"That's why the NFL Hall of Fame is in Canton": Former Jaguars HC Urban Meyer details the importance of football in Ohio

Football is a way of life in Ohio. It is the biggest sport in the state, and fans truly love their football teams there. Whether it is the Cincinnati Bengals or Cleveland Browns in the NFL or the Ohio State Buckeyes in college football, they love their football teams.

Former Buckeyes and Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer appeared on "The Triple Option" on Wednesday to discuss the Buckeyes winning the national championship on Monday with a 34-23 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Part of the discussion involved talking about how much it meant to the fans in the Buckeye State.

"Football's a way of life, that's not a pastime in the state of Ohio," Meyer said (2:30). "I mean football's, football. That's why the NFL Hall of Fame is in Canton. That's why the game of football's so important. I landed in Sarasota, I saw Ohio State flags everywhere. It's so cool. The fan base is arguably the largest fan base, and as we'll discuss in a minute, a very critical fan base.

"But to see the boys lift the trophy. They get to enjoy that for 365, they really do. They're brothers for the rest of their lives. They'll never ever take that away from you, your national championship."

Ohio fans celebrated a national championship for the first time in over a decade

When the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff final on Monday, it was the first time in over a decade they had the opportunity to celebrate a national title. Apart from the ones at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, many fans stormed Ohio Stadium in Columbus at night to revel in the team's victory.

OSU last won the natty in 2014 with a 42-20 win over Oregon. The Buckeyes made one appearance in the national championship game between their wins, losing 42-24 to Alabama in 2020.

However, when the College Football Playoff started, the Buckeyes were not the favorite to win it all. Entering the playoff, the Buckeyes had lost the regular-season finale 13-10 to unranked Michigan. The loss knocked them out of Big Ten championship contention and forced them to play a first-round matchup.

At that time, fans and many members of the media were calling for coach Ryan Day to be fired. However, Day was able to rally his team and got them to bounce back. They dominated throughout the playoffs, dispatching all four of their opponents in a relatively easy manner. As a result, they were crowned national champions without winning a game by less than 11 points.