Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
You’re Nuts: Which Buckeye do you wish had won a national title at Ohio State?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
SetNumber: X49270 TK1 R9 F25
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday we saw the final game of Caitlin Clark’s remarkable college basketball career. Unfortunately for Iowa fans, Clark and the Hawkeyes fell short in the championship game for the second year in a row. After handing South Carolina their only loss of the season last year in the Final Four battle between the two teams, this year Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks were able to finish their season undefeated with an 87-75 over Clark and company in Cleveland. Between South Carolina not losing a game all year, Clark breaking the NCAA scoring record, and the play of Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, and others, it was the most memorable women’s college basketball season in history.
When the final whistle blew on Sunday, the reality set in that Clark would leave college without having won a national championship. Despite not bringing a title back to Iowa City, Clark will still be looked at as one of the most influential players women’s college basketball has ever seen. Leading the Hawkeyes to a title would have been the icing on the cake of an iconic college career. Not only is Clark college basketball’s all-time leading scorer, but she is also a two-time National Player of the Year and will be the first pick in the WNBA Draft, which will take place on Monday.
Since Clark wasn’t able to win a title at Iowa, that got us thinking about which Ohio State players we wish had been able to win a national championship during their time in Columbus. Of course we want every athlete that dons the scarlet and gray to win a title but we know that isn’t possible. Instead, we figured we’d focus on one player that you thought deserved to raise a trophy while they were a Buckeye.
About the only thing Orlando Pace wasn’t able to do on the football field was win a national championship at Ohio State. The offensive tackle not only won the Lombardi Trophy twice, the Outland Trophy, and Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams, and has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. Pace was so impactful on the field as a Buckeye that he was one of the few linemen to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the voting back in 1996.
What makes Pace not winning a title while he was a Buckeye even tougher to stomach is Ohio State had great teams in both 1995 and 1996, with the only thing keeping them out of contention for a championship being losses to Michigan in their final game of the regular season. The Buckeyes lost 31-23 in Ann Arbor in 1995 to a Wolverine squad that entered The Game with an 8-3 record. The following season saw another Ohio State team that entered The Game ranked second in the country losing 13-9 in Columbus to another 8-3 Michigan team. While it’s not a given the Buckeyes would go on to be named national champs had they beaten Michigan and won their bowl games, it would have been nice for the Buckeyes and Pace to have a chance to at least state their case for a title.
Let’s be honest, Pace doesn’t need a college football national title since his body of work already speaks for itself. The main reason I wish Pace had been able to get a championship at Ohio State is because it would only add to him being one of the best offensive linemen that the game of football has ever seen. Much like what Clark did on the court at Iowa, The Pancake Man did things that we’ll likely never see on the football field in Columbus from an offensive lineman. It would have been incredible to see a Buckeye team win a national championship where their best player was an offensive lineman.
Orlando Pace is a great option for this question. One of the best Buckeyes to ever play the game and someone who certainly deserved to be on a championship team. However, I am going to go in a slightly different direction, in fact, I’m just going to go a few years behind the greatest offensive lineman in Buckeye history.
My pick is King Eddie George, who ran behind Orlando Pace for two seasons in Columbus and he is the first OSU player that I truly remember being a die-hard fan of. His junior season in 1994 — in which he ran for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns — was my eighth grade year, and I was just starting to truly come into my Buckeye fandom as an individual sentient human being. Of course, I was a lifelong Ohio State fan, but most of that came from living in Central Ohio and being the child of OSU alums. With Eddie, I felt like I was finally making a connection with a player beyond just my inherent connection with the school.
George’s senior season saw him win Ohio State’s first Heisman Trophy since Archie Griffin two decades before. He rushed for 1,927 yards and 24 TDs while also adding in 417 yards and one score as a receiver. There was just something magical about watching Eddie run — which continued in the NFL; he was a combination of power, speed, and agility that has become increasingly rare in the decades since he played.
Like Pace, Eddie’s Buckeyes were part of the John Cooper Era, which means that far athletically superior teams often lost to Michigan and in bowl games. That is true, to various degrees, in both of the seasons that saw No. 27 serve as the featured back. In his junior year of 1994, OSU did get one of Cooper’s two victories over Michigan, but had already lost three times in the regular season and then fell to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Then, in 1995, Ohio State was No. 2 heading into the final weekend of the regular season, where it lost in Ann Arbor and then fell to Tennessee, again in the Citrus Bowl.
I can only imagine what a runner like Eddie George would have been able to accomplish playing for Jim Tressell, or even Urban Meyer; I, for one, think that playing for a different OSU head coach might have been enough to get Eddie his national title.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
SetNumber: X49270 TK1 R9 F25
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday we saw the final game of Caitlin Clark’s remarkable college basketball career. Unfortunately for Iowa fans, Clark and the Hawkeyes fell short in the championship game for the second year in a row. After handing South Carolina their only loss of the season last year in the Final Four battle between the two teams, this year Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks were able to finish their season undefeated with an 87-75 over Clark and company in Cleveland. Between South Carolina not losing a game all year, Clark breaking the NCAA scoring record, and the play of Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, and others, it was the most memorable women’s college basketball season in history.
When the final whistle blew on Sunday, the reality set in that Clark would leave college without having won a national championship. Despite not bringing a title back to Iowa City, Clark will still be looked at as one of the most influential players women’s college basketball has ever seen. Leading the Hawkeyes to a title would have been the icing on the cake of an iconic college career. Not only is Clark college basketball’s all-time leading scorer, but she is also a two-time National Player of the Year and will be the first pick in the WNBA Draft, which will take place on Monday.
Since Clark wasn’t able to win a title at Iowa, that got us thinking about which Ohio State players we wish had been able to win a national championship during their time in Columbus. Of course we want every athlete that dons the scarlet and gray to win a title but we know that isn’t possible. Instead, we figured we’d focus on one player that you thought deserved to raise a trophy while they were a Buckeye.
Today’s question: Which Buckeye do you wish had won a national championship while at Ohio State?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Orlando Pace
About the only thing Orlando Pace wasn’t able to do on the football field was win a national championship at Ohio State. The offensive tackle not only won the Lombardi Trophy twice, the Outland Trophy, and Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams, and has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. Pace was so impactful on the field as a Buckeye that he was one of the few linemen to be named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth in the voting back in 1996.
What makes Pace not winning a title while he was a Buckeye even tougher to stomach is Ohio State had great teams in both 1995 and 1996, with the only thing keeping them out of contention for a championship being losses to Michigan in their final game of the regular season. The Buckeyes lost 31-23 in Ann Arbor in 1995 to a Wolverine squad that entered The Game with an 8-3 record. The following season saw another Ohio State team that entered The Game ranked second in the country losing 13-9 in Columbus to another 8-3 Michigan team. While it’s not a given the Buckeyes would go on to be named national champs had they beaten Michigan and won their bowl games, it would have been nice for the Buckeyes and Pace to have a chance to at least state their case for a title.
Let’s be honest, Pace doesn’t need a college football national title since his body of work already speaks for itself. The main reason I wish Pace had been able to get a championship at Ohio State is because it would only add to him being one of the best offensive linemen that the game of football has ever seen. Much like what Clark did on the court at Iowa, The Pancake Man did things that we’ll likely never see on the football field in Columbus from an offensive lineman. It would have been incredible to see a Buckeye team win a national championship where their best player was an offensive lineman.
Matt’s answer: Eddie George
Orlando Pace is a great option for this question. One of the best Buckeyes to ever play the game and someone who certainly deserved to be on a championship team. However, I am going to go in a slightly different direction, in fact, I’m just going to go a few years behind the greatest offensive lineman in Buckeye history.
My pick is King Eddie George, who ran behind Orlando Pace for two seasons in Columbus and he is the first OSU player that I truly remember being a die-hard fan of. His junior season in 1994 — in which he ran for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns — was my eighth grade year, and I was just starting to truly come into my Buckeye fandom as an individual sentient human being. Of course, I was a lifelong Ohio State fan, but most of that came from living in Central Ohio and being the child of OSU alums. With Eddie, I felt like I was finally making a connection with a player beyond just my inherent connection with the school.
George’s senior season saw him win Ohio State’s first Heisman Trophy since Archie Griffin two decades before. He rushed for 1,927 yards and 24 TDs while also adding in 417 yards and one score as a receiver. There was just something magical about watching Eddie run — which continued in the NFL; he was a combination of power, speed, and agility that has become increasingly rare in the decades since he played.
Like Pace, Eddie’s Buckeyes were part of the John Cooper Era, which means that far athletically superior teams often lost to Michigan and in bowl games. That is true, to various degrees, in both of the seasons that saw No. 27 serve as the featured back. In his junior year of 1994, OSU did get one of Cooper’s two victories over Michigan, but had already lost three times in the regular season and then fell to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.
Then, in 1995, Ohio State was No. 2 heading into the final weekend of the regular season, where it lost in Ann Arbor and then fell to Tennessee, again in the Citrus Bowl.
I can only imagine what a runner like Eddie George would have been able to accomplish playing for Jim Tressell, or even Urban Meyer; I, for one, think that playing for a different OSU head coach might have been enough to get Eddie his national title.
Continue reading...