Former Ohio State coach Meyer claims Nick Bosa would’ve won 2018 title
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The 2018 Clemson football team cemented its place in the history of the sport by defeating Alabama in that season’s College Football Playoff National Championship.
The undefeated season, which ended with a 44-16 rout of Alabama in the championship game, thrust the Tigers into the biggest controversy of all time. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer argued that another team was superior to Clemson that year and pointed to Nick Bosa’s 2018 injury as the main reason the Buckeyes fell short of the title.
“Nick Bosa is one of the best football players I’ve ever been around,” Meyer said. “I’d put Percy Harvin at No. 1… maybe I’d put Nick Bosa at No. 2. If Nick Bosa is playing at Ohio State in 2018, I think Ohio State wins it all. That’s how good of a player he was.” “Triple Option” Podcast co-hosted by former Alabama standout Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone.
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Urban Meyer stands on the sideline before the 2025 Peach Bowl semifinal game between the Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2026. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
Meyer acknowledged the reasoning behind drafting Nick Bosa in the NFL Draft, but acknowledged the selection remains a compelling one as the Buckeyes pursue a championship.
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“He got injured in Game 3. As he was approaching the possibility of returning, they decided to draft him for the NFL Draft… which broke my heart. But I understand.”
Ohio State went 13-1 in 2018, with its only loss coming in the Big Ten game against Purdue. The Buckeyes fell out of the playoffs but rebounded with a Rose Bowl win over Washington in January 2019. Three months later, the San Francisco 49ers took Bosa No. 2 overall.
Clemson and Alabama established a mock title game rivalry in the mid-2010s. After defeating Ohio State in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl semifinals, the Tigers edged Alabama for the title and closed out the 2015 season with a 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide.
Ohio State linebacker Nick Bosa sacks TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson during the Advocare Showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on September 15, 2018. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)
Meyer also noted the depth of Ohio State’s 2018 defensive line, noting the presence of Bosa and Chase Young.
“Defensively, we had Chase Young and Nick Bosa,” Meyer continued. “Our defense really struggled that year because Chase Young was injured most of the year and then Nick Bosa… played three games and that was it. The offense was one of the two (or) three best offenses in the country.”
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Chase Young watches the 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl college football playoff semifinal game against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on December 28, 2019. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
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Meyer concluded by declaring that year’s Ohio State team “was a national championship team.” Meyer won three national championships as a coach; won twice at Florida and once at Ohio State.
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