BUCKEYES SETBACK? OHIO STATE BIG TEN SEASON PREVIEW

Ohio State Conference Play Preview

Coming into this season, I believed that two things were true. Ohio State was one of the best teams in the country, but they also were going to have a tough road to the CFP. I saw them as last year’s Texas, simply because of their schedule. After three games, I believe these two statements are as true as they ever were.

After starting the season 2-1, Ohio State is ranked 7th in the country. They blew out Kent State and Ball State by a total score of 115-6, but blew 23-3 lead on the road vs Texas. Texas scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, and the Buckeyes would take their first loss of the season. The offense stalled out the second the Longhorns began to bracket Jeremiah Smith, and it has become clear that this Buckeyes team is the least deep it has been in many years.

They began Big Ten play with a home game against Illinois, where despite coming away with a victory, the Buckeyes allowed a whopping 200 rushing yards, a number that DL Kenyatta Jackson called "unacceptable" for the group's defense. The Buckeyes have an opportunity to get their season back on track in a marquee matchup on the road at Iowa and they will also face Indiana and USC on the road, along with Oregon and Michigan at home. It isn’t easy to make the CFP with this schedule, and coming into the gauntlet already with one loss makes doing so even harder. As we saw with Texas last year, 9-3 with quality wins guarantees nothing. While Texas did lose to a 4-8 Florida team, the non-conference loss to Ohio State early in the year severely punished them. Now, Ohio State sits in the same spot with very little room for error.

So where do the Buckeyes have to improve if they want to make their third straight CFP appearance? What stands out to me first is their lack of a true WR2, which they have always seemed to have under Ryan Day. Whether Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, or Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka, or another duo, Ohio State has always had a great tandem at receiver. Now, Jeremiah Smith leads the team with 400 yards, and second is Brandon Inniss with 133 yards. True freshman Chris Henry Jr. surprisingly only has two catches on the season. If the Buckeyes want to have a similar season to those in the past, someone else not named Jeremiah Smith must step up for Julian Sayin and the Ohio State offense. 

The rushing game has looked elite to start the year with Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson averaging 5.9 and 7.1 YPC, respectively. The two have also combined for 6 touchdowns on the ground.

Defensively, Ohio State has looked sound against the teams that they should look sound against. However, the 4th quarter performance against Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns was a little bit concerning. That being said, one bad quarter should not eliminate the three great quarters they played against one of the best offenses in the country. At the end of the day, they held Arch to under 200 yards passing and the Longhorns to 3.4 YPC on the ground. 

Defensively, this team has seen a lot of turnover, with players going to the NFL draft, like Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Arvel Reese. However, other names are stepping up, like Safety Earl Little Jr. who leads the team in tackles this season and has two pass deflections. Linebacker Riley Pettijohn has 12 tackles, a sack, and an interception on the season. 

Overall, the talent on this Buckeyes roster isn’t what I am worried about. It is about whether they have the experience, depth, and mental strength to go through this absolute gauntlet of a schedule. This is one of the least experienced Buckeyes roster's in ages, and the talent they lossed from last year is immense. While the Buckeyes might get in with three losses, they for sure don’t want to thread the needle that closely. Personally, I trust Ryan Day to lead the Buckeyes to another CFP berth, but the five ranked opponents left on their schedule are hard to ignore. The Buckeyes can’t afford to take weeks off during this conference play stretch, every week will count. Expect OSU to be fighting for a playoff spot to the very end, but dont be shocked if this turns up a down year for the Buckeyes.