Barstool After Dark: 2052 CFB National Champs!
- CoachDay
- Jul 10
- 6 min read
MEET YOUR 2051-52 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! The Barstool After Dark: Ohio State Buckeyes
WHEWWWWWWWW....Time to Breathe again...
44 hours or 26 years?
Is there a difference?
Because they don’t know it.
Seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, days into years. It all happens so fast, time loses you, and before you know it, you’re 44+ hours and 26 seasons deep chasing a dream you wonder if you’ll ever reach: A National Championship.
Barstool After Dark, Ohio’s Tate (aka User Pick Tate), White Boy Rick(The OC), Lucas & Ryan(The Producers), Coach Brandon Walker(who was oddly not seen during the national championship it's self and could not be reached at this time for comments on the absence), Defensive & Special Teams Coordinator Intern Ryan (Pick 6 Beef),and the rest of the crew remained dialed in to the goal at hand: A NATTY!
Through highs and lows, they made sure you felt the emotions and the true grind it takes to get to the pinnacle of college football. And along the way, sometimes, it’s the journey... not the finish line, that becomes the sweetest part.
Who can forget:
The 2051 natty loss, 21–9
Yearly jobs changes searching for better overalls
The glitch game in Hawaii
The challenged QB sneak
Hours of recruiting (multiple times, only to leave for another offer)
The Pick 6 in Morgantown
And of course, the two-game meltdown that barely turned into a playoff berth the year before the near magical run
All of it lessons in the journal that led them to this moment, to build a team that could go the distance, and after the runner up finish of 2051 fans didn't have to wait very long!
A year later, now flipping the whole script and beating Michigan on the road to catapult into the playoffs once again, now this time instead with all juice & the BIG MO on their side.
Cheers to Coach Walkers Amazing Staff!
Let’sshoutout a great staff for the dynasty... Ohio’s Tate...aka User Pick Tate, and his vital leadership in a quite youthful coaching room, left to run it by a mostly absent head coach in Walker. His timely defensive interceptions, his pull on Coach Walker’s ear when it came to job decisions… all so very crucial in this final victory. We of course cannot forget the Michigan job scandal of Wednesday, though many say it was justified, even though yes the journey could have ended in Ann Arbor. But in college sports, there’s something we like to call honor. When asked about this in the postgame presser Ohio's Tate added this "It was never going to be Michigan. I'd rather died on stream(we think this is code for field). But to do it at Ohio State was the cherry on top of the great accomplishment of my life". This just shows us all what this crew went through and how mentally and psychically draining it can be to win it all.
Also lets remember this winning a natty with the Buckeyes proved this wasn’t some guaranteed outcome if they'd gone to Michigan, it had to be built & earned. Now to hear from Tate himself it was so much more cherished to be bringing the trophy home tonight to Ohio.
Once known as “Regular Season Rick,” Coach Walker instilled trust in his staff, sticking with WBR, who now has become the guiding light to this championship run. I made sure to ask what the meant to him to be able to finish the job as the OC for this staff. "Just very grateful and appreciative I get to do stupid shit like this for work. It was such a fun couple of days in the trenches with the boys" he then continued with this about the viewers and of course "the chat"..."the chat showed out big time to keep the vibes up so love you all". Lastly he wanted to give a huge shoutout to those behind the scenes "Also shoutout to the real heroes Lucas & Ryan" As we know moments like this don't happen without the whole team, so for WBR to mention that, again it shows the bond this crew had during this long trying dynasty.
Back to the play on the field though...His masterful grasp of the playbook and defensive schemes shined bright in these playoffs with the offense at times looking utterly unstoppable, this was a moment in which his coaching career may have finally clicked. Now will he continue on, or similar to most of this staff step away at the top of his game.
Then there’s the early dynasty hire and unsung hero, Intern Ryan, or as the chats now call him, "Beefcake" Pick 6 Ryan. Though it was his kicking ability saved at least 3 or 4 games in the final season alone. When asked what it was like to be apart of this staff, he had this to say "It was a truly incredible ride, but I couldn't have done it without the core four". This just again shows the bond this staff has truly built, it takes a family to win a chip. We now hope this allows for him to continue on with his journey after all of the moments with this staff.
His arrival brought:
A more complete game
The ability to relate to players
A new level of recruiting that wasn’t there before
His work bringing players to Columbus was instrumental in the natty run.
But his on-field kicking ability(aside from that one punt, let's try not to speak of that again)? That’s what the team needed most...but there was also...
Morgantown Miracle
Notre Dame Playoff Road Shutty!
The two-minute warning pick against UGA to lead to the game-winning drive the year before
And again... so many damn pivotal KICKS throughout this title run
His persistence and drive fueled this maniac run to the top.
Other crucial members of the staff:
T-Bob, who, once OC, fell into an analyst role and helped orchestrate this moment
Lucas, with his years of innovation on the field produced so much more than you can imagine
And of course, the newbie! The grad assistant Intern Connor, who stepped in this championship season, his pivotal play as the defensive aid in the playoffs is immeasurable. The late game stops against Miami Florida will be in highlight reels until the early 3000s. Still young you wonder what his coaching trajectory looks like moving forward.
Now many(from the chat) might scoff at the length of this dynasty, but for those who’ve NOT been on the sideline, they couldn’t understand, or even try to fathom what it takes to win a championship like this. The grind, the mentality, the late-night recruiting, early morning film sessions, and long road trips to hostile schools just waiting to hand you a loss... it’s all unmatched stress.
Winning a championship for your team, coaches, fans, and city is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Coach Walker & his staff chased it for 26 seasons, making it that much sweeter in the end.
As the champagne flows, and the coaches can finally rest their eyes(for now the next maybe 24 hours), knowing...It’s ring season baby!!!
The clamoring for the repeat is already loud. But we all know: Coach Brandon Walker and his staff only needed this moment, to complete the quest of reaching the pinnacle of college football. Walker can know proudly walk away from the game knowing he gave it his all.
Side Bar: I will say it's been a proud moment in my young blogging career to temporarily take on the role of beat reporter for the Barstool After Dark Dynasty crew. It is a job I hope everyone knows I took seriously to get out as much insider information on every move the boys made in their journey. So thank you(also shameless plug please stay tuned for other hopefully awesome blogs on the Breakdown moving forward) for the ride.
Many try. Few climb the mountain.
You can’t help but reminisce about the road. Akron feels like a lifetime ago. A stream many thought could never end at times. But remember this doesn't happen without the production, socials, Coach Brandon Walker, his staff, and of course this accomplishment REALLY doesn’t happen without those 5 wins in Year 1 back on Tuesday evening. It was the first fork in the road that led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the 2051–52 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
That’s right, players, coaches, fans, and viewers:
The NATTY is ALL of THEIRS. Forever.
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