'Tis the Season to be.... National Champions, and this is the Buckeyes' Playoffs Christmas List
This time of year is meant for celebrating, believing, giving, and, of course, winning National Championships.
For the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes, they are poised to repeat as National Champions again in 2025 and continue their dominance over the entire sport of college football. As I sit here in the Christmas Spirit, I can't help but put together the 2025 Buckeyes' Christmas List.
A Healthy Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate for the Playoffs
Head coach Ryan Day said this week that we would be shocked if we knew what Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate went through to play in The Game just about a month ago in Michigan.
It was clear that Smith was dealing with something significant, while we really were kept in the dark with Tate, but you don't miss four games for no reason. We saw Ohio State's wide receiver depth fall off a cliff when those two were both injured, and they will need them both to make a deep playoff run.
Gabe VanSickle to Step Up at Right Guard
Offensive guard Tegra Tshabola hasn't been a bright spot for the Ohio State offensive line this year, and he will miss at least the start of the College Football Playoff due to injury. VanSickle and Josh Padilla will be tasked with filling in at the right guard position.
It did not matter who was in for the Buckeyes during the Indiana game; they were simply getting beaten up by the Hoosier defensive line. They need to be great for the Buckeyes to make a run through the College Football Playoff.
Ryan Day to be an Aggressive Playcaller
Day is back behind the wheel of the Buckeyes' offense. After former offensive coordinator Brian Hartline accepted the USF job and now has probably more than one foot out the door, Day is back in charge of the Buckeyes' offense, and I think that could mean very good things for the Buckeyes.
The last couple of times that he went back in charge of the offense, the Buckeyes put their foot on the gas pedal and did not let up. In 2021 against Clemson, where they dropped 49 points on the Tigers or the 2022 New Year's Eve Game against the Georgia Bulldogs, where they lost 42-41, these are just two prime examples of Day's play calling ability. Or when he was rumored to have been calling the plays last year during the playoffs and they scored 42 against Tennessee, 41 against Oregon, 28 against Texas, and 34 against Notre Dame.
Put the pedal down and don't let off.
Julian Sayin to Take Over the Playoffs
Quarterbacks rise and fall to the occasion in the playoffs. This is where their legacies are written, both good and bad. The last, and most simple wish for Ohio State fans is for Julian Sayin to take his magnificent regular season, the lessons learned in the Big Ten Championship, and mash it all together for a huge run through the Playoffs.