Ohio State has a chance next Monday night to claim its 9th national championship when it faces Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

But there have been some standout Buckeyes squads in the past loaded with talent that have failed to claim a natty.

Here are the 5 best Ohio State teams to not win a national championship.

1973

Record: 10-0-1
Associated Press ranking: No. 2

This juggernaut outscored its opponents 413-64 and earned the program its 17th Big Ten title and 9th under legendary head coach Woody Hayes. Much of the 1972 team returned, and the offense was led by sophomores Archie Griffin, Brian Baschnagel and Cornelius Greene, who beat out senior Greg Hare for the starting quarterback job behind a strong offensive line. Defensively, the unit might have been even deeper — and better — than the offense. The D recorded 4 shutouts and allowed only 8 touchdowns in 11 games.

Ohio State enjoyed a special season despite losing Champ Henson to a season-ending knee injury in late September. Henson was the nation’s leading scorer with 20 touchdowns in 1972. OSU entered the 70th version of The Game as favorites despite No. 4 Michigan (10-0) not having lost a home game in 4 seasons. The teams played to a 10-10 tie, which put conference athletic directors in charge of naming the league’s Rose Bowl representative. Because Michigan quarterback Dennis Franklin had a broken collarbone, the ADs voted to send the Buckeyes to Pasadena, where they torched USC, 42-21. The league at the time sent only 1 team to represent the conference in a bowl game.

AP voters placed the Buckeyes at No. 2 in the final poll, behind Notre Dame. Had they come away with the win over Michigan, it could be argued that it was the best team in Ohio State history.

1998

Record: 11-1
Associated Press ranking: No. 2

This Buckeyes squad was loaded with talent as well, and it featured names such as Joe Germaine, David Boston, Antoine Winfield, Andy Katzenmoyer and Michael Wiley. Ohio State was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, but it dropped its Week 9 game to Nick Saban and Michigan State, which took advantage of Buckeyes turnovers. The Spartans were in a 24-9 hole but scored 19 unanswered points in the 2nd half to win, 28-24. They intercepted a Germaine pass in the end zone that could have won it for the Buckeyes.

At the time, Germaine was regarded as the best Buckeyes QB ever, as he threw for 3,330 yards and 25 TDs against 7 interceptions. Boston had 85 receptions for 1,435 yards and 13 scores, and Wiley and Joe Montgomery combined to rush for 2,001 yards and 17 scores. Meanwhile, the defense allowed more than 17 points just 1 time, and the secondary featured 4 future NFL players.

2012

Record: 12-0
Associated Press ranking: No. 3

This was Urban Meyer’s very first team in Columbus. Remember that due to NCAA sanctions, this team was ineligible for postseason play. But Meyer, along with coordinators Tom Herman, Ed Warinner and Everett Withers, put together an undefeated season 1 year removed from a 6-7 campaign under interim head coach Luke Fickell. Meyer was able to secure a top-5 recruiting class, and the team returned nearly every starter, including quarterback Braxton Miller. This season was arguably the best coaching job of Meyer’s career.

It wasn’t the most talented Meyer squad, but Miller rushed for 1,271 yards, threw for 2,000 and accounted for 28 total touchdowns. Carlos Hyde had 970 rushing yards and 16 scores, as the offense revolved around the read option and a traditional ground attack game with the occasional deep ball from Miller. Meanwhile, the defense was steady, led by Ryan Shazier.

The schedule wasn’t the most difficult, but Meyer elevated the program in Year 1. Had the Buckeyes played Alabama for the natty, OSU probably wouldn’t have had much of a chance as the Crimson Tide were in the middle of an historic run of success. But that doesn’t take away the fact that this OSU team was special.

2015

Record: 13-1
Associated Press ranking: No. 4

This was a loaded Buckeyes squad, featuring future NFL stars such as Ezekiel Elliott, Joey Bosa and Taylor Decker. It was coming off a national championship and was poised to make another title run, but it lost 17-14 to Michigan State in the 2nd-to-last regular-season game. OSU had lost Herman, its offensive coordinator, in the offseason, so the offense wasn’t its normal self. The Buckeyes rotated quarterbacks, going back and forth between JT Barrett and Cardale Jones. But after the loss to the Spartans, which helped send Michigan State to the B1G title game and the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes handled Michigan 42-13 and Notre Dame 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Meyer has publicly said he feels this ’15 squad might have been the greatest team to never win a national title. Had it made the CFP, it would have likely stacked up well against any combination of Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma.

2019

Record: 13-1
Associated Press ranking: No. 3

Ryan Day’s first Buckeyes team began the year ranked No. 5 in the preseason AP Poll. By the end of the regular season, it was ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings due to comfortable wins over ranked B1G opponents Wisconsin (twice), Penn State and Michigan in conference play.

The defense was led by end Chase Young, who led the country with 16.5 sacks, as well as linebacker Malik Harrison and first-team All-American cornerback Jeff Okudah. Meanwhile, Georgia transfer quarterback Justin Fields was a Heisman Trophy finalist after leading the B1G with 3,273 passing yards and 41 touchdowns to go along with 10 rushing scores. He was surrounded by top playmakers, including Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, K.J. Hill and J.K. Dobbins, who became the first Buckeyes running back to pass the 2,000-yard rushing mark with 2,003 plus 21 touchdowns.

The Buckeyes ended up losing to defending national champion Clemson, though, 29-23 in the Fiesta Bowl when Trevor Lawrence connected with Travis Etienne on a 34-yard go-ahead touchdown with 1:49 left to cap a 94-yard scoring march. Ohio State had jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the 1st half before Clemson rallied.