"Team that punches the hardest" - Urban Meyer drops a verdict on Ohio State's concerns

The Ohio State Buckeyes, led by coach Ryan Day, pulled off a comeback in Week 10 to beat coach James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions, 20-13.

The win moved the Buckeyes into prime position for the Big Ten Championship Game after losing narrowly to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in Week 8 of college football action.

Following a devastating pick-six early in the game, the Nittany Lions held a 10-0 lead and still lost the game to a physical Buckeyes team that put together an impressive fourth quarter stopping any score from the home side.

During this week's episode of the "Triple Option" podcast, outspoken FOX analyst and former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer talked about the team's ability to win the national championship after the Week 10 game.

“The most physical team will win the national championship,” Meyer said. “I used to say this to our players, the team that punches the hardest will win the national title. It’s historic. I mean, it’s time-tested. That’s what happens. Ohio State, there were concerns. I don’t have any more concerns. I saw what I saw. We were live there. That was the best four-minute drill I can remember seeing.

“There’s five minutes and 13 seconds left. They ran the ball 10 straight times for 59 yards on the road of Penn State from the one-yard line. And they basically said, we’re running the ball. Stop us.”

Ohio State's defensive performance stood out on the day. The unit stopped Penn State four times at the end of the game near the goal line.

Ohio State CFP ranking explained

On Tuesday, the college football playoff committee released its first rankings of the season and the Buckeyes were ranked No. 2 just behind the Oregon Ducks and ahead of coach Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs.

In a media conference call, CFP chairman Warde Manuel explained the reasoning behind the Buckeyes' ranking ahead of the Bulldogs.

“Well, both are solid teams, as you know," Manuel said. "Ohio State’s one loss on the road was against the No. 1 team, and they lost by one. They had an impressive win this past weekend at Penn State, and they have been very consistent. Top-5 defense.

"So for us, it was the consistency. Georgia, very good team, great win against Texas, a win over Clemson. Consistency in terms of their offense. They’ve had some inconsistencies there, but they have great defense, and they’re allowing only 17 points per game.”

The Buckeyes are now in prime position to both return to the playoffs and compete for a national championship.