Exactly 100 days before the 1974 season began, Woody Hayes suffered a heart attack. His future and the future of Ohio State football were in doubt.
Expectations shot through the roof in 1974, until Hayes endured his health issue. The coaching legend turned out to be fine, so the fans returned their focus to the field. They saw was 16 starters returned from the 1973 squad. The biggest question mark was a large hole at linebacker.
Randy Gradishar, Vic Koegel and Rick Middleton were gone.