“I would put this team up against any Ohio State team, and against any college football team ever. Because three games—back to back to back—we played against the three Heisman Trophy finalists and held them to their career, not season, career-worst games.”

As many fans know, in the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff, the Ohio State Buckeyes were controversially selected as the No. 4 seed ahead of Big 12 co-champions TCU and Baylor. Despite criticism of the selection committee’s decision, the Buckeyes went on to make history by defeating Alabama and Oregon to secure their first national title in 12 years.

Urban Meyer’s team boasted a legendary roster that included Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas, Ezekiel Elliott, Taylor Decker, and many others—among them, their third-string quarterback, Cardale Jones, who now co-hosts THE SCRIPT: A Podcast on THE Ohio State Buckeyes. Jones is joined by Dave Holmes, ABC6/Fox28 sports director, and Beanie Wells, a two-time team MVP.

“I’ll be honest, I thought they were cooked after Va Tech,” said Holmes. “I remember seeing that and thinking, ‘You lost Braxton, you lost the season.’”

Braxton Miller, the presumed starting quarterback, injured his shoulder two weeks before the season began and was sidelined indefinitely. Without their star signal caller, the Buckeyes suffered a shocking 35-21 home loss to Virginia Tech in the second game of the season—one many thought ended their playoff hopes.

But the Buckeyes bounced back, winning the rest of their regular-season games. Their case for a playoff spot strengthened significantly after a gritty win against archrival Michigan, though it came at a cost—second-string quarterback J.T. Barrett suffered a fractured ankle in the fourth quarter.

“You know, I go in, I think my first pass went to C-Deck, just because of the nerves. So whoever got that ball—you got a souvenir,” Jones said. “After the game, after the hype and everything kind of settled, the first thing I thought was, is he [Barrett] OK? Where my guy at?”

Jones credits that camaraderie as a major factor in the team’s success, along with offensive coordinator Tom Herman’s willingness to tailor the playbook to Jones’ strengths, rather than force him to mimic the dual-threat styles of Miller and Barrett.

The Buckeyes finished the season on fire, dismantling Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon by a combined score of 143-55.

Eleven years later, as the College Football Playoff enters its second year with a 12-team format, it’s hard to argue not only that the right team won in 2014—but that the best team did.

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