“We’re going to chase Alabama”: When Urban Meyer alerted all his players for setting the goal to beat Nick Saban’s team

Urban Meyer saw a strong Alabama team claim the BCS national championship in the 2012 season, and he took the challenge of building a team as strong as that. The Crimson Tide went 13-1 that season, retaining the national title while also winning the SEC championship.

It was Meyer's first season at Ohio State and the program finished with a perfect 12-0 record. However, due to NCAA sanctions, they were ineligible for the Big Ten championship game and a bowl appearance. This ruled the Buckeyes out of contention for the national title.

Nonetheless, after seeing the national championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame, Urban Meyer saw what team the Buckeyes could compete against and what team they were lacking. The Crimson Tide defeated the Fighting Irish 42-14 to claim the ultimate goal.

“The 2012 team was a great team,” Meyer said via CBS. “I think we would have competed with Notre Dame. If you push the clock back, Notre Dame got smashed by Alabama outside of Miami. And I was there working for GameDay that day.

“I watched Alabama play and I sent a text message to every player and every coach. I called it ‘The Chase.’ I said ‘Guys, we had a great year, but Alabama was so much better than we were.'"

He added:

“I said we have to get to Alabama. I have great respect for Nick Saban and Alabama. I said the chase is on. And we have signs all over the facility. I put up on the wall in the indoor facility that we're going to chase Alabama. Two years later, we caught them.”

Urban Meyer's national championship success with Ohio State

Building an all-conquering team was the goal of Urban Meyer and that was what he achieved in the 2014 season. While the Buckeyes suffered a setback with a loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2, they went on to win all their remaining games on the route to the national title.

It was the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff, making the national championship much harder to win. The Buckeyes finished the regular season with an 11-7 record, 7-1 in the Big Ten. They won the Big Ten championship game with a 59-0 win over Wisconsin.

Urban Meyer's team had a tougher road in the playoffs. Ohio State came up against Oregon in the semifinal before meeting Alabama in the title game. The Ducks were defeated 42-20 while the Crimson Tide got beaten 42-35. Without a doubt, Ohio State caught up with Alabama.