Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, it turns out, did not have this football season figured out.
He thought, in his heart of hearts, it would be next season’s team that really went places such as, well, Arlington, Texas, the site of Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
It is a frank and curious admission by a man who has the nation’s longest active winning streak (12 games), two national championships to his name at Florida and is knocking on the door of a third one in guiding 13-1 Ohio State against Oregon (13-1) in the inaugural CFP title game.
Nevertheless he stood in front of the media this week and acknowledged that, as good as the Buckeyes’ freshmen and sophomore classes were looking earlier this season, "I made the comment, in my own heart, I said, ‘this is what it is, this 2015 team, watch out!’"
Turns out, of course, there should have been a warning label attached to the 2014 version as well. As the Buckeyes arrive in Arlington, the early and remarkable maturation of those freshmen and sophomores — 37 who figure prominently among the top 69 on the depth chart — have mitigated the once considerable talent drain from 2013 departures.
Suddenly the wait-’til-next-year forecast has been sent back for revision.
Though you can understand how Meyer arrived at his conclusion early on based upon the attrition numbers. "You take three offensive linemen, you take the starting tailback, best receiver, best linebacker, best corner — and there might be another one in there — that’s seven guys starting (in the NFL this season)," Meyer said.
All from a team that went 12-2. "That’s why I knew, especially when two juniors left, as a coach: How do you replace that?" Meyer asked.
"I don’t know if that’s ever been done before: Seven players left our program and are starting, not (just) playing, not backups, not practice squad (but) starting in the National Football League," Meyer said. "In the history of college football, I’d like to know if that’s ever been done. I don’t think it has. That tells you how good that team was last year."
And that 12-game winning streak, the last steps of which have been over Alabama and Wisconsin, tells you how good the current team is and how it has risen to the occasion after its only loss, a confounding 35-21 defeat by Virginia Tech Sept. 6 in the Columbus, and kept climbing.
In many ways it stands as Meyer’s best coaching job, which is saying something in a 13-year career in which he has gone 141-26. The revolving door at quarterback is the best, most visible illustration of that. Down goes senior Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller and who steps in without missing a beat, but redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett. And when he also suffers a season-ending injury after 12 games, along comes sophomore Cardale Jones to help win the Big Ten title and Sugar Bowl games.
Consider, for example, that on the depth chart released Tuesday, 16 of 23 starters are underclassmen, including four freshmen and seven sophomores. Of the Buckeyes top 69 players, just 13 are seniors.
They are revealing numbers. Or, if you are the University of Hawaii, the Buckeyes’ opponent eight months hence (Sept. 12) in Columbus, chilling.
Especially now that Meyer has things figured out.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
