A little before 5:30 Wednesday evening, Ohio State football’s official Twitter account tweeted out a pair of photos – one of Justin Fields, one of Sevyn Banks – with the caption “still focused.”
That came despite the news that dropped just three hours prior, when the Buckeyes learned that a possibility out of their control – one they have been bracing for since the season began – had become a reality with Maryland’s eight positive COVID-19 tests forcing a cancellation of their matchup in College Park.
#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ge9Gv56DUT
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 11, 2020
Just that succinct tweet was enough to suffice where the Buckeyes are trying to keep their heads at. And, really, that’s where they should be. For this program, nothing has really changed, or at least nothing should change, when looking at their goals.
One of the backbones of Ohio State’s push to redirect the Big Ten’s decision on fall football – Fields’ #WeWantToPlay movement and subsequent petition, the Football Parents at Ohio State holding a rally outside The Shoe in September, Randy Wade organizing a protest outside of the conference headquarters in Illinois – was the goal of winning another league title, reaching the College Football Playoff and winning a national championship.
“Ultimately, we wanna play,” said Amanda Babb, the FPAOS president and the stepmother of Buckeye receiver Kamrynn Babb, at the foot of the stadium rotunda in September. “We should be given the opportunity to compete in the College Football Playoff and to compete for a national championship. I think we have the best team out there. I don’t know if you guys follow me on Twitter, but some guy on ESPN said they’re only fighting because they think they have the best team. Well, we do, right?”
Ohio State very well may have the best team. And it’s still going to get the chance to prove it.
All of those team goals are still on the table. The Buckeyes can still go undefeated, still win a Big Ten title and still win a ring.
If they go 7-0 and win the Big Ten title game, they’re in. If another game gets canceled and they go 6-0 and win the Big Ten title game, they’re in. The obvious caveat is that if the matchup with Indiana is canceled and the Hoosiers finish the season unbeaten and atop the Big Ten East standings, it throws a wrench into things backed by the convoluted tiebreakers for admittance to the league title game.
But even if that game is canceled and Ohio State goes 6-0 while Indiana goes 7-0 and the Hoosiers become the East’s representative, there’s still a strong likelihood that the Buckeyes reach the CFP.
Prior to the season revamping, Gene Smith said that the eye test is going to be even more critical in 2020 than in years past, and Ohio State would certainly be a benefactor of that. Because in just about any scenario that they remain undefeated through the regular season, the Buckeyes are getting into the playoff and getting a shot at a national championship. And that’s all any of the players or coaches really care about this season when it comes to goals.
Even if most people probably realize this, it’s still critical to keep in mind as we head toward a weekend void of Ohio State football, a weekend where normalcy in Columbus will wane a bit after three weeks of finally getting back into a rhythm.
A goal that might not be as squarely on the table anymore is the potential for Fields to overtake Trevor Lawrence for the Heisman Trophy. After coming into the Big Ten slate trailing by a fairly substantial margin (depending on who you ask), Fields didn’t just make up ground through his first three weeks. After leveling the playing field following the Penn State game, he became the betting favorite after his six-touchdown performance against Rutgers.
Doesn’t matter to Fields. Like Al Davis, he just wants to win.
“I think you just have to prioritize what goals are most important to you,” Fields said on Wednesday, less than two hours before the Maryland news broke. “But I think our team goals are first on my list, because I think people look at that at a different level.”
For Fields, Ryan Day and Ohio State’s entire program, there’s one part of the journey that will always remain out of their control, and we came to that reality on Wednesday. But if they control what they can control – growth in the secondary both in pass coverage and tackling, building momentum in the running game, doing their best to stay healthy, making sure Fields stays upright so he can continue his monster season – then their goals are still there for the taking.
They just have to stay focused.
