When football coaches express the old “next man up” rhetoric, Ohio State is exactly what they’re talking about.

We’ve all heard coaches argue injuries aren’t going to sink their team, that a new player will step in and step up, and that everyone else will rally around and pick up the slack. We’ve never believed them.

Maybe along the line or in the receiving corps can a team suffer a couple major injuries, but at quarterback? No way.

And then there’s Ohio State.

The team lost presumed Heisman candidate Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury ahead of the season only to find actual Heisman candidate JT Barrett. Barrett led the Buckeyes to a perfect conference record and 11-1 overall record en route to finishing fifth in Heisman voting.

It was touch and go for a while, with Ohio State getting upset by a mediocre Virginia Tech team in the second week of the season, but the Buckeyes reeled off 10 straight wins, including strong conference victories over Michigan State and Minnesota, to earn a spot in the Big 10 Championship Game.

A dual threat quarterback, Barrett finished with 3,772 combined yards and 45 combined scores, the third most among all quarterbacks, but fractured his ankle in the team’s win over Michigan on rivalry weekend.

Still with an outside shot at the College Football Playoff, there was concern the Buckeyes’ couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice and wouldn’t even emerge as top team in the Big 10. Those concerns proved needless as Ohio State crushed Wisconsin 59-0, a performance – coupled with the team’s high tv ratings – that vaulted them into the Top 4 and a CFP spot.

Against the fourth best defence in the country, one-time third string quarterback Cardale Jones put up 257 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 pass attempts in the 59-point rout. While no one believes Jones is to Barrett as Barrett was to Miller earlier this season, his Big 10 Championship performance gave Buckeyes fans hope they can hang with Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Perhaps the best matchup against the Crimson Tide is between the two men patrolling the sidelines. If Nick Saban is the best coach in college football, Urban Meyer is right on his tail at No. 2. The Sugar Bowl is the latest edition in the rivalry of the off-field friends that burned bright in the SEC before Meyer left Florida.

There are college football fans that believe Meyer and Saban ushered in the era of SEC domination still currently in play. We all know what Saban has done with the Tide, winning three national championships in four years, but Meyer’s nearly as impressive run with the Gators superseded that.

Meyer won two national championships in his six years with the Gators before leaving under suspect circumstances, and subsequently burning a lot of bridges on the way out.

He has since done quite well for himself up north with the Buckeyes. He led the team to an undefeated season his first year in town, but the Buckeyes were ineligible for the postseason due to violations stemming from the sweater vest era.

While Meyer and Miller, err Barrett, err Jones are the headliners for OSU heading into the Sugar Bowl, they’ve got a number of others that figure to play a part in the outcome in the New Year’s Eve semifinal.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott was a Top 20 rusher, compiling 1,402 yards and 12 touchdowns, and receiver Devin Smith had 11 touchdowns, ninth most in the nation among receivers, to go with his 799 receiving yards.

Ohio State’s top draft eligible prospects are on the defensive side of the ball. While they’re currently void a prospect with a first round draft grade, DT Michael Bennett is a high second round prospect at the moment and could fight his way into the Top 32 with a strong postseason.

Senior cornerback Doran Grant is next up, currently sporting a mid-round grade. Grant could use a solid postseason to sneak into the third round.

If Jones can continue his best Barrett impression for another week, the Buckeyes carry a Top 10 offence into the Sugar Bowl. While they’re just middle of the pack through the air, Ohio State is 11th in the nation in rushing at 260 yards a game. All in, Ohio State was fourth in offensive yards with 6,599 behind only the big shots Baylor, Oregon, and … Marshall, and ahead of TCU.

The Buckeyes also sport a Top 20 defence. They finished 15th in yards against, allowing only 328 per game and were just as good against the pass, 17th in the nation allowing 188.2 yards per game. Ohio State was a little more susceptible against the run, finishing 33rd in the NCAA at a 139.8 yards per game clip.

Ohio State needed their strong tv ratings for selection committee members to be “convinced” they were one of the best four teams in the nation this year. That they may not belong in the first ever College Football Playoff is exhibited in the betting line, the Buckeyes heading into the game as nine-point underdogs.

Maybe there’s still some magic left in OSU’s impressive season, but it’s likely they’ll be very hard pressed to be still playing come New Year’s Day.