Shocking Ohio State Loss a Reminder That Chaos Game Is Always Lurking
In college football, Team Chaos is always lurking.
Waiting.
Patiently baiting that unsuspecting College Football Playoff contender into a fight for the ages in the hopes of unleashing its chaos into the college football world.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Penn State was Team Chaos on Saturday night in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions stunned second-ranked Ohio State 24-21 by hanging around for the majority of the game, pouncing on a blocked field goal with four minutes, 27 seconds to play and returning it 60 yards for a score.
It was a fitting end to a game in which Ohio State—fresh off of an overtime win at Wisconsin the week prior—took for granted a Penn State team that closed as 17-point underdogs on Odds Shark.
The offensive line struggled to protect quarterback J.T. Barrett all night, especially on the last drive when he was under pressure on every dropback and sacked on the final offensive play of the game. Barrett averaged just 1.5 yards per carry (sacks included), Mike Weber averaged just 3.4, and Curtis Samuel only received 10 touches on a night in which he was the only Buckeye who looked capable of providing an offensive spark.
None of it made sense, which is what makes this sport so great.
Where else can you see a 4th-and-25 overtime lateral prayer picked up and converted for a first down to help knock a team out of a division title?
That exact thing happened last year, when Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry bounced said prayer to running back Alex Collins to keep alive the drive that eventually beat Ole Miss. That play also allowed eventual national champion Alabama to earn the SEC West title and a spot in the playoff.
Where else can a freshman quarterback starting his first road game stun a team ranked third in the CFP standings in a game that included a goal-line fumble and a botched snap on the final drive by the favorite?
That exact thing happened, when then-No. 3 Auburn came back from down 18 points before falling to Kyle Allen and Texas A&M on Nov. 8, 2014.
Where else can a controversial 30-yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds left by a team with a 3-6 record stun the seventh-ranked team in the playoff standings?
That exact scenario played out in Lincoln, Nebraska, in November, when Michigan State fell to Nebraska on Brandon Reilly's catch in which he ran out of bounds prior to coming back in to make the grab.
That last one is important, because when Team Chaos bites, the mettle of teams gets tested and true champions emerge. For Michigan State last year, the rebound included a win over Ohio State, a Big Ten title and a berth in the playoff.
That's the lesson Ohio State has to learn from the Penn State debacle.
Its offense is in shambles. Trust in the offensive line disappeared. And the flight back to Columbus will be filled with tears, frustration and wonder of what might have been.
But "what might have been" is still there for the Buckeyes to take, if they want it.
Home games with Northwestern and Nebraska will be challenging but navigable for head coach Urban Meyer's crew. Trips to Maryland and Michigan State after the homestand will be tricky, but Ohio State should be able to handle them if proper adjustments are made, such as avoiding the lifeless mentality that got them beat Saturday night.
All roads still lead to a rivalry game at home vs. Michigan to close the regular season with everything on the line, including the Big Ten East division title, conference championship and a potential berth in the College Football Playoff.
That is, of course, assuming Ohio State can withstand Team Chaos' punch in the same way it did when Virginia Tech topped the Buckeyes in Columbus in 2014, fix what ails the offense and become the national title contender it should be considering the roster Meyer has assembled.
College football relies heavily on 18- to 22-year-old young men acting and playing with the same focus, desire and intensity of seasoned professionals. As a result, you have to embrace the weird.
Unless, of course, you're Alabama, a 900-pound gorilla that imposes its will on the opposition on a weekly basis.
For this week, Team Chaos reared its ugly head again in college football. It's now up to the Buckeyes to decide if it will define their season.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of cfbstats unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information is courtesy of Scout. Odds provided by Odds Shark.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter: @BarrettSallee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
