The case for Ohio State as consensus No. 1, why the pressure is on in 2024

Ohio State has all the expectations upon them to win their ninth national title this season. On3’s Andy Staples and Jesse Simonton only added to that hype with their ranking of the Buckeyes as the No. 1 overall team in the nation.

Staples and Simonton made the case for Ohio State as the top team in the country in a rating of the Top-25 on Tuesday. Staples led the way with them because of all that they brought back along with all that they added in the portal this offseason.

“I think probably most people who do these rankings have Ohio State at number one or they have Georgia at number one and it’s just reversed,” Staples said.

“I look at what they did roster-wise, I look at who came (back). It’s more to me, Jesse, about who came back because it feels a lot like the Michigan team last year. Everybody who was kind of a fringe, like, third-round, fourth-round pick? They’re coming back. That was huge for Michigan last year,” said Staples. “Then Ohio State goes (to the portal). Michigan was good at spot recruiting. Like, they got LaDarius Henderson to play left tackle last year out of the portal. Ohio State got Caleb Downs, got Quinshon Judkins, got Seth McLaughlin, got Will Howard to play quarterback.”

Simonton respects Ohio State’s loaded roster as well. He did have one issue with the Buckeyes’ offensive line that he feels has needed some work for some time now. Still, besides that unit, everything else is top-tier and makes up the best collection of players in the sport.

“The one concern for Ohio State – and they’re going to get to answer this in that game against Oregon in the first week of October. Before that, their schedule is kind of cake. I think the one issue if there is any sort of, kind of Scarlet A for the Buckeyes is the offensive line,” Simonton said. “That’s been kind of a bugaboo the last couple years. Did they address it with McLaughlin, the center from Alabama? Obviously, the snapping snafus have gone away. They bring back Donovan (Jackson) but those tackles have to play way better.

“They’re going to have the best secondary in the country, they might have the best defensive line in the country. Playmakers? They’ve got plenty. Jeremiah Smith has drawn just ridiculous comps as a freshman. He has barely been on campus. I’m not sold that Will Howard is going to be some all-conference quarterback but I don’t think he needs to be,” Simonton continued. “Outside of the offensive line, I think Ohio State probably has the best roster in college football in ’24. Now, can Day get it done? He has to. He has to.”

That’s where the conversation shifted to Ryan Day. There has been much discussion of him as their head coach considering his overall record compared with no national titles yet and three straight losses to That Team Up North. That’s why, with this top-tier team, the focus will be on Day as Ohio State attempts to get their first win in The Game since 2019 and their first national championship since the first playoff in 2014.

“That’s where this is different. The pressure on Ohio State is so much more than the pressure on everybody else,” said Staples. “Yes, Georgia is expected to compete for national titles. Yes, Alabama is supposed to compete for national titles. But, like, Ohio State? You have to beat Michigan and you have to go very deep in the playoffs, probably win the national title, or this season is a failure.”

Simonton added: “(Michigan) is a 100%, no-doubt must must-win for a guy who has lost, like, 10 games in his entire career.”

Ohio State will in all likelihood enter 2024 at No. 1 if not at worst at No. 2. That ranking will represent one incredible shot that they’ll have in their chamber to hit a bullseye this year before much of the roster moves on.

Now, it’s on Day and the Buckeyes to take aim and pull the trigger on what could be a special season in Columbus.

“This is Ohio State’s season. They have clearly pushed all their chips in,” said Simonton. “If anybody has been crowned the offseason champions, it is absolutely the Buckeyes. What that means could be a whole lot of nothing if they don’t actually get it done, though.”

Staples added: “This feels all-in. They are going to lose all of that defense – J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke. Like, those guys are going to the NFL. Those guys are going to be in the NFL next year. It’s Ohio State. They’ve recruited well, they’ll have good players behind them but will they be at this level where we are assuming that they can play for the national title? They might have to build back up to that with younger players. This is the year it needs to happen.”