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The 2018 Clemson football team defeated Alabama in that season’s College Football Playoff National Championship, cementing its place in sports history.
The undefeated season, marked by a 44-16 rout of Alabama in the title game, thrust the Tigers into the all-time great debate. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer argued that another team was superior to Clemson that year, pointing to Nick Bosa’s injury in 2018 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 at No. 1…maybe Nick Bosa at No. 2. If Nick Bosa plays 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 the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 9, 2026. (Dale Zanine/Image Images)
Meyer acknowledged the logic behind Nick Bosa’s preparation for the NFL Draft, but admitted the pick still stung as the Buckeyes chased a title.
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“He got hurt (in) Game 3. When he was close to being able to return, they decided to prepare him for the NFL Draft… which broke my heart. But I understand.”
Ohio State went 13-1 in 2018, with its only loss coming in the Big Ten game against Purdue. The Buckeyes missed the playoffs, but bounced back with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington in January 2019. Three months later, the San Francisco 49ers took Bosa second 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 beat 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 September 15, 2018. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)
Meyer also highlighted the depth of Ohio State’s defensive line in 2018, highlighting the presence of 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 injured most of the year, and then Nick Bosa… played three games and that was it. The offense was one of the two (or) three best offenses in the country.”
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young watches during the 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Clemson Tigers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on December 28, 2019. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
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Meyer concluded by declaring that 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.
