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Column: Mapping out the rest of Ohio State’s season following Oregon loss
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Putting the loss against the Ducks behind us, let’s take a look at who the Buckeyes have to beat the rest of the year.
Alright, everyone. Have we finished giving everyone around us the silent treatment, done brewing angry tears in our eyes, and finally accepted what happened on Saturday? No? Me neither. However, it is time to move forward and focus on what the rest of the season holds for the Buckeyes. Let’s take a look at the remaining opponents Ohio State needs to beat in order to get back into the CFP conversation.
Ohio State should be very happy with who they have lined up the next few weeks. Tulsa lost their first game of the year to FCS opponent UC Davis. They bounced back in a respectable loss to Oklahoma St., but still— a loss is a loss. Now they are coming to the ‘Shoe against an angry Buckeye team? I would say the home team has the advantage.
Akron should be a blowout, no question. They have lost by 50 and 21 points their last two games. The latter was against Temple, who got demolished by RUTGERS the week before. Enough said. Speaking of the Scarlet Knights, I truly don’t expect a complete blowout. So far, they’ve beaten Ohio University and Syracuse while looking a little sloppy. Greg Schiano has built up this program, but it should still be a fairly easy dub for the Buckeyes, as I’m sure Ohio State won’t let their mistakes slide.
Maryland will be an interesting one, with Taulia Tagovailoa leading the Terps to a 2-0 record so far, with a nice W against West Virginia, and a soul-crushing shutout against Howard. The junior QB has over 600 yards to open the season, and I am curious to see how Ohio State’s defense plans to defend him. Maryland has had some penalty struggles, so it’ll be a good game in a few weeks, with both teams having time to clean up some mistakes. I still got the Bucks pulling ahead, though.
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Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Week 7 was a highly anticipated matchup against Indiana, but not so much after getting pummeled by Iowa. The Hosiers bounced back against Idaho, but they got Cincinnati on the slate for this weekend. I’ll make my final determination after that game, but I feel like I’ve seen enough— Michael Penix Jr. is having a little bit of a slow start which is hurting their offense. I expect Ohio State to capitalize on this one.
Penn State. Halloween. Home game. I CAN’T WAIT. This is going to be a phenomenal game, and I fully believe that James Franklin will bring a prepared team. The Nittany Lions have beaten Wisconsin in exciting fashion, and Ball State. Nothing too impressive from them so far, but the way they gutted it out against Wisconsin is to be noted. Buckle up.
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Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Nebraska and Purdue shouldn’t cause worry. The Cornhuskers lost to Illinois, but QB Adrian Martinez is a running threat, which I would hope Ohio State can stop by the time we face them. Purdue has a couple of wins under their belt, but a big game against Notre Dame this Saturday. However, I think these are both average teams that OSU will beat. Michigan St. opened up with a nice win against Northwestern to start the season, and look pretty good. The Spartans’ RB Kenneth Walker III is definitely someone to watch out for, as he exploded for 264 yards in that game. Another good running back against a struggling Ohio State defense— we shall see.
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Last but not least, TTUN. At TTUN. *ichigan routed a struggling Washington team this past weekend as a result of a good RB combo, strong defense, and some trickery on special teams. Harbaugh is getting creative on the hot seat, and he will not go down without a fight in the most critical game of his career at this school. Ohio State can take advantage of *ichigan’s lack of passing on offense, and go off on their own offense. Best game of the year. November 27. LET’S GET HYPED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON!
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meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images
Putting the loss against the Ducks behind us, let’s take a look at who the Buckeyes have to beat the rest of the year.
Alright, everyone. Have we finished giving everyone around us the silent treatment, done brewing angry tears in our eyes, and finally accepted what happened on Saturday? No? Me neither. However, it is time to move forward and focus on what the rest of the season holds for the Buckeyes. Let’s take a look at the remaining opponents Ohio State needs to beat in order to get back into the CFP conversation.
Ohio State should be very happy with who they have lined up the next few weeks. Tulsa lost their first game of the year to FCS opponent UC Davis. They bounced back in a respectable loss to Oklahoma St., but still— a loss is a loss. Now they are coming to the ‘Shoe against an angry Buckeye team? I would say the home team has the advantage.
Akron should be a blowout, no question. They have lost by 50 and 21 points their last two games. The latter was against Temple, who got demolished by RUTGERS the week before. Enough said. Speaking of the Scarlet Knights, I truly don’t expect a complete blowout. So far, they’ve beaten Ohio University and Syracuse while looking a little sloppy. Greg Schiano has built up this program, but it should still be a fairly easy dub for the Buckeyes, as I’m sure Ohio State won’t let their mistakes slide.
Maryland will be an interesting one, with Taulia Tagovailoa leading the Terps to a 2-0 record so far, with a nice W against West Virginia, and a soul-crushing shutout against Howard. The junior QB has over 600 yards to open the season, and I am curious to see how Ohio State’s defense plans to defend him. Maryland has had some penalty struggles, so it’ll be a good game in a few weeks, with both teams having time to clean up some mistakes. I still got the Bucks pulling ahead, though.
Week 7 was a highly anticipated matchup against Indiana, but not so much after getting pummeled by Iowa. The Hosiers bounced back against Idaho, but they got Cincinnati on the slate for this weekend. I’ll make my final determination after that game, but I feel like I’ve seen enough— Michael Penix Jr. is having a little bit of a slow start which is hurting their offense. I expect Ohio State to capitalize on this one.
Penn State. Halloween. Home game. I CAN’T WAIT. This is going to be a phenomenal game, and I fully believe that James Franklin will bring a prepared team. The Nittany Lions have beaten Wisconsin in exciting fashion, and Ball State. Nothing too impressive from them so far, but the way they gutted it out against Wisconsin is to be noted. Buckle up.
Nebraska and Purdue shouldn’t cause worry. The Cornhuskers lost to Illinois, but QB Adrian Martinez is a running threat, which I would hope Ohio State can stop by the time we face them. Purdue has a couple of wins under their belt, but a big game against Notre Dame this Saturday. However, I think these are both average teams that OSU will beat. Michigan St. opened up with a nice win against Northwestern to start the season, and look pretty good. The Spartans’ RB Kenneth Walker III is definitely someone to watch out for, as he exploded for 264 yards in that game. Another good running back against a struggling Ohio State defense— we shall see.
Last but not least, TTUN. At TTUN. *ichigan routed a struggling Washington team this past weekend as a result of a good RB combo, strong defense, and some trickery on special teams. Harbaugh is getting creative on the hot seat, and he will not go down without a fight in the most critical game of his career at this school. Ohio State can take advantage of *ichigan’s lack of passing on offense, and go off on their own offense. Best game of the year. November 27. LET’S GET HYPED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON!
Continue reading...