CFB insider highlights how other CFB programs are copying Ohio State's national championship-winning mantra

The Ohio State Buckeyes led by coach Ryan Day won the national championship in style when they beat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 on Monday. The Buckeyes' roster was assembled at a cost of $20 million according to an ESPN report accounting for the high expectations surrounding the team all season.

During Tuesday's pitchside segment of the "Josh Pate's College Football Show," college football insider Josh Pate broke down the methods that the national championship-winning Buckeyes used to achieve success and how teams are trying to copy that method.

"I can't wait to see what happens in that organization," Pate said. "And I'm speaking holistically, program instead of team. Because next year won't look the same. A lot of these dudes were brought back. A lot of these guys were enticed to come back. Partly, because they believe in Ohio State, the other part was they invested in them.

"One of the most foolish and misguided talking points that still exists, even tonight after they've won this title was, 'Well, that's $20 million, that's what it will buy you. As if they went and just supermarket sweep style just knocked a bunch of players in the checkout line and 'Look, we got the winning team in our basket here.'"

Pate further revealed which teams are trying to copy the Buckeyes' winning model.

"The fact of the matter is that they went and got a few big players like Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins but spent a vast majority of that $20 million to keep guys they recruited for one more go around. Look at these teams trying that, Penn State is trying that, Alabama is trying. A lot of programs understand that that's the way to go."

Ryan Day hails Ohio State's mental strength

During his postgame news conference, Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who has had to deal with his fair share of criticism, pointed out his team's mental strength after a difficult season that culminated in the national championship win.

"The story gets to get told now, and it's a great story," Ryan Day said. "I've got a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations. And there's a point where there's a lot of people that counted us out. We just kept swinging and kept fighting. It's the reason why you get into coaching is to see guys overcome things, learn life lessons and then reach their dreams. This is what happened tonight."

Despite the $20 million roster narrative around the Ohio State Buckeyes, Ryan Day managed to mold a team that battled adversity to emerge top of the pile in college football.