Random Thoughts: the day after

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

This week’s installment of Random Thoughts centers solely around Ohio State, Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff.

Will Howard

It’s time for me to admit I was wrong about Will Howard.

When the season began and as it went along, I wasn’t exactly a Will Howard fan. I thought he was average, maybe a bit above it. He seemed to be good for at least one interception/crucial mistake per game. I didn’t think he was much of an upgrade over Kyle McCord. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a huge McCord fan. In the end, his departure worked out best for all concerned.

But Will Howard was the difference in the College Football Playoff. He made a difference with his arm and his legs. Against Notre Dame, he made plays with his legs that McCord couldn’t do. Yes, it can be argued that he had a stable full of NFL talent around him, but he was still the catalyst to the title. Plus, his teammates seemed to love him.

He was the right quarterback for this team.

Notre Dame

I’ll tip my cap to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish shook off an early season loss to Northern Illinois and advanced all the way to the national title game and they did it with an old school style, both offensively and defensively.

In the end, the margin of error on Monday night was very small. The opening drive of the game (18 plays, 75 yards) simply wasn’t sustainable, not against a team the caliber of Ohio State. Still, Notre Dame trailed by 24 but made things very interesting late into the fourth quarter.

This team has nothing to be ashamed of.

Make it three straight

Ohio State’s last three full time head coaches – Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and now Ryan Day have each won a national championship. I’m not counting Luke Fickell, because his title was interim head coach during the 2011 season.

Not many programs can make the claim that three consecutive head coaches have each one a national championship. Off the top of my head, the last time that happened was at the University of Miami – Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. ‘

How many national titles?

So how many national championships does Ohio State actually have? Some sources list seven, some list nine. Which is correct? Both, sort of.

Seven of them are from the Associated Press and/or the old UPI/Coaches Poll: 1942 (AP), 1954 (AP), 1957 (UPI/Coaches Poll), 1968 (AP and UPI/Coaches Poll), 2002 (AP/Coaches Poll/BCS), 2014 (College Football Playoff, AP and Coaches Poll) and 2024.

The other two national championships claimed are from 1961 (National Football Foundation) and 1970 (Football Writers Association of America). Those aren’t as widely recognized as the others, so it depends who you ask when talking about national championships.

12 teams

As it turns out, the 12 team playoff was very entertaining. Sure, there were some clunkers in there, but there were also some great games. Is 12 teams too many? Probably, but regardless, it was quite a ride.

Desmond Howard

Ohio State fans know Desmond Howard loves to troll the Buckeyes. He does it any chance he can get. I say this to people who take issue with it – you realize he’s paid to be the heavy, right? Someone has to do it and in this case, it’s him. How many OSU fans remember ESPN’s Mark May? He used to do the same thing. It’s all show business.

Michigan fans

To the Michigan fans trolling Ohio State (lost to the Wolverines, finished fourth in the conference, no conference championship game, therefore fraudulent title, etc.) – okay, fine. When your team finishes fourth in the conference, loses to Ohio State, etc. but still qualifies for the playoff, I think you should urge them to decline the berth. After all, it’d be meaningless, right?

As always, if you have thoughts on any of the above comments, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.