"Ohio State is definitely the favorite": Heisman winner Mark Ingram backs Buckeyes to win national championship

Following the conclusion of the first round of the College Football Playoff, Mark Ingram has offered his prediction on the team to win the national championship. The 12-team playoffs got off to a brilliant start during the weekend with four exciting games on campus.

In his appearance on a recent installment of “The Triple Option” podcast, Ingram projected Ohio State as the favorite for the national title. This is after the Buckeyes’ dominant performance in the 42-17 win over Tennessee in the first-round encounter in Columbus on Saturday.

“The thing with Ohio State is: that defense has been strong for them all year long,” Ingram said. “We've always been talking about the offense and the inconsistent performance of the offense.

“And they came out and they were aggressive. They got both of their playmakers, and that's this Ohio State team we've been looking for this entire year long and everyone's been talking about. When they like that, Ohio State is definitely the favorite to win this College Football Playoff," he added.

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Ryan Day came under intense criticism following Ohio State’s fourth straight loss to Michigan in the regular season finale. However, the win reset the atmosphere around the program as the Buckeyes continue their playoff campaign.

Mark Ingram anticipates how Ohio State moves on after the dominant first-round win

The win in Columbus on Saturday gave a glimpse of what Ohio State can do as a team. A lot was expected from the Buckeyes ahead of the 2024 season following their roster addition and coaching changes. However, the team hasn’t lived up to expectations.

With the performance in the first round, Mark Ingram anticipates seeing what Ohio State can achieve in the upcoming stages of the playoffs. The Buckeyes come up against Big Ten champion No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl for the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

“This is the Ohio State team everyone talked about,” Ingram said. “They were aggressive, they were explosive, they were strong on defense, they were unpredictable on offense, getting people in position after success, getting thrown into their playmakers, giving him to their playmakers.

“And at the end of the day man this is the Ohio State team that we thought we were gonna see. So, moving forward, we'll see. They got Oregon, a huge game in the quarters… We’ll see," he added.

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Ohio State and Oregon squared up during the regular season in Eugene, with the Ducks claiming a narrow 32-31 victory. With their performance against the Volunteers, a couple of experts like Mark Ingram believe the Buckeyes can edge out the undefeated Ducks in Pasadena.

Do you think the Buckeyes can overcome the Ducks in the next round of the CFP? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.