Urban Meyer Is SEC's New Public Enemy No. 1

Look out, SEC. There's a new sheriff in town, and he's a familiar face who has wreaked havoc in the conference before.

Urban Meyer: Public enemy No. 1 of the SEC.

In Ohio State's 42-20 win over Oregon in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, Meyer used the perfect mix of old-school smashmouth football, new-school spread principles and a third-string quarterback in Cardale Jones who looked more like John Elway than Jonathon Moxon.

While both offenses spread opposing defenses out, it was the Buckeyes who lined up and played "man ball," as Ezekiel Elliott topped the 200-yard mark for the third straight game, rushing for 246 yards and four touchdowns.

As Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports noted, the national title was won at the line of scrimmage.

Elliott agreed, according to Yahoo Sports, saying, "We knew that our O-line was bigger and more physical than their D-line, and we just had to punch them in the mouth and the O-line, they came out, they played their butts off and they paved the way for me."

Ohio State plays stout defense, is ultra-athletic and is creative on both sides of the ball. Basically, everything SEC powers used to be before consistent defenses became mythical and spotting quarterback consistency was comparable to taking a picture of a unicorn.

Make no mistake: Ohio State is on the brink of a dynasty.

In 2012, the Buckeyes ran the table but were ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions stemming from former head coach Jim Tressel not being forthcoming with the NCAA about players receiving extra benefits. That year, undefeated Notre Dame and one-loss Alabama squared off in Miami Gardens, Florida, for the title. 

Would the Buckeyes have been invited had they taken their bowl ban in 2011, when they should have?

Brandon Wade/Associated Press/Associated Press

Doug Lesmerises of the Northeast Ohio Media Group says "probably not," but voters (Coaches, Harris) comprised two-thirds of the old BCS formula. Would those voters have cast their ballots differently if Ohio State was eligible?

An undefeated Ohio State vs. Notre Dame matchup for the title would have been too compelling to pass up, even though, in hindsight, Alabama's 42-14 demolition of the Fighting Irish makes it easy to say that the BCS got it right.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

In 2013, the Buckeyes were a quarter away from running the table yet again and playing Florida State in the final BCS National Championship Game. Instead, a 24-20 fourth-quarter lead against Michigan State slipped away, the Buckeyes lost 34-24, and Auburn went to Pasadena to play the Seminoles instead.

This season, the stars aligned, and Ohio State navigated its schedule through major quarterback injuries to claim the first-ever College Football Playoff national title.

What's more, Ohio State was actually ahead of schedule this year.

As Martin Rickman of Sports Illustrated noted, there's more to come.

Redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett was obviously the centerpiece of the offense for the majority of the season, tossing for 2,834 yards and 34 touchdowns, while adding 938 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

He wasn't the exception or the youngster who benefited from veterans around him; this Buckeyes roster is loaded with young talent.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who broke the 1,800-yard mark and became the only running back to top 200 yards against a Nick Saban-coached Alabama team, is a true sophomore. Versatile playmakers Dontre Wilson, Michael Thomas and current starting quarterback Cardale Jones? Yep, they're sophomores too.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Jalin Marshall and Curtis Samuel? They're freshmen, and they will be impact performers in Columbus for a long time.

Safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell, linebackers Darron Lee and Raekwon McMillan, cornerbacks Eli Apple and Cam Burrows and defensive end Joey Bosa? Yep, they're all underclassmen who have made an impact on an Ohio State defense that finished 18th nationally in yards per play (4.86).

What's more, the Buckeyes currently rank seventh in the current 247Sports recruiting rankings, will undoubtedly get a boost from the magical run of the 2014 team, have one of the best coaches in the country and have a slightly easier path to the playoff in a Big Ten that is still fighting for the depth that's existed in the SEC for a decade.

The scheme, personnel and youth of this Ohio State team not only makes it a Big Ten power, but also a national contender that has staying power.

The SEC better get used to the Scarlet and Grey, because if the SEC is going to rekindle the glory days and start another magical run of national titles, Meyer's Buckeyes will be standing in the way more times than not.

This run to the title was no fluke. This team was legit, and it will continue to be a monster and a nuisance that SEC powers will have to deal with.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.