That 40-35 loss to Clemson in the 2014 Orange Bowl preceded a national championship season for Urban Meyer’s crew.
Here are five questions that will go a long way toward determining if Day’s Buckeyes can put together a similar run after a 14-3 loss to Missouri:
1. Who will still be on the team next season?
Freshmen receivers Noah Rogers and Bryson Rodgers entering the transfer portal Monday left Ohio State with 18 scholarship players announcing they were looking for a new school since the beginning of December.
Kyle McCord is the only starter of that group, though a dozen were four- or five-star prospects in high school, and young players like Rogers and Rodgers theoretically still could have grown into contributors in the future.
Beyond that, a few seniors and a large group of juniors were still contemplating returning to school for another season or entering the NFL Draft.
So far, defensive lineman Mike Hall Jr. and running back Miyan Williams are the only juniors (by eligibility) to declare for the draft, though star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. opting not to play in the Cotton Bowl likely indicates he will do so also.
Junior defensive end Jack Sawyer said he is “more than likely” returning and hinted he might be part of the majority of juniors who decide to do the same, but as of this writing no other declarations had been made.
2. Who will be added to the team for next season?
Ohio tight end Will Kacmarek is the only player to announce intentions to transfer to Ohio State, but he is unlikely to be the last as Ohio State has many positions that could use depth or competition for the starters.
The 6-foot-6, 256-pound Kacmarek was a lightly regarded defensive line prospect coming out of high school in St. Louis before becoming a two-year starter on offense for the Bobcats and catching 42 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns.
Ohio State also has an incoming freshman class of 20, including five-star prospects Aaron Scott Jr. of Springfield and Jeremiah Smith of Hollywood, Fla., hoping to make an early impact.
3. Who will be on the coaching staff?
Day’s staff has changed every season since he replaced Meyer in January 2019, and history repeating is a good bet.
About half the staff is under contract for next season while the other half will need new contracts if they are going to return.
The former group consists of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, offensive coordinator/receiver coach Brian Hartline, special teams coordinator Parker Fleming, tight ends coach Keenan Bailey and secondary coach Tim Walton while quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis, running backs coach Tony Alford, offensive line coach Justin Frye, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and safeties coach Perry Eliano all have contracts expiring later this month.
“Everything is going to get looked at,” Day said after the Cotton Bowl. “If it’s what helps Ohio State go reach our goals and win these games, then we’ll make those changes.”
4. Who is on the schedule?
Ohio State opens the season with Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall before going to Michigan State to begin Big Ten play.
In the first two weeks of October, the Buckeyes get Big Ten West champ Iowa — which will have a new offensive coordinator hoping to breathe life into a moribund unit — in Columbus then must go to Oregon.
They also have trips to Penn State and Northwestern with home games against Nebraska, Purdue and Indiana before concluding the season against Michigan in Ohio Stadium.
5. Will the Buckeyes be better than they were last season?
Naturally, the answers to the first four will go a long way to determining this.
Despite more than two-dozen players leaving via graduation or transfer, Day should have a good base to work from after signing five consecutive top five recruiting classes.
That is especially true if a majority of Ohio State’s draft-eligible juniors return for another season, but nothing is official yet.
That talent hasn’t prevented the Buckeyes from falling behind Michigan on the field, though, and the Big Ten is about to get tougher with the addition of Washington, USC, UCLA and Oregon.
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