2015 Ohio State Offense Could Be the Best We've Seen in College Football History

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It may be hard to believe, but it's been 10 years since Matt Leinart lined up as USC's starting quarterback.

Behind him was tailback Reggie Bush, the player who would go on to succeed Leinart as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner. Spelling Bush was LenDale White, the "thunder" to Bush's "lightning" and a 1,000-yard running back in his own right.

On the outside were Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith, a pair of All-American wideouts. And upfront was an offensive line comprised of five players who would go on to play in the NFL.

Forget how each player fared in the pros or the NCAA sanctions that would eventually wipe out the Trojans' accomplishments that season. Maybe you prefer 2005 Texas—the team that would beat USC in the Rose Bowl to claim the national title at the end of the year—2001 Miami (Florida), 2008 Florida or 1999 Florida State, but in my opinion, there hasn't been a better offense in modern college football history than that of the 2005 Trojans.

KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/Associated Press

Athlon Sports agrees, ranking that USC team as the top offense of the BCS era. But a decade later, the '05 Trojans' title as the best offense in modern college football finds itself being threatened.

And it may not have been possible without the end of one era and the arrival of another.

After all, if it weren't for the advent of the College Football Playoff last season, Ohio State may not have seen its young and talented offense hit its stride on the sport's grandest stage. The 2014 Buckeyes were strong on offense throughout the year but hit an extra gear while defeating Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon in three postseason games en route to capturing the national title.

And with eight starters returning to that unit from a season ago—including six who were either freshmen or sophomores in 2014—the 2015 Ohio State offense has all of the tools to become the best we've seen in college football.

"Yes, hands down," Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones answered when asked if the OSU offense had the potential to be one of the best in college football history. "Because of the playmakers we got, because of the youth we got, the depth we got and because of the experience we have."

To be fair to Jones, it was a leading question that led to his proclamation. It would have been out of character for the confident signal-caller to downplay his expectations for his team, even with an inquiry that was just begging to be met with his exact answer.

But when you look at his reasoning, it's clear that Jones' boldness doesn't come from blindness.

Urban Meyer's teams are often littered with playmakers, whether it be in the backfield, on the outside or even at the quarterback position. The 2008 Gators staked their claim as one of the best offenses in college football history by possessing five players (Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Louis Murphy) who each totaled 600 or more yards from the line of scrimmage.

Having played one more game because of the implementation of the playoffs, last year's Ohio State offense also possessed five 600-yard-or-more players (Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett, Devin Smith, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall). And the unit only figures to improve in 2015.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Especially with all but one (Smith) of those players returning, which speaks to that rare youthful experience that Jones mentioned. With running back Curtis Samuel (478 yards, six touchdowns) and former quarterback Braxton Miller (3,054 career rushing yards, 32 rushing TDs) figuring to see significant snaps at H-back—the same role Harvin excelled in under Meyer at Florida—the Buckeyes could see six or more players hit the 600-yard mark.

And with with four of five starters returning on an offensive line that paved the way for Elliott to rush for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago, Ohio State should have the ability to gash teams both on the perimeter and with its power running game.

"Tremendous options," Buckeyes offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said of his unit. "You have to base it on what can your signal-caller can do best?"

That, of course, remains up in the air as Jones and Barrett battle in a rare quarterback competition between two qualified candidates. Whether it's Jones—the winner of Ohio State's three postseason games and a potential first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft—or Barrett, the reigning Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, the Buckeyes figure to be in good hands with whoever winds up taking snaps behind center this season.

"Our offense has the flexibility within the system and all the talent at all the different positions that we can kind of move it in the direction we want," Warinner said. "But we do want to have a power-running game and be able throw the ball down the field, play-action pass and spread it out to all of our skill players."

Although the Ohio State offense may appear to possess the ability to do all of that and then some, questions still remain.

Such as who will replace the speedy Smith, who led the nation with 28.2 yards per catch in 2014. That opened up plenty for Elliott, especially in the postseason, when the Buckeyes running back totaled 696 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

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With Meyer still not sure how his team will replace that production, Miller an unknown as an H-back and a starting quarterback yet to be named, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the OSU staff is doing its best to temper expectations.

"Not right now," Warinner said when asked about Jones' answer to the "best ever" question. "Right now the appropriate level of swagger needs to be, 'Did we have a good day?' If not, what do we need to do to get better? Can we have a good day tomorrow?"

But even at this early point in the preseason, the Buckeyes offensive coordinator couldn't deny his unit's potential.

"We have a high ceiling. We're nowhere near that; we're just scratching the surface on day three. Hopefully we can build that chemistry and get the pieces together," Warinner said. "We're excited and optimistic—but we're not making any predictions."

That doesn't mean they aren't out there. And if the offense can live up to them, it could make history. 

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.