Much of Ohio State's failure last season to win the Big Ten conference title and reach the College Football Playoff fell on the shoulders of a predictable defense that took on water in game one and never righted the ship during an 11-2 campaign.
Ryan Day's offense did all it could to overcome his team's defensive shortcomings, ranking No. 1 nationally in both total offense and scoring offense.
This season, it looks like Day will again have another offensive juggernaut at his disposal and he's certainly taken steps to right the defensive ship as he sent nearly all of last season's defensive coaches packing and brought in a ton of new coaching blood, most notably hiring Jim Knowles as his defensive coordinator.
For a defense that ranked No. 59 nationally in total defense and No. 38 in scoring defense, it feels improvement will happen almost by default especially when you consider the Buckeyes slotted 96th in pass defense (244.8 ypg) and 100th in opponent third down conversion percentage allowed (42.1%).
Moreover, past CFP champion history suggests Ohio State's defense doesn't have to be elite, provided the offense performs as expected. The defense just has to show a very realistic level of improvement and the Buckeyes should not only reclaim their spot atop the Big Ten and as a CFP qualifier, but also possess the ability to make a legit run at a national title.
| SEASON | CHAMP | TOTAL OFF | SCORING OFF | TOTAL DEF | SCORING DEF | PPG ALLOWED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | GEORGIA | 25 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 10.2 |
| 2020 | ALABAMA | 4 | 2 | 32 | 13 | 19.4 |
| 2019 | LSU | 1 | 1 | 31 | 31 | 21.9 |
| 2018 | CLEMSON | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 13.1 |
| 2017 | ALABAMA | 29 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 11.9 |
| 2016 | CLEMSON | 12 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 18.0 |
| 2015 | ALAMBAMA | 45 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 15.1 |
| 2014 | OHIO STATE | 9 | 5 | 19 | 26 | 22.0 |
Yes, six of the eight CFP winners to-date boasted a Top-15 scoring defense but five of those six also had Top-15 scoring offenses. And only one CFP champion had a scoring offense ranked outside the Top-15 and it's safe to say Ohio State's got that covered.
Notably, two of the eight champs had a scoring defense ranked outside the Top-25 and scoring offense ranked inside the Top-5; LSU in 2019 and Ohio State in 2014.
Joe Burrow's historically elite season guided LSU's offense to over 48 points per game which was often needed as the Tigers gave up 38 points to Texas, 38 to *checks notes* Vanderbilt, 41 to Alabama and 37 to Ole Miss. That said, after giving up an average of 24 points over their first 10 games, the Tigers surrendered a more-respectable 18 points over the final five games on the way to the national title.
The 2014 Buckeyes forged a similar blueprint, averaging 44.8 points per contest while the defense was opportunistic but leaky at times. Ohio State gave up 35 points to Virginia Tech, 28 to Cincinnati, 37 to Michigan State, 28 to Michigan and 35 to Alabama. The Buckeyes allowed 23 points per game over the first 12 contests but showed improvement during the three-game postseason, giving up 18 per contest via shutting out Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title game and holding an Oregon squad averaging over 45 points a game to just 20 in the CFP championship.
Of course nothing is guaranteed in college football but back to the 2022 Buckeyes, the task at hand is for Knowles and company to retool a defense that appears to have more talent than the 2021 metrics suggest.
Installing Knowles' complex defensive scheme is job one, alongside identifying which players give the scheme its best chance to succeed. And success will mean getting off the field on third down more often, giving the term BIA some actual bite in the secondary, stopping the run against physical teams after failing to do so a year ago, and ultimately, shaving meaningful points from last season's points per game allowed.
Realizing even moderate improvement on the defensive side of the ball should put Day in position to capture his first national championship in Columbus.
