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

The Overview

To date, the combined record of OSU's opponents is 23-25 (.479), which is unimpressive.  It seems sort of like a joke that after seven weeks, Purdue was the highest quality opponent—and they let Michigan put up 48 points on their way to their second loss.  This could be attributed to Michigan's resurgence, or possibly a hangover from the previous week's loss.  Either way, OSU hasn't faced a formidable opponent yet.

That being said, Ohio State has taken care of business week in and week out, which is more than I can say for some teams.  But admittedly, an LSU loss to Kentucky would be more realistic than an OSU loss to any teams it has played to date.  This opinion is based solely on respect for LSU's talent and Kentucky's strength and heart.

Being ranked No. 1 with a clear national title shot if they run the table, OSU will determine its own destiny from here.  Clearly this will depend on a rebuilt Buckeye offense and a lights-out defense, each of which I'll taker a closer look at in Part Two and Three of this series.

My Take on the Buckeyes

Honestly, I can't say we are great.  I can't say we aren't great.  The teams we've played aren't good teams (with maybe Purdue as an exception).  But we've beaten each pretty convincingly like any No. 1-ranked team should do to far inferior opponents. 

If not for USC's one loss, I'd be inclined to think they would still be ranked No. 1.  The games against our one common opponent went two different ways for the Bucks and the Trojans.  In fact, USC almost lost to Washington (27-24), while OSU had complete control in their 33-14 win. 

So my point is, if USC hadn't lost to Stanford, they would have the No. 1 rank, with maybe some opposition.  The Buckeyes haven't lost and have the No. 1 rank with huge opposition.  Now, why would USC be a "better" No. 1 considering each of our performances against Washington?

Right now, OSU has a stellar defense, but some can argue this has been helped by the quality of opponents we've played.  The offense is not as good as last year's, but the defense can make up for more mistakes on the other side of the ball.  More than I can remember this year our "D" has bailed the offense out.

So here is where the Buckeyes stand right now: They've played seven largely unimpressive teams.  The games they have played, they have had complete control.  The defense—namely the secondary and D-line—is the difference on this year's team.  The offense is sufficient to get the job done most of the time, while falling back on a lights-out "D" when they can't.  And Ohio State has five quality opponents left to face:

Michigan St. (5-2), Penn St. (5-2), Wisconsin (5-2), Illinois (5-2), and Michigan (5-2)—a combined record of 25-10 (.714).

Will they win all five? 

The way this year is going, I'd be hard-pressed to say yes.  Penn State and Michigan will be by far our biggest challenges.  As far as I'm concerned, playing at the Valley is always scary for OSU, and Ann Harbor should be just as unwelcoming. 

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