COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football season kicks off Saturday afternoon with the Buckeyes playing Akron. The scarlet and gray are in search of a national championship title, for the first time since 2014. Bill Rabinowitz, an Ohio State football beat writer for the Columbus dispatch, explained how bad the team wants a national championship.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio State is looking to bring a national championship home to Columbus, for the first time since 2014 
  • There are a lot of expectations surrounding the team, as the Associated Press has them ranked at number 2 heading into game one 

  • Expectations and ranks don't always matter, it's what will happen on the football field this season that will determine whether or not they will be crowned CFB champions 

“The players are saying ‘it’s Natty or bust’ so if they don’t win a national championship, in their minds it’ll be a disappointment,” Rabinowitz said.

The Associated Press has Ohio State ranked at No. 2 right now, with Georgia in first place. Rabinowitz, who’s been covering the Buckeyes since 2011, explained that rank doesn’t really matter when it comes to winning a national championship. He said that he thinks Ohio State has been ranked 1 or 2 on 13 different occasions and didn’t win a national championship that year.

“All of Ohio State’s national championships have really come out of the blue, they were not expected,” Rabinowitz said.

Although, he’s confident the Buckeyes have a real chance at winning it all this year.

“You have a season to play, a lot of things can happen between now and then, but there’s every reason to think that Ohio State could win it all,” Rabinowitz said.

Ohio State head coach, Ryan Day, explained he knows the expectations that surround his team, but hopes they leave it all out on the football field.

“Anytime around here, everyones excited about the season, there’s a lot of talk around Ohio State football and that’s great, but what matters is what we put on the field and what we do on the field,” Coach Day said.

Rabinowitz said the team is embracing the pressure and now it’s just about fulfilling the promise that they think they have.