"We don't even use that word around here": When Urban Meyer took a clear stance on setting national championship goal

Urban Meyer had a strong first season at Ohio State in 2012. The Buckeyes finished undefeated but were restricted from postseason and bowl game participation due to an NCAA sanction. That made them unable to play the Big Ten championship game and, potentially, the BCS championship game.

Just ahead of the 2013 college football season, the Big Ten Network was in Columbus to cover Ohio State's preparation in the fall practice. Urban Meyer had an interview with the crew, and he was questioned on the national championship standard and expectations of the program. The coach set the record straight.

“We talk about two things and this is just kind of an old hat,” Meyer said (0:13). “We don't even use that word around here because one team at the end of the year is crowned national championship champion. That's so many things having to go right as far as injuries.

“So we talk about playing for championships in November. We always talk about getting to November in a championship level and even last year when we were not allowed to go to a bowl game. ... So that was our mantra: get November and win the championship or compete.

Before arriving at Ohio State, Urban Meyer was no stranger to building a championship-winning program. He led Florida to two national championships and two Southeastern Conference titles.

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Urban Meyer noted preparation was easy ahead of the second season

Following a noteworthy first season with the Buckeyes in 2012, he struggled to keep up the same level. However, Urban Meyer didn't consider that as a challenge when questioned about it. Instead, he saw that as a more seamless preparation than the first year.

“I won't consider challenges,” Meyer said. “It's going much faster than it did the first year. This time our players will tell you that the worst part of practice last year was the walk-throughs because they really didn't know what they were doing, they didn't understand it.

“Especially on offense. It was a brand new offense. So the challenge is I don't consider them challenges. They are great benefits of the second year. We’re going at a much faster pace. Everyone knows our routine. There's no glossy-eyed guys now.”

Urban Meyer led Ohio State to another undefeated regular season in 2013, establishing a dominance in the Big Ten. However, the Buckeyes ended the season on a disappointing note, losing the Big Ten championship game to Michigan State and the Orange Bowl to Clemson.