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The 2018 Clemson football team routed Alabama in that season’s College Football Playoff National Championship, cementing its place in the sport’s lore.
The undefeated season, punctuated by a 44-16 rout of Alabama in the title game, pushed the Tigers into the all-time great debate. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer argued another team was superior to Clemson that year, pointing to Nick Bosa’s 2018 injury as the key reason the Buckeyes fell short of a title.
“Nick Bosa is one of the best football players I’ve ever been around. I’d put Percy Harvin No. 1… maybe Nick Bosa No. 2. If Nick Bosa is playing for Ohio State (in) 2018, I think Ohio State wins it all. That’s how good a player he was,” Meyer said during a recent edition of “The Triple Option” podcast which he co-hosts with former Alabama standout Mark Ingram II and Rob Stone.
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Urban Meyer stands on the sidelines before the 2025 Peach Bowl semifinal game between the Oregon Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 9, 2026. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
Meyer acknowledged the logic behind preparing Nick Bosa for the NFL Draft but admitted the choice still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.
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“He got hurt (in) game 3. When he was getting close to maybe be able to come back, they decided to get him ready for the NFL Draft… which that broke my heart. But I get it.”
Ohio State went 13-1 in 2018, with its only loss coming in Big Ten play against Purdue. The Buckeyes were left out of the playoff but rebounded with a Rose Bowl win over Washington in January 2019. Three months later, the San Francisco 49ers took Bosa No. 2 overall.
Clemson and Alabama built a pseudo title-game rivalry in the mid-2010s. After dominating Ohio State in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl semifinal, the Tigers edged Alabama for the championship, redeeming a 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide to close the 2015 season.
Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa sacks TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson during the Advocare Showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2018. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)
Meyer also highlighted the depth of Ohio State’s 2018 defensive line, noting the presence of both Bosa and Chase Young.
“We had Chase Young and Nick Bosa (at defensive) end,” Meyer continued. “Our defense really struggled that year because Chase Young was hurt most of the year, and then Nick Bosa… he played three games and that was it. The offense was one of the top two (or) three offenses in the country.”
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young looks on during the 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl college football playoff semifinal game against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 28, 2019. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
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Meyer concluded by declaring that year’s Ohio State team “was a national title team.” Meyer won three national championships as a coach, winning twice at Florida and once at Ohio State.
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