BCS Rankings 2010: Breaking Down Where the Ohio State Buckeyes Stand
The first BCS rankings of the 2010 season have been revealed, and the Ohio State Buckeyes have slipped significantly after their shocking upset loss at Wisconsin.
In their first game as the number one team, in the country, the Buckeyes fell in Madison to the Badgers 31-18 and fell greatly in the AP and USA Today Coaches' Polls.
As the first BCS rankings of the season have come out, the Buckeyes are no longer in the driver's seat for an appearance in the national championship game, and possibly even a Big Ten championship.
Here is a look at where Ohio State stands at this point in the season.
How They Got to This Point
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Ohio State began the 2010 season as the No. 2 team in the country in both polls, and moved up to No. 1 after South Carolina upset Alabama 35-21.
But the Saturday, after moving up to the top spot in the Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll, the Buckeyes were manhandled by John Clay, J.J. Watt, and the Wisconsin Badgers 31-18.
In the loss, the defense gave up its first 100-yard rusher in 29 games, and looked very soft. The offense was solid, but nothing spectacular.
The Buckeyes dropped to No. 10 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 11 in the AP Poll, and are now tied for fourth in the Big Ten with Wisconsin.
Because of the loss and the stunning success of Michigan State this season, Ohio State no longer controls its destiny to go to the Rose Bowl.
Biggest Win
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In a rematch of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State withstood a strong start by Miami and defeated the Hurricanes 36-24 in Columbus.
Terrelle Pryor threw for 233 yards and one TD, and rushed for 113 more with a TD on the ground.
The defense was very strong, forcing four interceptions from Miami QB Jacory Harris.
The win came at a price for Ohio State as starting S C.J. Barnett who made a huge impact in the win left the game with a knee injury and is out for the season.
The win helped to solidify Ohio State as a championship contender at that point in the season.
BCS Ranking
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The Buckeyes totaled .5726 points in the first BCS of the season and are ranked No. 10 in the country, in between Utah at No. 9 with .654 points and Missouri at No. 11 with .5491 points.
Ohio State fell from a projected fifth last week according to ESPN's Brad Edwards to No. 10 in the first BCS rankings of the season, a drop of five spots behind former No. 1 Alabama and Mountain West darkhorse Utah.
The ranking was influenced by the Buckeyes' position at No. 10 in both the Coaches' Poll and the Harris Poll, which account for 2/3 of the BCS standings.
OSU is the second-highest Big Ten team in the BCS behind No. 7 Michigan State and are ahead of Wisconsin, who is ranked No. 13.
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Too High Or Too Low?
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From where Ohio State is in the BCS rankings, they should be ahead of Utah because of their strength of schedule.
Utah, though they are undefeated, have only played one AQ team in Pittsburgh, barely getting the win 27-24 in OT.
By struggling against an unranked team from a weak Big East conference, the Utes have not proved their strength so far, but will have the chance to do so November 6 at home against No. 5 TCU.
But so far, the body of work by Utah is not too spectacular to warrant being ahead of Ohio State outside of still being undefeated.
Over the course of the season, expect Ohio State to move up because of a better strength of schedule than mid-major teams like Utah and Boise State.
Remaining Schedule
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Here are Ohio State's remaining games:
October 23: Purdue at Ohio State
October 30: Ohio State at Minnesota
November 13: Penn State at Ohio State
November 20: Ohio State at Iowa
November 27: Michigan at Ohio State
Potential Pitfall
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Probably the biggest pitfall to Ohio State winning the Big Ten is the team that has the easiest road in the Big Ten: Iowa.
The Hawkeyes have Wisconsin, Michigan State, and OSU all coming to Iowa City this season, though they have a back-to-back against the Badgers and Spartans.
Iowa almost upset Ohio State in Columbus a year ago behind a stellar performance by backup QB James Vandenberg for a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.
While Ohio State doesn't face Michigan State this season, playing in Iowa City in November, with a sixth straight Big Ten title on the line, will be a very difficult challenge.
If Ohio State cannot muster up a physical challenge to a talented Iowa team, they will not be playing a January bowl game, which would be shocking considering the hype given to this squad.
Intangibles
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The biggest problem facing Ohio State this season has been the rush of injuries, especially season-ending injuries to S Tyler Moeller and C.J. Barnett.
But the experience of the Buckeyes having played in the BCS each of the last five seasons should help them get through a very tough November schedule.
And Jim Tressel, though he has to deal with national championship expectations every season, usually has his teams peaking towards the end of the season, which is the Michigan game.
The initial impact of the loss should mean that Ohio State will come out more motivated and ready to go through the final few games of the season.
But Ohio State needs to find a way to create a running game and solve their special team woes, something that has hurt this team all season long.
Analysis
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Despite being outmuscled Saturday, Ohio State still managed to make it to No. 10 in the BCS, which means they are still in striking range for a Big Ten title or at-large berth.
With only one game left against a ranked team this season, Ohio State should be able to climb the standings as long as the undefeated teams continue to lose.
But if they want to be in the national championship game, they need help like in 2007 where we saw top team after top team get picked off every week.
They also need to be able to win out and get some style points with two weak opponents coming up in Purdue and Minnesota.
OSU still has an outside shot to influence the championship picture, but they need to get back to playing strong football on both sides of the field and be physical to have a chance.
Bowl Projection
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When all is said and done, the Ohio State Buckeyes still have a chance to play in a January bowl game, and could very well end up in the Rose Bowl.
The Buckeyes may have cost themselves a chance at the national championship game, but they still have a very good opportunity to play in Pasadena for the second consecutive season.
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