in the top five of the AP Top 25.