Fox college football analyst Joel Klatt is known for giving the Big Ten extra love. It’s no surprise that he recently included Ohio State at No. 1 in his post-spring college football top 25 ratings.
While the rankings this early in the year are unremarkable in my mind, it’s worth exploring Klatt’s reasoning for listing Georgia second behind the Buckeyes. According to the former Colorado quarterback, Ohio State is the best team in the country because of its star-studded squad.
“There was a lot of debate about who should be No. 1 between Ohio State and Georgia,” Klatt wrote for Fox Sports.
“Initially, I would put Georgia first because the Bulldogs have a strong quarterback in Beck. But that couldn’t make up for the fact that Ohio State’s roster is the best in the country.
Georgia’s 2024 team is No. 1 in ESPN and CBS Sports’ Top 25 rankings. A top-notch list powered by Carson Beck the return is an undeniable reason for UGA’s position in both polls.
The Buckeyes’ quarterback situation, on the other hand, is anything but settled. This is a much bigger issue than Klatt admits here.
“The quarterback situation is the biggest question and may make some hesitant to rank them first.”
Ohio State’s quarterback question should cause more than hesitation. A similar situation likely caused the Buckeyes to falter at the hands of Michigan last season with Kyle McCord at the helm. The Buckeyes also had a strong roster from top to bottom in 2023, but they didn’t have a signal-caller who could get the team past the Wolverines, who have won three straight meetings between the Big Ten rivals.
Head coach Ryan Day and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will choose between Kansas State transfer Will Howard, five-star signee Julian Sayin and four-star signee Air Noland to take the keys to the Buckeye offense. A unit that will be without fourth overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr.
Klatt is putting his faith in Ohio State’s defense to make up for the quarterback issue and the transition to a new offense under Kelly.
“The defense will also allow Will Howard or whoever the quarterback is to go through some growing pains. This allows Chip Kelly to get Ohio State’s feet on offense. Kelly’s effect on the run game cannot be overlooked. He hasn’t reached his potential in that element in recent years, and he has the best backfield in the country with Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.”
The Buckeyes’ defense looks to be one of the top units in the sport after returning nine starters in 2023 and adding All-American safety Caleb Downs. The question is whether this unit can lead the Buckeyes to a new look Michigan team in its own conference, yet a program in Georgia that has lost one game in the last two seasons?
Both Ohio State and Georgia are likely to make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, regardless of whether the duo wins their respective conference. This means we probably won’t see the Buckeyes face a super talented team until the postseason. A rematch of the 2022 Peach Bowl, a thrilling last-second victory by Georgia, would be a game of epic proportions and one that would be a telling sign of how these blue-blood programs actually stack up on the field, rather than in the month of May.
