College Football

Ranking Urban Meyer's Five Seasons At Ohio State

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:40 p.m. ET

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Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) runs past Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Eddie Jackson (4) during the first quarter of the 2015 Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Ranking each of Urban Meyer’s Ohio State teams.

Ohio State fans are lucky.  They can gripe about the lack of Big Ten titles and missed opportunities for more championships, but Ohio State has only two peers right now, Alabama and Clemson.

Urban Meyer has raised expectations to obscene levels so the losses feel more painful, but he’s lost just six games. That’s pretty incredible.

By comparison, Jim Tressel lost five in his first season, John Cooper lost six, Earle Bruce lost one and Woody lost three.

No doubt every season has been good, but some have been better.  Here is a ranking of Meyer’s five seasons:

2014 

Record:  14-1

Hardware:  Big Ten Champions and College Football Playoff Champions

Biggest win:  Alabama

Toughest Loss:  Virginia Tech

The 2013 recruiting class might go down as the best ever at Ohio State.  J.T. Barrett, Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Vonn Bell, Eli Apple, Jalin Marshall and Darron Lee headline a class that also included Tyquan Lewis, Gareon Conley, Billy Price, Chris Worley, Michael Hill, Marcus Baugh, Dontre Wilson and Tracy Sprinkle.

Braxton Miller’s shoulder injury, losing to Virginia Tech, a close overtime win over Penn State, the death of Kosta Karageorge and Barrett’s season-ending injury were defining moments that banded the team together.

These catalysts were steps that turned a young team filled with sophomores into a championship team over the course of the season.

Jan 1, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; General view of an Ohio State Buckeyes helmet prior to the 2015 Sugar Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

2012:

Record:  12-0

Hardware:  None.  Probation for Tattoo Gate banned the team from post-season play.  Hindsight is 20/20.  Ohio State should have sacrificed the 2012 Gator Bowl as punishment.

Biggest Win:  Nebraska

Meyer’s first season was a resounding success as he started to mold the program into championship form.

Offensively, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde and the first edition of the Slobs including Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall became household names.

Defensively, John Simon and Johnathan Hankins led a unit that struggled at times, but generally delivered when it mattered most.  In their last game, the defense did not allow Michigan to score in the second-half securing a 26-21 victory.

Along the way, the Buckeyes beat Michigan State, Penn State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.  The Badgers won the Big Ten Leaders Division by default since the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions were both suspended.

Not being able to play for a championship put a slight damper on the season, but this team was gritty and fun to watch.

Nov 1, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Curtis Samuel (4) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

2016

Record:  11-2

Hardware:  None

Biggest Win:  Michigan

Toughest Loss:  Clemson

I’ve said it before, after watching Elliott, Bosa, Thomas, Lee, Decker, Apple and Bell tear it up in the NFL as rookies, it is amazing the 2016 team accomplished what it did.

Years from now, Buckeye Nation will look back on last season more fondly than it did the day after the Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.

It is easy to understand why the loss to the Tigers was painful.  The road win at Oklahoma intensified the delusion that the program had reached Alabama’s level, that it could sustain losses and still dominate.

Part of that was true, at least defensively where it was obvious that the depth on that side of the ball was substantially better.

In the end, the offensive inconsistencies were too much to overcome against the Tigers who exposed every weakness this team had.

The season ended in a resounding thud, but the year was a success.  The team made the playoffs, Meyer retooled his staff, the entitlement was ratcheted down and there is plenty of motivation to keep the team hungry this off-season.

Sep 21, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Chris Fields (80) celebrates with running back Dontre Wilson (1) after catching a pass in the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Florida A

2013

Record: 12-2

Biggest Win:  Michigan

Toughest Loss:  Michigan State

Hardware:  Big Ten Leaders Division Champions

With 14 returning starters, expectations were high entering the season.  Most felt this team was ready to compete for a championship.

The offense picked up where it left off the 2012 season.  Miller threw for 2094 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 1068 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Hyde rushed for 1521 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Despite the offensive firepower, the team had a few close calls in the regular season.  They escaped Northwestern with a 40-30 win and intercepted a two-point conversion against Michigan to secure a 42-41 win.

In the Big Ten Championship against the Spartans, Meyer suffered his first loss as the Buckeyes coach.  It was also the first time he was outcoached, especially in the fourth quarter when the team allowed 14 unanswered points succumbing the momentum of a 14-point third quarter.

The loss to the Spartans derailed a promising season that was punctuated with a close loss to Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

Nov 7, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 28-14. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

2015

More from Scarlet and Game

Record:  12-1

Biggest win:  Michigan

Toughest Loss:  Michigan State

Hardware:  None

I’ll leave it at this.  Meyer had 12 NFL players on a team coming off a national championship and he managed to botch the season.

The loss to Michigan State was a disaster, but the team was rarely in first gear before that game anyway.

Whether it was losing Tom Herman or the indecision on naming a true starting quarterback, Meyer failed to get this team in sync until the damage was already done.

12-1 is hardly a reason to cry, but given the strength of the team, the season was Meyer’s worst.

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