SIX PACK: Reasons Why Ohio State Will Win National Championship

Here are six reasons why the Buckeyes will ultimately win the 2022-23 College Football Playoff.

Adam Prescott | Aug 27, 2022

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Ohio State Buckeyes

We are rapidly approaching another fall season for Ohio State, which seems primed to make yet another push on the biggest stage. Here are six reasons why the Buckeyes will win the 2022-23 College Football Playoff National Championship:

VEGAS

They have nice chandeliers for a reason, as the bookmakers in Sin City are pretty good at their jobs. At the moment, Ohio State (+305) is listed as the second betting favorite behind Alabama (+190) at the SI Sportsbook to win it all. Getting a seat at the table is half the battle. If odds hold true to form, OSU plays on Monday in January.

OFFENSE

Ohio State had the No. 1 unit nationally last year in multiple categories, including yards (561.5) and points (45.7) per game. Key firepower is back and, last time I checked, they still chart points on the scoreboard to decide games. As long as that output remains even close to the same, the Buckeyes will be a headache for anyone.

C.J. STROUD

Stroud is the betting favorite (around +250) to claim the Heisman Trophy … ahead of last year’s winner Bryce Young (+350). He’s also projected to be the top pick in next year’s NFL Draft and showed a remarkable ability to handle early criticism last year. Having the best player on the field, at arguably the most important position in sports, can solve a lot of problems and make up for other deficiencies. Even if other parts of the offense begin sputtering or get hit with injuries, Stroud keeps the bus rolling.

REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

It’s a weekly process, but the 12-game slate looks incredibly favorable from an overhead view. There are only four road games. The first five games are all at home. They are 17-point favorites over a banged-up Notre Dame team in the opener. The idle week comes at the perfect time; exactly halfway through the season and right after a road matchup at Michigan State. “The Game” with Michigan is in Columbus. You can’t ask for much more.

REDEMPTION FACTOR

There hasn’t been a repeat champion in a decade, when Alabama went back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. Additionally, the last three champs (Georgia, Bama and LSU) didn’t even make the CFP the previous season. Ohio State falls perfectly into both trends/categories.

BEST RETURNING BALANCE AMONG MAJOR COMPETITORS

The Buckeyes have roughly 13 “starters” back… six on offense and seven on defense. They return their top passer, rusher, receiver and all but one of the top-10 tacklers from a year ago. That’s more than all of their national foes. Here’s a quick rundown:

*Georgia doesn’t even return half of its starting lineup, bringing back 10 starters and just three from that nasty defense.

*Alabama lost its top three wideouts, both starting tackles (including top-10 pick Evan Neal) and workhorse running back Brian Robinson. Tight end Jahleel Billingsley transferred to Texas.

*Clemson is replacing five of its back seven on defense and Brent Venables, the heralded DC who brought consistency over the last decade. He is now the head coach at Oklahoma.

*Michigan has just three starters back on defense and each level was hit fairly hard - Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo up front, Josh Ross at linebacker, Dax Hill and Vincent Gray in the secondary.

*USC returns just three starters on defense and has a new coordinator in Alex Grinch, whom Lincoln Riley brought along. Many will point to his Oklahoma units getting better recently (on paper, at least). But, for this sake, I’ll point to the Sooners allowing 36 points per game to ranked teams last fall.

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