College football: 25 biggest what-ifs of the 2010s

College football: 2010s biggest what-ifs: 15. COVID-19 didn’t take place

For the most part, COVID-19 made the majority of college football fans believe that the season was over before it started.

Despite those thoughts, college football took place but not all colleges started from the beginning. For the eventual champs, the Alabama Crimson Tide, they pretty much started from the beginning and rolled throughout the year. In the case of Ohio State, they got a late start on the season.

Granted, once they accepted the newly implemented COVID-19 restrictions, they got their season going. While they were considered a title threat, the late start to their season did them no favors. Although the wins were piling up, they didn’t look as dominant. Close calls against Penn State and Indiana almost saw their title dreams flushed down the drain.

In the end, Ohio State ultimately found themselves playing for a National Championship. And while they were manhandled by Alabama, losing by 28 points, it feels as though things could have been different if they had a full season to work with. With five more games under their belt to work out the kinks during the regular season, Alabama was a well-oiled machine by the time the playoffs arrived. Considering how great Ohio State looked in dismantling the Clemson Tigers, the title winner of the previous year, if everyone started off on equal footing, there’s reason to believe Alabama would’ve been pushed to their limits if not flat out lost.