"Ohio State will lift the gold trophy": Urban Meyer makes case for Ryan Day to win CFP national championship

Fox Sports analyst Urban Meyer has already made his pick for this year’s college football national champion. Meyer is backing the team he coached to its last title — the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Speaking alongside Rob Stone on the “Triple Option” podcast, the former Buckeyes coach said Ohio State has the most talent, which he believes will give them the edge in the College Football Playoff.

"If team A shows up, this will be a wrap. Ohio State will lift the gold trophy. If the best roster in the country, plays like the best roster in the country, they’ll be national champs in a few weeks,” Meyer said.

Urban Meyer pointed to Ohio State’s last two games as reason for his prediction. The Buckeyes dominated Tennessee at home with a 42-17 victory and then routed top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl.

According to Urban Meyer, both games looked even more lopsided than the scores suggested. He also noted that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes’ coaching staff made adjustments entering the CFP.

After losing their season finale to the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State revamped its offensive game plan, focusing on stretching the field with the passing game and running the ball outside the tackles, compensating for struggles on the interior offensive line.

Ohio State and Texas will play the Cotton Bowl on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for a spot in the championship game. The other semifinal, between Penn State and Notre Dame, will be played the night before in the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Urban Meyer sees an opportunity for Texas in the Cotton Bowl

The Texas defense needs to put pressure on Will Howard. - Source: Imagn

Despite picking Ohio State to win the national title, Meyer acknowledged that the Texas Longhorns could pose a serious challenge in the Cotton Bowl.

“Texas’ strength is that defensive line. The best defensive line in college football, going against an Ohio State offensive line. Last time they played a defensive personnel like that was the Wolverines, their two inside guys and that’s the reason I think it will be a close game,” Urban Meyer said.

The Longhorns rank third nationally in total defense and points allowed. However, they surrendered 510 yards in their most recent game, a double-overtime Peach Bowl win over Arizona State.

If Texas can stop the Buckeyes’ running game and put pressure on quarterback Will Howard, they might slow down Ohio State’s offense, much like Michigan did.

Another potential advantage for Texas is location. The Cotton Bowl will be played in Arlington, just 200 miles from the Longhorns’ campus.