Underdogs No More: Ohio State Will Be College Football's Juggernaut in 2015

Ohio State was leading Oregon, 35-20, in the final minute of the College Football Playoff National Championship with an opportunity to take a knee, kill the clock and collect its new, shiny trophy.

Instead, Urban Meyer had Ezekiel Elliott punch in his fourth touchdown of the night to put an exclamation point on Ohio State's performance—and more importantly—send a message to the rest of the college football world:

Ohio State is not an underdog. Ohio State is not finished. In fact, after winning the program's first national title since 2002, the Buckeyes showed that they're just getting started.

Meyer was asked about why he kept his foot on the gas when the game was clearly in hand.

"I didn’t even think about taking a knee," Meyer said, according to George Schroeder of USA Today. "We play to win. We play to be aggressive."

Credit: David Regimbal

And that, in a nutshell, is the perfect glimpse into the mentality Ohio State and Meyer use to approach the game. They play fast and strong, and they don't make any apologies for it. They were doubted and given long odds in each of their last three games, and they came out victorious each time.

Now that they're on top, the Buckeyes are poised to become college football's next great dynasty.

The talent coming back to Ohio State for the 2015 season is staggering. Thirty-five players from the Buckeyes' two-deep rotation are set to return, including key players such as Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott. Ohio State is set at quarterback regardless of who stays or goes because any of its three options—Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones—are championship-caliber signal-callers.

On top of that, the Buckeyes will return four of their five offensive linemen next season—a unit that bullied Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon and paved the way to a national title.

With this year's championship run and the talent on hand in 2015, Meyer knows that there will be a switch in perspective. The Buckeyes won't be viewed as underdogs. They'll be viewed as the top dog, which will present a whole new set of challenges.

Elliott, who could enter the season as the leading Heisman Trophy candidate, believes the Buckeyes are primed for another title run next fall.

"We've just got to stay a hungry team," Elliott said, according to Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors. "I think we'll be the same team next year, as long as we stay humble, we grind hard in the offseason, don't let our heads get too big, I think we'll be here next year."

Early projections for the upcoming season paint a bright future for the Buckeyes. Bleacher Report projects them as the country's top team in its early look at the preseason Top 25. So do Paul Myerberg of USA Today, Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports, Ty Duffy of The Big Lead and the good folks at Land Grant Holy Land and Athlon Sports.

But can Ohio State repeat as national champions with a target on its back? Will it maintain its focus and hunger without playing the underdog role?

With Meyer at the helm? It would probably be unwise to bet against these Buckeyes.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.