State of the Buckeyes: Ohio State's First Half in Review

With a No. 1 ranking—especially one this unexpected—naturally comes a period of self-reflection for fans of any college football team.

Thus, over the course of this series of articles, I'll analyze in-depth the state of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program: where it is at now, both on offense and defense; where it may be at the end of the season; where it will be next year; and, finally, some of the possibilities in between. 

Sit back and strap in as I attempt to uncover the real state of football at The Ohio State University.

First off, let me state that I'm a Buckeye fan, and I know Buckeye football. That said, don't expect this series to be solely about how great the Buckeyes are. 

Heck, I might even surprise you a little bit.

The Buckeyes' No. 1 ranking is the result of the craziest college football season that I've seen in my 21 years.  Who would have thought that each team in the preseason Top 10 would have at least one loss by Week Seven? 

This raises the question of whether the Buckeyes even deserve the No. 1 ranking.  Most would say no.  Some would say yes.

And the smart ones would say it's too early to tell.  

Personally, I'll reserve my judgment for another day—and a more opinion-based article.

However, whether one believes the Bucks deserve it or not, they are No. 1.  And they've managed to get there by simply not losing. 

Every argument about OSU comes back to their strength of schedule, which isn't comparable to that of most teams in the national championship race—and won't be. 

Right now, the mostly untested team sits at 7-0, having outscored opponents 250-46. 

Here's a review of the season thus far:

Week 1: OSU (#11) vs Youngstown St. (W, 38-6)

The opener against Youngstown went as expected, really.  The Bucks showed some rust with nine penalties, but eventually wore the opponent down.  Youngstown's record right now stands at 5-2. 

Week 2: OSU (#12) vs Akron (W, 20-2)

Week Two exhibited a fairly less-impressive Buckeye team, particularly the offense which committed five turnovers (3 FUM, 2 INT).  It may have turned out to be a much closer game if it weren't for the defense's excellent effort.  Without delving too deep into the numbers, a couple of stats are notable.  The D made the Zips punt a total of 14 times in the game, gave up a total of three first downs (two on the first drive), and forced 12 consecutive three-and-out series.  Akron now stands with a record of 3-4.

Week 3: OSU (#10) vs Washington (W, 33-14)

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