2014 Will Be Remembered as Start of Ohio State Football Dynasty

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When it comes to the first-ever College Football Playoff, to paraphrase a certain kid from Akron, Ohio, the Buckeyes aren't even supposed to be here.

No, at least not after star quarterback Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending injury two weeks prior to the start of the 2014 campaign. And certainly not after his Heisman Trophy-worthy replacement suffered a broken ankle in Ohio State's regular-season finale on the eve of the Big Ten Championship Game.

But even if he wouldn't admit it at the time, Urban Meyer's doubts of his own team dated back to before August. And they only increased once he saw an already young roster get even younger with the loss of its most important player.

"If you would have told me back in August, I would have said, 'Not yet. Maybe next year,'" Meyer told ESPN following Sunday's announcement that the Buckeyes had been selected as the fourth and final team in this year's playoff. "We're a young program."

And yet here Ohio State sits, ahead of schedule, preparing to take on No. 1 Alabama in a Sugar Bowl that will double as a playoff semifinal game. One look at the Buckeyes' roster justifies Meyer's previous concerns but also makes it clear that Ohio State is set up for much more than short-term success.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

'Still Very Young'

Of the 24 players listed as starters on offense, defense and special teams for the Buckeyes, a total of 13 are classified as either freshmen or sophomores. None, however, has been more important to OSU's success than quarterback J.T. Barrett, who brought the Buckeyes to the brink of the playoffs before the broken ankle he suffered in Ohio State's finale brought his stellar freshman campaign to a premature end.

"I thought he'd be OK," Meyer said of Barrett. "I didn't think he'd—I'm hoping he gets that phone call to go to New York [as a Heisman Trophy finalist] because he should."

Barrett didn't get that call—the Heisman only announced three finalists this year—but his numbers indicate that he was deserving. In just 12 games, the redshirt freshman broke Ohio State's single-season record for total offense (3,772 yards) and the Big Ten's mark for total touchdowns (45) en route to being named the league's Freshman and Quarterback of the Year.

Make no mistake, while backup Cardale Jones turned in an MVP performance in the Big Ten title game and Miller ponders his future, Barrett will be Ohio State's quarterback once he's fully healed, giving the Buckeyes the Big Ten's best at the most important position for the foreseeable future.

"He's a product of those around him," Meyer said of Barrett earlier this season. "There's some guys making really terrific plays out there for him, too."

And like Barrett, they also happen to be young.

Next season, the Buckeyes will return running back Ezekiel Elliott next season (1,402 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns), as well as backup Curtis Samuel, who has shown plenty of promise in the limited playing time he's received in his freshman season. Altogether, Ohio State is slated to return nine of its top 10 rushers from 2014, the lone departure being reserve running back Rod Smith, who was dismissed from the Buckeyes program in October.

In the passing game, Ohio State will lose steady seniors Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Jeff Heuerman but will most likely return third-year sophomore Michael Thomas, who leads the Buckeyes in receptions with 43. The Buckeyes will also bring back second-year H-backs Jalin Marshall (523 total yards, seven touchdowns) and Dontre Wilson (400 total yards, four touchdowns), as well as tight end Nick Vannett and freshman Noah Brown.

“We’re still a very young team," Meyer said.

Perhaps second only to Barrett in terms of importance, Ohio State also remains young on an offensive line that has come together throughout the 2014 season. Right tackle Darryl Baldwin is the unit's only senior this season, although left tackle Taylor Decker could entertain the possibility of entering next May's NFL draft.

The return of Decker would be an obvious boost for the Buckeyes, but either way, they'll bring back an interior line that includes All-Big Ten sophomore guard Pat Elflein, center Jacoby Boren and freshman guard Billy Price. That's reason enough for excitement in Columbus, as Meyer cited the Buckeyes' young offensive line as his top concern entering the 2014 season.

"Four new offensive linemen," Meyer recalled. "When Braxton was our quarterback, I was still worried."

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'They Just Grew Up Rather Quickly'

Defensively, Meyer's worries were twofold, as Ohio State attempted to mesh a young unit with defensive coordinator Chris Ash's new scheme. The Buckeyes defense still has its issues—although you wouldn't know it from their 59-0 shutout of Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game—but showed steady improvement, and most importantly, could return seven of its top players in 2015.

That starts with defensive end Joey Bosa, who was named a USA Today All-American after recording 13.5 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss in his sophomore season. The 6'5", 278-pounder is a lock to be a high first-round pick in the 2016 draft but will return to Ohio State next season with one more year of experience under his belt.

"With a guy that big, normally you're one-dimensional," Meyer said of Bosa. "He can beat you with speed and power. He's got it all as far as defensive linemen go."

The Buckeyes will lose likely first-round pick defensive tackle Michael Bennett, and junior Adolphus Washington's status as a potential first-rounder leaves the status of OSU's interior defensive line up in the air. But senior-to-be Tommy Schutt possesses plenty of experience as a reserve, and defensive end Jalyn Holmes has shown flashes in limited time throughout his freshman season.

Perhaps more importantly, the players in the Buckeyes' back seven have shown strong improvement this season, after a shaky 2013 brought last season to a crashing halt. The Buckeyes will lose senior linebacker Curtis Grant and cornerback Doran Grant, but there's no shortage of talent—and youth—in the other five spots.

Freshman linebacker Darron Lee has shown a knack for making big plays, and cornerback Eli Apple has gone from weak link to one of the most improved players on the OSU roster in his freshman season. Likewise, sophomore safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell have only gotten better as the 2014 season has wore on, and true freshman Raekwon McMillan has emerged to take the lion's share of the snaps at middle linebacker, leaving Meyer excited about burgeoning return of the "Silver Bullets."

"Did I think Darron Lee would perform like an All-Big Ten linebacker? He's not there yet, but he's darn close. To see the development of Eli Apple, I thought he was a very average player. He's not an average player, he's a pretty good player," Meyer said. "When those two young safeties—three actually with Cam Burrows and you throw [freshman] Erick Smith in there—when those kids grow up, I think they'll be outstanding safeties. They just grew up rather quickly."

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Final Four

As the Buckeyes learned last week, until the Big 12 adds a conference championship game, Ohio State will likely always have an inside track to the College Football Playoff. All it will take is winning the Big Ten with one or no losses, and the Buckeyes should find themselves in the final four at each year's end.

Given the current state of the Big Ten, that might be a realistic expectation for the next three seasons.

Michigan is currently in flux, searching for its third head coach in the last seven years. Wisconsin, the Big Ten West's defending champion, just lost its second head coach in three seasons after Gary Andersen accepted the head coaching position at Oregon State on Wednesday.

Penn State is still building with James Franklin and recovering from three seasons of NCAA sanctions, while Nebraska will be breaking in a new head coach in Mike Riley. Michigan State has built a legitimate threat to the Buckeyes under Mark Dantonio, but quarterback Connor Cook is about to be a senior, if the potential first-round pick doesn't decide to enter the 2015 draft.

Add it all up and Ohio State should be set with the most stable program and quarterback situation in a league that's already benefited from the new college playoff system. The Buckeyes may have eked their way into the final four this year, but get used to hearing their name in the conversation, as this season is only the start of something special happening in Columbus.

"I look at our players and I see how many young guys are playing for us that are going to be around here for awhile," Meyer said following the Buckeyes' win over Michigan State on Nov. 8. "The future is extremely bright for Ohio State."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com, and recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.