Ohio State football finished one win shy of playing in the National Championship in 2019. Here are the biggest surprises from their near-perfect season.
Ryan Day’s first full season as Ohio State’s head coach was a successful one, finishing 13-1 and earning a College Football Playoff berth. The Buckeyes ultimately lost, but the journey there was an eventful one. They averaged the third-most points in the country (46.9) while surrendering the fourth fewest (13.7), in addition to playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
The non-conference schedule was full of cupcakes, playing Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, and Miami (OH), but the Big Ten proved to be a gauntlet, particularly in late November. The Buckeyes handled No. 13 Wisconsin 38-7 in October, and beat No. 9 Penn State, No. 10 Michigan, and No. 10 Wisconsin (again) in consecutive weeks to close the regular season and win the Big Ten Championship.
Great things were expected from a number of Buckeyes, too. Few imagined the sheer dominance from the collective, though. It all starts with two players.
And that’s where we’re going to start with the Buckeyes’ biggest surprises of the 2019 football season.