🏈 Ohio State’s Unprecedented Journey To The Top

Urban Meyer discusses Ohio State’s path to this weekend’s Big Ten Championship Game. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: This season has provided plenty of hurdles for the Ohio State Buckeyes as they prepare to play Northwestern in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game ... we take a look at why Florida’s hopes for a CFP spot sit in the hands of Kyle Trask ... and we are treated to an epic hype video from the Ohio State football program. Urban Meyer hears the criticism being leveled at Ohio State and he knows it has merit. The three-time national title winning head coach and FOX Sports college football analyst knows that the shots being taken at his former program aren’t a fabrication and that they are based off sound logic and genuine factors. Yet ahead of Saturday’s Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis (12 p.m. ET on FOX), where the Buckeyes will take on Northwestern as 18-point favorites, per [FOX Bet]( there are two certainties Meyer holds close at the end of a season of unprecedented turmoil. That the holes on Ohio State’s resume are not of their own choosing, or their own making. And that amid these strangest of days, the sport will be best served by having its best four teams in the playoff, regardless of how messy the schedule has looked. [STORY IMAGE 1] “I think the criticism is justified and it is real,” Meyer told me via telephone on Friday. “But the College Football Playoff committee has a responsibility to put the best four teams in there. “It is a year of inequity – that’s reality, but Ohio State certainly can’t do anything about it. The critics aren’t wrong, but it is up to those committee members to see through it and get the four teams that play the best football into the field.” Few would argue that Ohio State is among the four best teams, even though they haven’t had the optimal chance to prove it. They needed a backdoor route even to get to the Big Ten title game, requiring an exemption after the league initially stated that a minimum of six games was necessary for eligibility. The Buckeyes are 5-0 and have demolished everyone, with the exception of Indiana, who came up short in a late rally. They are fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, and if victory is completed on Saturday, could be stacked up against the likes of 7-1 Texas A&M, 8-2 Iowa State and 8-2 Florida, all of whom have had a much tougher path. “I know we’ve played 10 games,” Florida head coach Dan Mullen said last week, in a clear shot at Ohio State. “I guess probably the best thing to do would’ve been to play less games. You seem to get rewarded for not playing this year.” [STORY IMAGE 2] The Gators were probably eliminated from contention by losing to LSU last week, but a surprise victory over Alabama in the SEC title game could give the committee a headache to grapple with. Given that there is always disagreement and conjecture on such matters even during a normal campaign, there is certain to be brewing discontent when the final set of four is announced this time. “This year you don’t have the data you have in the past, you don’t have inter-conference games, you don’t have big wins or the same number of games, they are all gone,” Meyer added. “Now you have to simply look at it, you just have to pick the best team. You have to watch film and grade it. “My biggest concern is how do they do that? There is going to be people making decisions based on the so-called ‘look’ test. What are the people in that room watching? If you’ve never watched video tape before or you have limited experience watching video tape, what are you looking at?” [STORY IMAGE 3] Ohio State can’t change the number of games it has been able to play or the quality of opposition it has faced, but it has done everything it can to get on the field, with head coach Ryan Day an early proponent of saving the season despite the ravages of COVID-19. “If we need to take a deep breath, let's take a deep breath,” Day said in August, when cancellation remained a very real option. “But let's do everything we can (to play). We owe it to these kids to exhaust every single option we possibly can.” Part of Day’s motivation may have been that he has one of the most talented groups in program history and perhaps the most gifted in the nation. Justin Fields is destined to be a National Football League quarterback before long. Offensive guard Wyatt Davis and cornerback Shaun Wade were both projected as first rounders before opting out of the season, then returning to be part of Day’s push for a national title. Day has impressed Meyer with his ability to keep things ticking smoothly, despite disruptions aplenty. [STORY IMAGE 4] “I grade him an A-plus,” Meyer said. “He has done a wonderful job. All you can do is deal with the situation in front of you and he has done that all year long. Now it comes time where you accept your situation – you have to not only win but look really good doing it.” Even with the Buckeyes’ favoritism, such an outcome might not be so easy. Unheralded Northwestern comes in at 6-1 and with the Big Ten’s tightest defense, which has allowed just 14.6 points per game and 5.0 yards per reception. Furthermore, [early Friday reports continued to emerge that the Buckeyes were dealing with more positive coronavirus cases involving key players]( continuing the trend that each new week brings new hurdles to surmount. “Nothing,” Meyer said, “Has been easy for them.” [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State tight end: “When this whole thing just opened up with COVID, we just wanted to play for a Big Ten Championship, that’s why everybody came back. And now we’re here.” Shaun Wade, Ohio State cornerback: “We’ve definitely got something to prove. Like I’ve been telling a lot of my teammates, we gotta blow them (Northwestern) out. We have to come to play, and we have to show the world what we can do.” Bryan Driskell, Sports Illustrated: “Yes, Northwestern has a very good defense, but it has been shutting down mediocre offenses. It hasn't faced an offense in the same universe as Ohio State. I expect Ohio State to move the ball and score on Northwestern, but not at the rate it has for much of its shortened season. Northwestern has a quality secondary and a front that is capable of giving the Buckeyes some problems, at least early in the game. This might stay close for awhile, but Ohio State's receiving corps - no matter who plays - and the Buckeyes front four will take this game over and the Buckeyes will make one last statement for the College Football Playoff committee.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - One thing can help Florida get past Alabama this weekend, and that’s a Heisman-worthy performance from QB Kyle Trask. [ESPN senior writer Andrea Adelson]( explains why Florida’s hopes for a CFP spot sit in the hands of Trask. - Jayson Tatum broke out as an NBA star last season. [Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports]( explains why Tatum is poised to compete with the league’s superstars for the top individual honor. - The Minnesota Vikings’ season is unlike any other, off the field. Vikings star linebacker Eric Kendricks takes [Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop]( behind the scenes for the team’s season of social activism. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( With the Ohio State Buckeyes being the focus of today’s newsletter, we felt it was only fitting to feature this epic hype video the football program released leading up to Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game. The video is filled with outstanding highlights, taking us through the Buckeyes’ offseason all the way up to this point. The caption reads -- “We do this for each other. We do this to become champions.” The Buckeyes will have their shot to become Big Ten champions on Saturday and stamp their ticket to the College Football Playoff! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Pac-12 Championship Game: Oregon at USC (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Tyler Shough and the Oregon Ducks take on Kedon Slovis and the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Big Ten Championship Game: Northwestern vs. Ohio State (Saturday, FOX, 12 p.m. ET) Peyton Ramsey and the No. 14-ranked Northwestern Wildcats go up against Justin Fields and the No. 4-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game. Big 12 Championship Game: Oklahoma vs. Iowa State (Saturday, ABC, 12 p.m. ET) Spencer Rattler leads the Oklahoma Sooners into the Big 12 Championship Game to take on Brock Purdy and the Iowa State Cyclones. ACC Championship Game: Clemson vs. Notre Dame (Saturday, ABC, 4 p.m. ET) Trevor Lawrence and the No. 3-ranked Clemson Tigers battle Ian Book and the No. 2-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Championship Game. SEC Championship Game: Alabama vs. Florida (Saturday, CBS, 8 p.m. ET) Mac Jones and No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide go up against Kyle Trask and the No. 7-ranked Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game. Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team (Sunday, FOX, 1 p.m. ET) Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks travel to the nation’s capital to battle Dwayne Haskins and the Washington Football Team. Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints (Sunday, CBS, 4:25 p.m. ET) Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints in a much-anticipated matchup. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY]( Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( As great as the NFL games were on paper for Week 14, we really only got one incredible contest. The Ravens' dramatic 47-42 victory in Cleveland was a thriller that sits as the clubhouse leader for Game of the Year. With just three weeks left in the season, it’s time to look alive, people. Once again, fans will have the chance to win $100,000 for free with the [FOX Super 6 Challenge](. Here are the FOX Super 6 games for Week 15 and Jason McIntyre’s predictions for each: Vikings by 4-6 points vs. Bears Titans by 4-6 points vs. Lions Buccaneers by 10-12 points vs. Falcons Seahawks by 7-9 points vs. Washington Patriots by 1-3 points vs. Dolphins Browns by 4-6 points vs. Giants [WHAT THEY SAID] “I may not be able to outsmart too many people, but I can outwork ‘em.” — Woody Hayes [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2020 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. 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