Championship or bust: Ohio State players embrace the pressure at summer workouts

Something feels different coming out of Columbus, Ohio this summer. It may be a sense of great optimism about the college football season ahead, or it may just be the pressure that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be feeling as they take the gridiron this fall. Whether it is Seth McLaughlin, Cody Simon, C.J. Hicks or Gee Scott Jr., these notable Buckeyes players are all saying the same sort of things.

Ohio State has great expectations for this season. The Buckeyes are among the favorites to not only win the Big Ten, but win the expanded College Football Playoff. They are my pick to win their Power Two conference, as well as being a playoff lock. Anything short of a national semifinals appearance in this new playoff format will be met with great disappointment. There is so much pressure to be had.

While McLaughlin, Hicks and Scott all talked about this team's great expectations, Simon said it best.

“I know you've heard the notion of like it's championship or bust, but you feel that urgency around it. Coming back is not the easiest thing. It's tough, hard work. But I think the guys and the leaders in our group, we really know what the job is and we've got to get it done. So we're excited.”

There really is no way around it. Two things cannot happen for Ohio State this season. That would be a premature playoff exit (sooner than the national semifinals) or a loss to arch rival Michigan for the fourth year in a row. Ohio State has too much talent to be anything less than a top-four team in the country. Michigan is expected to pull back on new head coach Sherrone Moore. It is Ryan Day's ... day.

Here is a link to Eleven Warriors' YouTube page where the Ohio State linebacker talks about pressure.

The only other team in North American sports feeling similar pressure might be the Dallas Cowboys.

Ohio State players recognize that this year is championship or bust

To me, I really like where the Ohio State players' heads are at. The Buckeyes may be able to beat most teams on their schedule by simply showing up, but talent will only take you so far. They are in a group of about four of five teams with the likes of Georgia, Oregon, Texas and maybe even Penn State where I would be legitimately shocked if they do not make the playoff. Notre Dame is probably a shade off.

What I am getting at is it is time for the Buckeyes to put up or shut up. If they only lost to teams like Georgia, Oregon and Texas, it would not be the end of the world, as the Buckeyes belong in that cluster of teams. However, any defeats to the likes of Missouri, Notre Dame, Ole Miss Penn State or god forbid Michigan for the fourth year in a row should not be tolerated. This will cost Day his job.

Overall, I do feel very comfortable in saying that right now, Ohio State is my pick to win the Big Ten and get a top-two seed in the country. I may have them losing to my alma mater of Georgia in the national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in my backyard (just like last time), but a lot can change between now and then. Yes, it should be championship or bust for Ohio State this year.

I would not even say Georgia faces the same amount of pressure as the Buckeyes do this season.