Ohio State football could face major setback after winning national title under Ryan Day

Zain Bando

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Ohio State football could face major setback after winning national title under Ryan Day image

Ohio State conquered college football this past season, as coach Ryan Day finally won a national title despite struggles against Oregon (which was avenged in the Rose Bowl) and the Michigan Wolverines over Thanksgiving weekend.

Although there is much to be excited about as the Buckeyes potentially repeat, a critical roadblock could put their season up in smoke if they aren't careful. According to college football analyst David Pollack, he still trusts the Buckeyes will figure out the quarterback position, but their star power losses to the NFL Draft, including quarterback Will Howard, could do them in rather quickly.

"Ohio State loses 14 guys to the draft," Pollack said on his "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack" podcast. "And tons of guys that you are looking at, and they're still going to be some ballers. They're still going to be really, really good. I'll say this, I don't know if I would put Ohio State two. I can say that. I might move Ohio State down the list a little bit."

Another hurdle is Penn State. Even though the Buckeyes have had the Nittany Lions' number in recent years, Pollack said with the production coach James Franklin has returning, including quarterback Drew Allar, this year's matchup is anything but a pushover for either side.

"Penn State at five, to me, is high anyway," Pollack said. "Like, Penn State, to think about them, and they haven't been traditionally at this spot consistently. Obviously, you lose Abdul Carter, but the guys coming back and the system. I still think Penn State's a team that's going to be incredible."

This year's November matchup has bigger stakes with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles departing Columbus for State College in the days following the title game.

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Nevertheless, getting back to the top of the mountain for the Buckeyes may not be as easy as it appears. Once the season starts, though, more will be revealed about whether Pollack's championship caution is justified.

For now, the countdown to Week 1 vs. Texas continues.

Zain Bando

Zain Bando is a freelance writer for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Over the years, Bando has written about various beats surrounding Illinois, Northwestern, and Kansas State Athletics but sticks to the Big Ten as his primary expertise. Outside of collegiate reporting, Bando covers MMA and boxing for MMA Knockout On Sports Illustrated and hosts/co-hosts two podcasts as part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network – Bando's Breakdowns and The MMA Outsiders, which air weekly on YouTube and are distributed on all podcast platforms Wednesday nights and Friday afternoons. Bando is a Chicago Suburban native and a member of the FWAA and USBWA, continuing to hone his professional skills as a sports journalist and media personality. Since June 2019, Bando's byline has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MSN, Yardbarker, Deadspin, FanSided, BJPenn.com, Bridge Media Network (Sports News Highlights), Mike Farrell Sports, Reuters, and more. When Bando is not writing, he binges on old UFC fights, spends time with family and friends, memorizes every Super Bowl, and manifests all the places he still has to travel to (even while bringing his laptop).