Throughout the course of the 2006 season, Ohio State seemed destined to go wire-to-wire as college football's best team.
The Buckeyes came into the year ranked No. 1 on the strength of an offense that featured eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Troy Smith, wideouts Tedd Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez and running backs Antonio Pittman and Beanie Wells. The defense lost nine starters but had young guns like James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins primed for breakout years.
They bulldozed their way through the regular season, beating a pair of No. 2 ranked teams in Texas and Michigan, and boasted an average margin of victory of 26 points heading into a BCS National Championship Game appearance where they were a touchdown favorite.