Ohio State was built to win it all. Can Ryan Day & Co. finally reach that potential? - ESPN

Ohio State is one of the most consistently elite teams in all of American sports.

The Buckeyes haven't had a losing regular season since 1988. They haven't endured a multiyear stretch that would be described as mediocre since 1999 to 2001. In the past 50 seasons, they have 14 more wins than any other college football team.

They also haven't won a national championship since 2014 or beaten archrival Michigan since 2019, Ryan Day's first season as head coach. The average margin of defeat against Michigan in the past three games was 14.3 points.

Ohio State built a superteam for Day to check both of those boxes this season. With a $20 million NIL spree, the Buckeyes retained several key draft-eligible players, especially on defense but also with offensive standouts like running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. They also made their most aggressive transfer portal push ever, adding marquee names such as running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss), safety Caleb Downs (Alabama) and quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State). Day also hired his mentor, former NFL and college coach Chip Kelly, as offensive coordinator.

The result: A team that ranks No. 4 nationally, is a one-point road loss to now-No. 1 Oregon from being undefeated but also hasn't shown sustained excellence to meet the highest of expectations this season. After an open week, Ohio State didn't dominate Nebraska last Saturday, as many expected it would. A Huskers team that one week earlier had lost 56-7 at Indiana stifled Ohio State's run game and took a fourth-quarter lead before the Buckeyes rallied to prevail 21-17. The Buckeyes also scored only seven first-half points against Iowa before pulling away.

Ohio State now hits the road to face another