It's no question the Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the best college football teams in the country.
Thus, being at the head of a national championship contender would be a pretty sought-after gig. 247Sports writer Brad Crawford recently published his list of the top ten college football jobs in the country, listing the Buckeyes at No. 3.
"When leading a program expected to win national championships, that speaks to the penchant for success established by a tradition-rich history," Crawford said. "Everything is first-rate in Columbus and the Buckeyes have only been a couple plays away the last few seasons of getting back to the medal stage."
The only two teams ahead of the Buckeyes were the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
"Ohio State flexed its bully-on-the-block strength this offseason after drawing blood in NIL wars with others," Crawford said. "Remember the speculation concerning Ohio State's lack of NIL resources in recent years? There's a contingent of boosters and former players who stepped up to the plate through the Buckeyes' THE Foundation and made this 2024 roster one to remember."
Speaking of the roster, Ohio State's more-than-impressive collection of players has led to them being known by some as the 'paper champions.' The opinion that the Buckeyes are the nation's best team on paper is a stance shared by Crawford.
"Ryan Day assembled an Avengers-like roster through the transfer portal and No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith," Crawford said. "Player retention is another leading storyline in an ever-changing landscape and this program was able to convince several early-rounders to return."
Ohio State's impressive additions were not just limited to the players on the field. Ryan Day made significant improvements to his coaching staff by adding UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly (as offensive coordinator) and Oregon Ducks running backs coach Carlos Locklyn, while promoting graduate assistant James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach.
Day and the Buckeyes will have their first chance to show the country what their made off when they host the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, August 31.
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