Joel Klatt Doesn't Hold Back on Ohio State's National Title Chances After Michigan Loss
The vibes in Columbus, Ohio are pretty low going into the first week of December. As the No. 2 team in the nation, and three-score favorites over their biggest and most hated rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes choked on Saturday afternoon, losing their fourth consecutive game to the Michigan Wolverines.
Now, head coach Ryan Day is left searching for answers, rather than preparing for a rematch against the Oregon Ducks in the Big Ten Championship Game. While the season is not over in Columbus, and they are still likely to get into the College Football Playoff as an at-large bid, the path forward took a detour over the weekend.
However, there are some out there who still think that this Ohio State team has what it takes to get the job done by the end of the season, and hoist that national championship trophy.
One of those people is Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt.
Fox Sports announcer Joel Klatt walks across the field.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Despite the embarrassing 13-10 loss to an unranked Michigan team, Klatt sees very few threats to the Buckeyes going forward in the playoffs.
“There is not a great team in America, all due respect to Oregon,” Klatt said on his podcast. “Ohio State already saw Oregon, and they already played with Oregon, in Oregon, and lost by a point. That’s the unequivocal, almost unanimous No. 1 team in the country.”
Back in October, the Buckeyes suffered their first loss of the season, 32-31 in Eugene. It was a thriller of a game, coming down to the final seconds where quarterback Will Howard mismanaged the clock and slid down with time expiring, losing an opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal.
While Ohio State lost the game, Klatt thinks they learned enough to gain the confidence that they could have won on a neutral field.
So while the vibes might be low in Columbus right now, a short memory is needed at Ohio Stadium.
“Ohio State still has a very clear and open path to win the national championship,” Klatt said. “There are times when you’ve got to get up, brush yourself off, and push forward.”
Part of that forward push needs to be a philosophical shift when it comes to the offense, Klatt goes on to explain. With the injuries to the offensive line, it's become clear that the Buckeyes are not as strong in the rushing attack as they originally projected to be. That's part of why Michigan was able to win on Saturday — they took the game to the trenches and were able to win with superior talent.
In order for Ohio State to succeed going forward, they will need to adapt and spread the ball out wide, getting players like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka more involved in the offense. Howard also needs to play better, as well.
Should that shift happen, then Klatt sees no reason to count this Buckeyes team out. They have one of the best defenses in the nation, and a spot in the playoff ahead of them. That should be enough to make a run at the championship.
“Everything is still ahead for this Ohio State team,” Klatt said. “There’s not a dominant team out there. If you can learn from this game and fix some of the issues that you had in this game, then they can win the national championship.”
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