Ohio State Football: Why the Buckeyes Are in the Drivers' Seat to Indianapolis

Anyone who saw Ohio State's stunning win over Wisconsin on Saturday night had to believe that the six-time Big Ten champions weren't going to go away quietly this season.

Written off after embarrassing losses to Miami and Michigan State, and punctuated by a collapse at Nebraska, Ohio State had every reason to fold up and coast to the end of the season.

The program is still facing the uncertainty of their immediate future as the NCAA has still not announced sanctions on the programs even though the 12-week time frame is almost upon us.

But it took one magical pass from Braxton Miller to Devin Smith to reignite the Buckeye Nation and suddenly fans are dreaming of a trip to the first-ever Big Ten Championship Game at Indianapolis in December.

And considering the deck that was stacked against Ohio State, that never seemed like much of a possibility.

After all, Miller looked lost through most of the first seven games of his career.

Whether it was a one-game aberration or the sign of things to come, the switch has flipped not only from him, but with the rest of the team as well.

The lack of true senior leaders for the first five weeks truly hurt this team, but it also forced the young players to grow up.

Slowly but surely, seniors Mike Adams and Dan Herron came back, and we have since seen a different team.

And with one magic moment, Ohio State suddenly seems like the favorite to win the Leaders Division.

One team truly stands in their way: Penn State.

But something else stands in Penn State's way: a schedule that might make SEC West teams cringe.

After their bye week, they host Nebraska, then have road games at Ohio State and Wisconsin to end the season.

And despite how stellar their defense has played all season long, the offense has been very puzzling, muddled in a quarterback controversy with Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin.

Bolden and McGloin have rotated in and out of action, without either player truly seizing the starting job.

With that coming into effect, it's tough to imagine Penn State winning all three games, let alone the two that will be necessary to clinch the Leaders Division outright.

These young Buckeyes have grown dramatically throughout the season, and will have chances to grow even further as they finally get a break in the schedule with games against Indiana and Purdue before they host the Nittany Lions.

If they can play anywhere near the level they played at when they beat Wisconsin, there's no reason to think Miller and the Buckeyes can't win the Leaders Division this season.

Of course they have to hope the NCAA doesn't deliver a sudden postseason ban, which would be the exclamation point to a full year of turmoil that cost OSU a potential hall-of-fame head coach.

But provided that doesn't happen, the Buckeyes could be making a trip west down Interstate 70 on Dec. 3 for the right to continue their Big Ten dynasty by winning a seventh-straight championship.

Nebraska and Wisconsin will need to help, but they are certainly capable of doing such a feat.

The truth of Ohio State's season is that it's amazing what one play can do.

If everything falls right, Buckeye fans can thank Miller and Smith for steering the ship back on course.

Follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim for more college football news and updates.