Monday night in Atlanta, Ohio State won the first national championship of the 12-team College Football Playoff era. In the process, the Buckeyes showed provided the rest of the college football world with the blueprint for success going forward in this new landscape.
Do not delude yourselves. As much as you may want it, an expanded field does not offer an opportunity for Cinderella stories in college football. Yes, Boise State and Arizona State both earned berths, and both received byes, but in the end, it was the team with the second-most national titles since 1936 (the beginning of the poll era) and second-most wins in history hoisting the trophy after defeating the program with the fourth-most wins. It’s a tournament designed to give the best teams a second — and maybe even a third — chance to prove itself worthy of greatness.
No, the lesson to be learned here is how to become Ohio State if you’re a program that already does or hopes to compete at the elite level of the sport. The formula itself is simple, even if it isn’t easy to pull off.
Ohio State wins national championship: Where do Buckeyes’ nine titles rank on all-time college football list?
Zachary Pereles
The answer is not in the transfer portal. There was a lot of talk about how Ohio State bought its roster in the days leading up to the title game, but what wasn’t discussed as much was the fact Notre Dame had a larger class of transfers in the 2024 offseason (nine players) than Ohio State (seven). Neither team spent the offseason in the portal hunting for players to fix problems because that’s not how you’re going to win a national title in the new era.
It might help you get into the field, but it won’t be enough to win.
No, the answer is the same one that’s always existed. You recruit the high school ranks well, develop the talent acquired and then retain the talent. Ohio State didn’t win a national title this season by hitting the portal. It won a national title by making sure its best players returned.
Players like Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tyliek Williams, Emeka Egbuka and plenty of others could have left for the NFL last season. Others could have entered their names in the portal to search for greener pastures elsewhere. They didn’t. They remained bought into what Ohio State was trying to accomplish and were paid for their loyalty.
That culture word you’re always hearing coaches throw around? That’s what it is. A group of players who came into the program together, bleeding and sweating every day together for years in pursuit of a common goal. It’s not a group of hired mercenaries with their own personal agendas.
Obviously, the Buckeyes did use the portal. Will Howard didn’t begin his career at Ohio State, nor did Quinshon Judkins or Caleb Downs. All came to Columbus from elsewhere as Ohio State showed the world the proper way to use the portal.
The portal is not there to build your roster. It’s there to supplement it, and if you’ve got enough cash, it’s there to solidify an already elite roster with more elite talent. It’s no coincidence that it was Notre Dame the Buckeyes beat in the title game or Texas it beat in the semifinals. Nor is it a coincidence the two teams the Irish beat in the quarters and semis were Penn State and Georgia. These are all programs that followed a similar blueprint, and all went deep into the postseason because if it.
Only one could win it all in the end, but they’ve all shown you what it takes to reach this point. The question is, which programs will follow suit?
