Ohio State Football Schedule: The Buckeyes' Path To Climbing the BCS Rankings

The Ohio State Buckeyes' BCS hopes are currently on life support.

Coming off a draining 34-27 loss in Lincoln to the Nebraska Cornhuskers after being up 27-6 with eight minutes left in the third quarter have OSU fans dumbfounded.

The Buckeyes were looking to notch their first victory over a ranked opponent this season, and better yet, get the win they needed to put them back on track.

But instead, the Cornhuskers scored 28 consecutive points during the Bucks' second-half collapse and clinched its first conference win as a member of the Big Ten.

And it doesn't get any easier for Ohio State.

This matchup was the first of three straight ranked teams on OSU's schedule. They go on the road to face No. 16 Illinois before taking on the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers in Columbus on October 29.

These are followed by tough games vs. Indiana, Purdue, Penn State and of course, the currently undefeated—and despised—Michigan Wolverines.

If the Buckeyes want any chance of breaking into the BCS rankings—or a bowl, for that matter—there are numerous changes that need to be made and trends that must be broken.

Here is a game-by-game breakdown for the rest of the regular season and what Ohio State must do to defeat its remaining opponents.

@ Illinois Fighting Illini

Last week...

Illinois won at Indiana, 41-20


The last time these two met...

Ohio State won 24-13


What the Bucks must do to win...

It's quite simple here, folks. Illinois owns the nation's 22nd-best rushing offense, compiling an average of 209.8 yards per game. It has found the end zone via running the ball 12 times this season (T-18th) and the tailback trio of Jason Ford, Troy Pollard and Donovonn Young are combining for 5.6 yards per carry.

However, in the Fighting Illini's battle with the Arizona State Sun Devils—its only genuine opponent so far—the running game was put to a halt. ASU held Illinois to 105 yards on 45 attempts (2.3 ypc), but failed to take advantage of its three turnovers, falling 17-14.

Ohio State needs to rely on its defensive line to stop Illinois' rushing attack and force sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase to throw the ball. This will give the Buckeyes' offense the chance to jump on top early, and ultimately control the rhythm of the game.

Wisconsin Badgers

Last week...

BYE


The last time these two met...

Wisconsin won 31-18


What the Bucks must do to win...

The 5-0 Badgers are beating opponents by an average score of 48-10. Heisman contending quarterback Russell Wilson is tearing defenses apart with his dual-threat suave on the field, completing 75 percent of his passes for nearly 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns. Running back Montee Ball has found the end zone at least twice in every game so far (14 total TDs). The defense is ranked second in the nation, allowing just 10.2 points per game, holding Nebraska to 17.

And still yet, the Buckeyes have a chance to win.

Dan "Boom" Herron will have to play like the future NFL running back that he is. He'll be playing in his second game back from suspension and should be in midseason form after a hard-nosed matchup with Illinois. He'll be heavily relied on to control the pace of the game and to keep Wilson's offense off the field.

Fickell may not take a liking to the terminology, but this is a game where "Tresselball" will have to be utilized to perfection. With a true freshman quarterback and a defense that's proven to be shaky against the power running game, clock control and field position will be the key to victory.

But if Ohio State can't hold on to the ball for longer than two minutes at a time, it'll be a long day for Buckeye nation.

Indiana Hoosiers

Last week...

Indiana lost vs. Illinois, 41-20


The last time these two met...

Ohio State won 38-10


What the Bucks must do to win...

Run, run and run the football some more. The Indiana defense is allowing a whopping 210 yards on the ground per contest. The tandem of Dan Herron, Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde should and will have a field day against the Hoosiers, dominating the time of possession and scoreboard.

Besides, the last time Indiana beat Ohio State was in 1988.

@ Purdue Boilermakers

Last week...

Purdue won vs. Minnesota, 45-17


The last time these two met...

Ohio State won 49-0


What the Bucks must do to win...

Surprisingly, Purdue runs the ball a lot. In fact, the Boilermakers average 215 yards per game (19th overall). However, their quarterback Caleb TerBush has looked less-than-impressive and has struggled in his team's two losses.

If I'm Fickell, I'm loading the box and making the junior QB throw the ball and forcing him into uncomfortable situations. If the Buckeyes can stop the run, they should have no problems keeping Purdue off the board.

But they must not look ahead to the Penn State game, or we may be looking at a repeat of the 2009 miscue all over again.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Last week...

Penn State won vs. Iowa, 13-3


The last time these two met...

Ohio State won 38-14


What the Bucks must do to win...

Score more than twice, and they might not even have to do that. Seriously, Penn State's offense is horrible. It has no pulse and can't find the end zone worth anything.

Let's put it this way: Penn State scored 14 points on Temple in Week 3 following its disastrous outing against Alabama. Two weeks later, the Toledo Rockets  put up 36 on the Owls.

If you take away the Nittany Lions' two blowout wins over Indiana State and Eastern Michigan, they are scoring 13.5 points per game.

JoePa's squad most recently scored 13 on the Iowa Hawkeyes—the same team that allowed Iowa State to compile 473 yards and 44 points on the scoreboard—where it sputtered two field goals, an interception and a late touchdown in four red-zone opportunities.

There's no reason why Ohio State can't win this game.

Michigan Wolverines

Last week...

Michigan won vs. Northwestern, 42-24


The last time these two met...

Ohio State won 37-7


What the Bucks must do to win...

For Ohio State to receive its eighth straight victory against arch rival Michigan, it has to do exactly what it did in last year's matchup.

Contain Denard Robinson and make him throw the ball.

Last season's "The Game" featured Robinson going 8-of-18 for 87 yards through the air. He ran the ball 18 times for 105 yards (4.8 ypc), but was banged up after having to rely on his feet so much.

Brady Hoke's new offensive scheme has the junior quarterback involved in more of a pass-friendly environment, and it's safe to say that it hasn't worked to his advantage yet. Robinson has completed just 57 percent of his passes for just 1,330 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and has only surpassed 100 yards in three of six games.

Notre Dame held Michigan to just 114 yards on the ground, forcing Robinson to use his arm and finish 11-of-24 with three interceptions. He threw for four touchdowns, but we must give OSU's secondary the benefit of the doubt that it'd perform better than the Irish's poor secondary.

"Shoelace" is throwing an interception on every 13th pass this season. If the Buckeyes' defense can control the Wolverines running game—like Notre Dame did—it can force Robinson into his usual bad decision-making and give Ohio State's offense great field position.

The Wolverines are better than they were a year ago, but they still have a lot of flaws that will be exploited throughout Big Ten play. The Buckeyes have a terrific shot to make it eight in a row against the maize and blue.

And if Ohio State can execute each of these game plans against its remaining opponents, there's still hope for a BCS appearance.