The 2007 BCS Championship was a dousing of cold water to Ohio State specifically and the Big Ten more generally. Just a few seasons removed from a national title won on the back of unrelenting defense and hard running, the Buckeyes looked big and slow compared to the lightning quick spread of Florida’s (then LSU’s) offense.
The transformation would take time, but Ohio State — and the Big Ten — would make it, with the most recent example of success being the set of similarly lightning quick receivers that were just selected in the NFL Draft.