Ohio State head coach Ryan Day watches his team play during the Ohio State vs. Clemson Sugar Bowl. Ohio State won 49-28. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State’s Friday win may have felt like the final chapter of a story started following its Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson in 2019, but the Buckeyes view the national championship game as the true ending to their journey.
The Buckeyes face a familiar College Football Playoff foe in the Alabama Crimson Tide — a program they dispatched in the semifinal en route to the national title in 2014. As Ohio State finally earned a win over Clemson with a dominating 49-28 performance, head coach Ryan Day assured that the job is not yet finished.
“Well, the goal was never just to beat Clemson. The goal was to win the national championship,” Day said Monday. “I’d be disappointed if we didn’t play well in this game. This is everything on the line, everything we wanted, and so now all the focus goes on to Alabama.”
After beating Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney — who has earned two national titles at the helm of the Clemson program — legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide coaching staff stand in Ohio State’s way of its ultimate goal.
Saban is looking to stand alone as the head coach with the most college football national titles as he has amassed six in his 47-year coaching career — tying him with former Alabama coach Bear Bryant. Saban has won five of his national titles at Alabama since his arrival in 2007.
“Anytime you get to this level, you know you’ve got to be on your game. You’re going against the best in the world, and certainly Alabama is. Coach Saban’s career speaks for itself,” Day said. “[I’ve] watched them win a lot of national championships, so again, nothing but the utmost respect.”
With the attention to detail that Saban and his staff provide, the Buckeyes will need to step up their level of play heading into Monday’s bout.
The Buckeyes emphasized the need to play their best football against Clemson, but graduate linebacker Tuf Borland, who was named the Sugar Bowl Defensive Player of the Game, said the team will need to find another gear to win it all.
“Coach Day said we’re going to have to play our best game. We’re going to have to play our best game this week. We’re going to have to find another level for sure,” Borland said Monday.
Swinney ranked the Buckeyes as the No. 11 team in his coaches poll, while Saban put the Buckeyes at No. 5 behind Texas A&M for the last playoff spot.
With these slights from opposing coaches, the Buckeyes have developed a chip on their shoulder throughout this playoff run.
“We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country. We just try to go prove that every time we step on the field,” graduate running back Trey Sermon said. “We have that chip and we play with it.”
Although Swinney’s ranking drew much attention from Ohio State players before and after the game, Saban’s poll appears to have not garnered the same attention, as Day said he was unaware of the No. 5 ranking.
“I really don’t look at those things too much. I totally respect everybody’s opinion. What matters is playing in the game,” Day said.
Ohio State has navigated an abbreviated Big Ten schedule with abrupt stoppages and cancellations.
Prior to the season, the team held on to a sour taste after a disappointing loss to Clemson paired with the prospect of playing a season hanging in the balance.
Despite the setbacks, Ohio State avenged its loss to Clemson, but Sermon said the semifinal win was not the end.
“We’ve been through a lot. I mean, we fought to just play, and just to be able to get the job done, to make it to this level, it just means a lot to us,” Sermon said. “We know the job isn’t finished yet, but we’re definitely excited for the opportunity.”
