INDIANAPOLIS — After smashing Wisconsin for its first Big Ten Championship under Urban Meyer, Ohio State’s postgame celebration quickly turned into of kind of party you’d expect from a team that’s so deeply yearned for a conference title for so long.
On the field, players and coaches hugged and shouted and oohed and awed at the league’s crown like it was some sort of lost, holy relic. Inside the locker room, they danced and bounced to booming rap songs that echoed throughout the stadium.
On a day where they battered the Badgers, 59-0, the Buckeyes delivered a statement in primetime and before a national audience. Senior defensive lineman Michael Bennett said:
“When everybody steps up the way that they did and responds to adverse situations this week, I mean, this is a tough team and now it’s a fundamentally sound team. And it’s a team with passion and a vision.”
Added senior wide receiver Devin Smith:
“This means everything to us. This game was for redemption. It was for the season and it was what we came here to do.”
Indeed, a return to Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium has been the rallying point for a Buckeyes team that watched their postseason aspirations collapse against Michigan State last season.
“What a difference a year can make, right? That’s really all I can say. What a difference a year can make. I’ll never forget, man. When I watched on the television when we lost here last year, I cried. I cried a lot. I vowed from that day to get a championship for my leaders and for my brothers,” redshirt freshman linebacker Darron Lee said.
He added:
“We were changed when we lost here last year. That refocused us. It kind of humbled us, too. We were 24-0 at that time, too. It humbled us. It brought us closer together.”
And on top of it, Ohio State had to overcome the loss of Braxton Miller and a bad loss to Virginia Tech three months ago.
The difference between that team and the one that toyed with the Badgers Saturday night, of course, is dramatic. Meyer said:
“This is without question the most improved from start to finish team that I've ever been around. To see them operate in all facets of the game at a high, high level from our punter to the way we played defense, then offense was incredible … All I can speak to is I've been around teams that have competed and won national championships. This team, the way it's playing right now, is one of the top teams in America.”
And it’s why the Buckeyes maintained an emphatic belief that they’re among the four best teams in the country and worthy of a spot in the first-ever college football playoff. They didn’t mince words, either.
Senior tight end Jeff Heuerman said:
“I think tonight showed that and I mean, honestly, I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re one of the top four teams in the country … I don't know how you don't put us in the top four, honestly. I've kept my mouth shut about that for a pretty long time. I'm done with that. We’re definitely one of the top four teams in the country.”
Senior wide receiver Evan Spencer said:
“Absolutely. I believe so. We’re a great football that knows how to win.”
Junior linebacker Joshua Perry said:
“I would say so, and that’s up to the committee to decide, I hope they put us in there.”
Asked what he’d tell the playoff selection committee, Michael Bennett said:
“Just watch the film of what we just did. I predict they’re going to say, ‘Well, Wisconsin really wasn’t that good of a team.’ I think that’s bullcrap. I think Wisconsin was great team. They didn’t get to the Big Ten championship not being a great team and doing what they did. We just functioned on all cylinders tonight and when you see something like that happen, you have to take a step back and wonder, well, who can’t they beat when they’re functioning on all cylinders.”
Such was the case Saturday night.
Playing without star quarterback J.T. Barrett, who guided the Buckeyes to an 11-1 regular season before suffering a broken ankle against Michigan last weekend, Ohio State’s offense erupted for 558 yards against the nation’s second-ranked defense.
In his first-career start, Cardale Jones threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-17 throws. Devin Smith caught 137 yards and three touchdowns on four catches. Sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed 220 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
The Buckeyes, which entered this contest as four-point underdogs, looked anything but.
“I've been asked a lot, ‘Did I see this happening?’ I saw a team that prepared very well and is playing at a very high level right now,” Meyer said.
And tomorrow, Ohio State will learn if it was good enough for a chance to play for a national championship.
“I think that’s just it: we’ve done what we can do. We finished it off with a bang … we’ve done what we can. If we’re not viewed as one of the top teams, that’s out of our hands,” Taylor Decker said.
