If Ohio State doesn’t win the national championship this year, then it’s because of these 3 reasons

1. CJ Stroud has big shoes to fill succeeding Justin Fields under center for Ohio State

What makes this college football season so fascinating is many of the preeminent programs will be ushering in new starting quarterbacks. Among those teams will be Ohio State, who will probably go with former four-star recruit CJ Stroud. While he could be outstanding like Justin Fields and Dwayne Haskins were before him, Stroud is a complete unknown.

Admittedly, we are not even sure if he is the Buckeyes’ starter in Week 1. Stroud competed with Jack Miller III and Kyle McCord for reps during spring practice. On-campus experience and ball security are two primary reasons why he is expected to win out. However, no contending team could potentially experience as much variance at the quarterback position this season as Ohio State.

Stroud could win the Heisman Trophy just as easily as he could relinquish the starting spot to either Miller or McCord. He may have a roster chock full of four and five-stars to lean on, but Stroud will need to make a few big plays in key moments to win the Big Ten and multiple playoff games. While he could be a revelation in Columbus, we will not know until he starts for Ohio State.

Ultimately, the Buckeyes need Stroud to be an all-conference player in his first season as a starter to put them over the top to make the playoff. To be in the best position to win it, they must beat Oregon at home and probably come out of Indianapolis at a perfect 13-0. While the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in the Big Ten is vast, it does not allow Ohio State very much margin for error here.

Ohio State’s best hope is for the top of the Big Ten to be awesome and for Stroud to play great.

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