The Ohio State Buckeyes and Philadelphia Eagles won their respective championships with incredible parallels along the way.
The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame on January 20th to win its ninth National Championship in program history. Professionally, the Philadelphia Eagles boat raced the Kansas City Chiefs en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory.
The two seasons were more similar than you may think outside of the obvious additions to the trophy collections.
Both Ohio State and Philadelphia boasted two of the most talented rosters in the sport, setting lofty expectations for the season. Pressures were mounting for Ryan Day and Nick Sirianni to win. But could they engineer a championship season?
Day and Sirianni are both first-time head coaches for the Buckeyes and Eagles. If that’s not enough, they both led their teams to the championship game in their second year. Ohio State faced Alabama in 2020, and Philadelphia met Kansas City in 2022.
The Buckeyes and Eagles both fell in those title matchups and followed up with a disappointing defensive season the year after, which sparked questions about the future.
Fans begin questioning if the hires were the right move. Were the lights too bright or the stage too big? Did Day and Sirianni have what it takes to coach at this level? Both coaches endured scrutiny, and when paired with championship aspirations, you have to thread the needle.
Fast forward to 2024, as towering expectations filled the locker rooms in Columbus and Philadelphia. Returning to my earlier point of having two of the most talented rosters in the sport, could Day and Sirianni piece the puzzle together for their teams to peak for a stretch run?
Ohio State and Philadelphia had phenomenal starts to the season but dealt with adversity toward the end of the regular season. The Buckeyes dropped the rivalry game at home, and Jalen Hurts missed time with a concussion, resulting in health-related questions for the playoffs.
Ryan Day and the Buckeyes entered the College Football Playoff with an enormous weight on their shoulders, overshadowed by No. 1 Oregon and a handful of SEC teams. However, the only weight that mattered to Ohio State in the postseason was the 50-pound gold National Championship Trophy they hoisted on January 20th.
Ohio State transformed into death star mode in the CFP. It was like a buzzsaw against Tennessee and Oregon, and then there were tough, gritty wins against Texas and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes endured the most challenging playoff run in College Football history to win the first 12-team championship. Ryan Day’s team throttled two SEC teams, No. 1 undefeated Oregon, and Notre Dame, the most disciplined program in the country.
The Eagles felt similar pressures and marginalization heading into the playoffs as Detroit became the NFC’s sweetheart and Washington’s Jayden Daniels dazzled down the stretch. Still, the Eagles went to work and mowed each opponent down, peaking in the NFC Championship against Washington.
After clinching a spot in the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs awaited, looking to three-peat. Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts were wrongfully counted out again. A rematch from 2022, only this time, the Eagles put forth one of the most complete performances in Super Bowl history.
Philadelphia jumped out to a 34-0 lead over Kansas City, similar to how Ohio State raced out to a 34-0 lead against No. 1 Oregon. Both the Buckeyes and Chiefs led the top team in their league by 34 points. Watching the Super Bowl was a parallel universe’s Rose Bowl Game. Ohio State defeated Oregon 41-21, and Philadelphia beat Kansas City 40-22.
Will Howard and Jalen Hurts are the signal callers for the Buckeyes and Eagles, yet both QBs were doubted on the big stage. The media found one reason or another to skew the narrative against Howard and Hurts, yet they still rose.
Ryan Day unlocked a forever legend in Buckeye lore with Will Howard. No. 18 was dominant and precise in the College Football Playoff, throwing for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns while completing over 75% of his passes in four playoff games.
Jalen Hurts threw for 726 yards and five touchdowns with a 71.4 completion percentage. Philadelphia’s QB added 194 yards rushing and five touchdowns to his playoff totals.
Will Howard won Offensive MVP of the National Championship, and Jalen Hurts won Super Bowl LIX MVP. Both quarterbacks outplayed the competition all postseason long as they became National and Super Bowl Champions, just like their head coaches.
Ryan Day’s and Nick Sirianni’s seats were once warm but ultimately cooled by a championship victory Gatorade bath as they reached the pinnacle of the sport.
Relentlessly pursuing greatness, building a strong foundation to withstand storms, and being motivated by the love of the guy next to you fueled the Buckeyes and Eagles this season. Ohio State and Philadelphia displayed the ultimate resilience and trust in the process to achieve their goal of winning a title. Mission accomplished.
The stories of the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes and Philadelphia Eagles will be told for the rest of time as they are etched into history as Champions.
Blake Biscardi, a native of Pickerington, Ohio, is The Silver Bulletin’s Senior Editor and the Creator & Host of the Saturday Cadence podcast, a national college football show. As a trusted voice on Ohio State, the Big Ten, and College Football Playoff since 2016, Biscardi is a proud member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a two-time Graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia.
This is an amazing article! There are so many more parallels between these two teams that I did not recognize. Blake is an amazing writer and very versed in football knowledge to put this together. Go Bucks and Go Birds!