Read Sports Geek and Loyal Homer’s arguments about which college football teams of the past decade were the best that did NOT win a championship.
It all started in 2005.
On Saturday, September 10th in Columbus, Ohio, The Ohio State Buckeyes were on the verge of defeating the Texas Longhorns, led by quarterback Vince Young. Despite a dropped touchdown pass by Buckeyes tight end Ryan Hamby in the third quarter, and a missed field goal late in the fourth quarter by Buckeyes kicker Josh Huston, Ohio State still carried a six-point lead into the final five minutes of the game. What followed became the prelude to a story that would conclude months later in one of the most exciting college football games in history.
With less than five minutes on the clock, Young led Texas downfield to a game-winning score that officially put Texas on the map as being a BCS contender that year. Young and his Longhorns would go on to an undefeated season, a Big 12 Championship, and a national championship against the reigning 2004 champions, the favored USC Trojans.
But what about the Buckeyes?
After the loss against Texas, they finished 2005 with a record of 10-2 – including a 34-20 victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl – ending the season ranked fourth in the nation. Many programs would consider that a WILDLY successful year, but that was not the case for the Buckeyes. What started as a year with championship expectations ended with the Buckeyes watching from home as a team they SHOULD HAVE beaten hoisted the trophy above their heads.
Many fans (and I am sure many players) watched the ’05 national championship and thought “It should’ve been us.”
When the 2006 preseason rankings came out, and Ohio State was ranked number one, the Buckeyes realized they had an opportunity for redemption. Many talented players returned on offense, including quarterback Troy Smith, wide receivers Ted Ginn, Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, and running back Antonio Pittman. Their defense was led by defensive end Vernon Gholston and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. They also had some exciting young talent on their team in running back Chris (Beanie) Wells and linebacker James Laurinaitis.
Smith and Ginn were both considered Heisman favorites, and Ohio State, a team normally lauded for its dominant defense, was actually favored because of their explosive offensive potential.
Their schedule in 2006 was no cakewalk. Early in the season they would have to travel into Austin for a rematch against Texas (preseason #3). Also on the horizon were games against Penn State (preseason #19), Iowa (preseason #16), and Michigan (preseason #14). Despite that schedule, the Buckeyes were riding high on talent and expectations.
Following the first week of the season, Texas leapt ahead of Notre Dame in the national rankings, which set the stage for an early-season #1 vs #2 matchup. Ohio State, with bad memories of the 2005 season still on their minds, traveled to Texas for their first test as the top team in the nation, and they left Texas with a 24-7 victory.
Two weeks later, the Buckeyes trounced #24 Penn State by a score of 28-6, and the following week travelled to Iowa, where they handed the #13 Hawkeyes their first loss of the season 38-17. Over the next six games, Ohio State outscored their opponents 232-37, and were rolling toward a BCS Title invitation.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Wolverines had managed to climb their way up the rankings thanks to an 11-0 season, setting the stage for one of the biggest rivalry games ever to be played. When Ohio State hosted Michigan on November 18th, it became the first time in the storied history of the greatest rivalry in college football that both teams would take the field undefeated, ranked as #1 and #2 in the country. This would also be the second time that the Buckeyes had to put their record on the line against the number two ranked team. In a game which lived up to all of the pre-game hype, Ohio State emerged victorious by a score of 42-39.
In the weeks that followed, Florida emerged as the team that would compete against Ohio State for the BCS crown, but most discussion about the game centered on how much the Buckeyes would win by, rather than IF they would win (except in Florida, of course). Expectations increased once again when quarterback Troy Smith was named the Heisman winner for 2006.
Then came the kickoff for the championship. Ted Ginn, Jr. ran the kickoff all the way downfield for a touchdown, which appeared to seal the deal on the inevitable outcome of the game. But, during the touchdown celebration, Ginn injured his ankle and was unable to finish. Without Ginn at receiver, the previously explosive Buckeye offense suddenly became impotent. The end result was a devastating 27-point Florida victory. Since the Gators no longer had to worry about the threat of speedy Ginn, their defense was able to hold a team that averaged more than 35 points per game over the season to only one touchdown in the entire game.
The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes were the best team in college football. They defeated four top-25 teams, including Texas and Michigan both of which were ranked second in the nation at one time. They were led by a Heisman winning quarterback, and 18 players on that roster have since gone on to the NFL. The performance during that game left little doubt that Florida played the better game, but Ohio State in 2006 was still the better team. Who knows what would have transpired if Ginn had not injured his ankle, but the 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes are the best team of the past decade to not win a championship.
