Ohio State purposely has been pacing itself on offense all season, huddling more and trying to limit the number of snaps in each game of what the Buckeyes hoped and anticipated would be a long run.

The Buckeyes' last national title came in 2014, during the first year of the four-team college football playoff. That year, Ohio State finished as Big Ten champions, beating Wisconsin 59-0 in the conference title game. OSU was 12-1 overall, with a lone Week 1 loss to Virginia Tech on its resume.

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field has been whittled down to two as Ohio State prepares to face Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 20 in Atlanta. Program legends will be made as Ohio State seeks its first national title since 2014,