Many of our Ohio State sports teams have received credit on an individual level (some more than others), but I've created this thread as an opportunity to recognize our athletic program on a wholistic level. We hear of Ohio State as a flashy brand in itself, but the brand is stronger than ever right now. Is our athletic program tops of any university in the country right now? Here's why I'd argue it is!
Football: Finished 2nd in the entire nation this year and made and appearance in the national title game this year. Have a recent championship under our belts, have consistently put together elite teams in recent history, and project to field another top 5 team next year. Under the direction of 3rd year coach Ryan Day who has plenty of time ahead of him and also happens to be a one-of-a-kind leader. Recruiting has been 2nd to none, and the 2021/2022 classes should put OSU in contention for national titles in the years to come.
Men's Hoops: 4th in the rankings right now, projected as a 1-seed for the NCAA Tournament as things currently stand, and are under the direction of one of the best young coaches in all of college basketball. Have made the tournament (projected 5 seed last year) every year since Holtmann was hired in 2017, and the upwards trajectory of this program mimics that of Amazon stock if you were to scale the graph out to a 5-year view. Ohio State has a handful of very special recruits joining the program over the next two years and indications are that OSU is not done adding to that mix yet. This year's team is deep, experienced, and resilient, and they have a chance to put together a final four run, regardless of what happens tomorrow against Shitigan.
Women's Hockey: 2nd in the country right now, coming off a fantastic series win over #4 Minnesota (a traditional powerhouse). Coach Nadine Muzerall is in her 4th year, and has already led this team to a Frozen Four (final four) appearance. They won the WCHA championship and were headed towards a national title run as well last year, before covid ended their season. They have a bulk of their core returning next year, and a stud goalie as of now (and one waiting in the wings). This program is currently at the highest level it's ever been!
Women's Hoops: #15 in the country right now and as it stands, would be in line for a 3-4 seed in the NCAA tournament if they were eligible this season (the punishment for someone else's actions somehow gets put on the players here ). Nevertheless, they made the B1G Championship game last year, are putting together a fantastic season, have a young core of great players, and return everyone barring transfers for next season. They are in line for a great next few seasons. Coach McGuff continues to recruit well.
Women's Volleyball: The biggest surprise! Will be top 15 in the national rankings when the AVCA poll comes out on Monday afternoon. They are 9-0 in the B1G and atop the conference standings (the toughest conference in the country by far for VB) and are coming off wins against Penn State and a series sweep of Illinois. This program has not made the NCAA tournament since 2016, which ultimately played into the firing of the previous coach this past offseason. In just her 1st year, Coach Jen Oldenburg has injected a complete change of culture within this program and they are poised to make the smaller 48-team NCAA tournament field as an at-large, even harder than in a normal year. They have several fantastic underclassmen, and have several other elite top 50 recruits coming in over the next few years. This program is trending way up. They also play in the new arena! (Covelli)
Men's Tennis: Currently #9 in the country coming off a sweep over #25 Northwestern. This team always seems to be a powerhouse, finishing #5 in the country last year, making Elite 8 and Final 4 appearances in the last few seasons, and remains a fixture in collegiate tennis royalty. Alum JJ Wolf even made the 3rd round of the US Open this past fall and is looking to rise up the ATP ranks!
Men's Wrestling: Ranked #12 in the country and just finished up their regular season slate.
Women's Tennis: #9 in the rankings and they feature one of the premier players in the sport in sophomore Irina Campos Siemers.
Any other sports I'm missing? Hopefully that was enough to give people a current state look at our sports programs and maybe learn a little bit more about specific sports they are interested in following either more closely or at a distance. How many other universities have that many nationally ranked programs? I'm guessing NONE! OSU remains king, folks. ** Also, s/o to a friend of mine from Ohio State for finally creating an 11W account @thelandbuckeye! Long time follower first time warrior.
