John Cooper’s legacy might look a whole lot different with expanded playoffs
John Cooper is one of the most underrated coaches in Ohio State football history as he continuously brought in elite talent and was consistently bringing teams to the cusp of greatness. But his legacy is not brought up in the same light as Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel, or Woody Hayes due to his struggles against Michigan and the fact that he is the first full-time head coach in OSU history since Wes Fesler to never win an outright Big Ten title.
With the news of the latest college football expansion to twelve teams, it had us at Buckeyes Wire thinking about how many times John Cooper would have had an opportunity to totally redeem himself! Cooper has a string of insanely talented teams that would have made the expanded playoffs and below we are going to break down those teams.
1993: 10-1 Record & Ranked No. 11 Going Into Postseason
14 Sep 1991: Tailback Butler By''not''e of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs down the field during a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won the game 23-15. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
The 1993 Ohio State team was filled with insane talent including a stacked defensive line that featured future number one NFL draft selection Dan Wilkinson and an explosive offensive trio of Jeff Cothran, Raymont Harris, and Butler By'not'e. Jason Winrow was also the leader of an experienced and dominating offensive line. This team was Co-Big Ten conference champs along with Wisconsin and finished the regular season with a 9-1-1 record with the only blemish being a lopsided loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor by 28 points. The Buckeyes also tied Wisconsin 14-14 and beat No. 12 ranked Penn State 24-6. The Buckeyes would have had an uphill battle in the playoffs as they would have played a stacked Notre Dame team in the first round, but Ohio State would have been a definite eleven seed.
1995: 11-1 Record & Ranked No. 4 Going Into Postseason
Nov 18, 1996; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes reciever Terry Glenn (83) runs after a catch against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes best the Hoosiers 42-3. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The 1995 Ohio State team had one of the most talented offenses in school history with Biletnikoff Award winner Terry Glenn and Rickey Dudley at receiver and tight end. Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George was a stud in the backfield and Bobby Hoying was an elite quarterback. Ohio State was ranked second in the nation until No. 18 Michigan won 31-23 and smashed both its national championship and Big Ten title hopes. Northwestern won the Big Ten that year, but the Buckeyes still had a great season that included victories against No. 12 Penn State 28-25, No. 25 Iowa 56-35, and No. 15 Notre Dame 45-26. The Buckeyes lost to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl, but in a playoff format they would have faced a Kansas team that would have been outmatched in a big way. This Ohio State team was insane and if things would have bounced the right way we could have been looking at a national champion.
1996: 10-1 Record & Ranked No. 4 Going Into Postseason
Jan 1, 1997; Pasadena, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Ohio State Buckeyes tackle Orlando Pace (75) in action against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 1997 Rose Bowl. Ohio State defeated Arizona State 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sport
Another dominant team, but this time it was the defense that was insanely loaded. The offense did feature Orlando Pace, who went onto be the number one overall selection in the NFL draft, but the defense had a defensive backfield that included Shawn Springs, Rob Kelly and Ty Howard. Mike Vrabel was also a wrecking ball coming off the edge. This Buckeyes team was undefeated at 10-0 heading into #21 Michigan and unfortunately they lost The Game 9-13. The Buckeyes were still ranked #4 heading into bowl season and had a great resume that included wins over #4 Penn State 38-7, #20 Iowa 38-26 and #5 Notre Dame 29-16. This is another Ohio State team that would have had a solid chance to win it all as evidenced by their 20-17 Rose Bowl win over #2 Arizona State. The Buckeyes would have faced a Tennessee team in the first round, but their offense would not have been enough against Ohio State's insane defense.
1997: 10-2 Record & Ranked No. 9 Going Into Postseason
*** NOTE: Photo also ran on 4/18/99 (4E); and 12/20/98 (1E) -- OSU Football -- vs. Michigan -- Wolverines -- 31-16 -- 11/21/98 -- David Boston gets into the endzone with Michigan #30 Andre Weathers hanging on. Doral photo
Boston S Big Day Speaks Volumes
This team had a great offense, but all of the key pieces were extremely young. David Boston, Antoine Winfield, Andy Katzenmoyer, and Joe Montgomery were all sophomores, but also that group was the definition of elite. This team did have two losses with the first against No. 2 Penn State 31-27 and the second against No. 1 Michigan 20-14, but it also had quality wins including against No. 11 Iowa 23-7, No. 21 Michigan State 37-13, and Northwestern 49-6. The Buckeyes would have went into the playoffs ranked No. 9 and likely would have been bounced by a great Florida team that had an offense containing running back Fred Taylor, tackle Mo Collins, and receiver Jacquez Green.
1998: 10-1 Record & Ranked No. 3 Going Into Postseason
David Boston caught 10 passes for 217 yard sin Ohio State's 1998 win over Michigan in Columbus, Ohio.
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The 1998 Ohio State squad had an insane offense with David Boston and Dee Miller at receiver, and Joe Montgomery dominating at running back. The defense wasn't far behind with Antoine Winfield and Damon Moore in the defensive backfield, and Andy Katzenmoyer manning the second level. This team had one blemish on the resume and this time it isn't Michigan, but instead unranked Michigan State who won 28-24. The Buckeyes were clearly one of the best teams in the country though with impressive wins against No. 11 Michigan 31-16, No. 7 Penn State 28-9, and No. 11 West Virginia 34-17. Ohio State would have likely been slotted against Kansas State in the first round and even though I love Michael Bishop, this would not have been a competition. Few teams could hang with OSU that year as evidenced by its Sugar Bowl win over No. 8 Texas A&M. This may have been John Cooper's best team and could have pulled in a championship without a doubt. [listicle id=52044] Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
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