Ohio State vs. Indiana: Buckeyes' Ugly Win Shows They Aren't Elite

The Ohio State Buckeyes survived their Week 7 showdown with the Indiana Hoosiers, barely escaping with a 52-49 win. While a win is a win, this particular one shows the Buckeyes couldn't compete for a national title, despite their record.

Coming into this game, the Hoosiers were on a three-game losing streak after losing to some tough opponents, none of which have as much talent as the Buckeyes. But for some reason, the Hoosiers' normally solid offense looked elite against the Buckeyes.

Indiana gained 352 yards through the air and 129 yards on the ground, making Ohio State's defense look amateur at best—and that's without mentioning the staggering season-high 49 points the Hoosiers dropped on the Buckeyes.

With defense like that, programs with a better offense would have no problem lighting up the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes offense was the lone bright spot in this game.

Ohio St. racked up almost 600 total yards, and while that might make them look like one of the best offenses in the nation, the Buckeyes did it against the No. 77-ranked defense in college football.

But even looking at the rest of the Buckeyes' wins this season, it's clear this team hasn't proven anything on the offensive end. Ohio St. has faced mostly menial defenses, and during the one true test this team has had, the Michigan State Spartans, Ohio St.'s offense wasn't able to muster up many points.

It was only because of their defense and a lack of talent on Michigan St.'s offense that prevented Urban Meyer's squad from losing.

Just imagine if the Buckeyes had to play a top defense like LSU's or Alabama's. There's no question this offense couldn't hang with the best defenses in the country, and that further proves the Buckeyes have a long way to go until they can be considered one of the best teams in college football.