Ohio State is one of the favorites to not only reach the College Football Playoff this season, but win the national championship. The Buckeyes are firmly in the mix with other usual suspects like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oregon and Oklahoma.

But at least one SEC analyst believes Ohio State lost too much along the defensive line to win it all in 2020.

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In 247Sports’ Social Distance series, SEC analyst Cole Cubelic talked about the four teams he expects to reach the College Football Playoff this season. While he does expect Ryan Day to make a return appearance to the four-team field, Cubelic argues that the Buckeyes just don’t have enough to knock off the likes of Clemson.

“Clemson is winning the national championship,” Cubelic said. “I think Ohio State lost way too much up front, and it’s not just Chase Young. Nobody paid attention to what DaVon Hamilton and those guys did. They had a great defensive line around Chase Young and a solid group of linebackers around him, with one of the best corners in college football.

“I think when you remove all of that, that’s going to be a little bit too tough to replace for Ohio State. I think Clemson finds a way to win the national title this year.”

Young and Hamilton combined for 22.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss for the Buckeyes last season. Those will be huge voids to fill along the Ohio State defensive line.

But the Buckeyes do return star quarterback Justin Fields, a strong offensive line and excellent playmakers at the skill positions. Even if the defensive takes a small step backwards, the offense should be able to put up a ton of points in 2020.