With Ohio State's investigation into Urban Meyer expected to wrap up within two weeks, the Buckeyes should know whether he's coaching them before their Sept. 1 season opener against Oregon State.
Unfortunately, that timeline means I probably won't know Meyer's long-term status when my preseason AP Top 25 ballot is due Monday.
To be clear, football isn't the most important part of the situation in Columbus. The domestic violence accusations involving former receivers coach Zach Smith are serious. The questions about what Meyer knew and did (or didn't know and didn't do) are serious, too, which is why the unquestioned No. 2 coach in the game is on administrative leave.
But as a college football reporter, I have a college football dilemma:
What should I do with the Buckeyes?
A month ago, my semi-serious list of national championship contenders had three teams on it: Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State.
I'm just glad I cover a sport where EVERY team has a legitimate chance of winning it all this year.**As long as that team is named Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State https://t.co/7iP67J0pXC
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) July 3, 2018
Meyer has recruited at an elite level, so the Buckeyes have a loaded roster that includes All-America candidate Nick Bosa and dynamic running back J.K. Dobbins, among others. Add in a coach with the third-highest winning percentage in Division I-A history, and you get a team that belongs in the preseason top three.
But what if that three-time national championship coach isn't on the sidelines?
RELATED: On leave at Ohio State, Urban Meyer had a mess as Gators coach, too
Interim coach Ryan Day is widely respected and a sharp football mind; there's a reason the Titans pursued him as the potential coordinator for Marcus Mariota. The problem is, Day has never been a head coach before, at any level.
Yes, Day can rely on former Bucs/Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson for advice. But every new head coach experiences growing pains you can't learn until you're on the job. In this case, Day would have been on the job for one (likely tumultuous) month before the opener. That doesn't give me confidence in Ohio State's ability to make a run at a championship.
We also don't know how the players are handling the situation. The position coach for some of them (Smith) is gone. The head coach who recruited them is on leave and might be on his way out, too. That can be a lot for a 20-year-old to handle. See: the 2017 Gators during the Jim McElwain drama. Then again, maybe the Buckeyes will successfully handle two easy weeks (Oregon State, Rutgers) and thrive in an us-against-the-world cocoon.
What do you think? What should I do with the Buckeyes? Do you still view them as a top-three team? Top five? Top 25?
Read Again Brow https://www.tampabay.com/sports/florida-gators/2018/08/07/with-urban-meyer-uncertainty-where-does-ohio-state-belong-in-ap-preseason-top-25/Bagikan Berita Ini
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