Led by former Buckeye quarterback Joe Burrow, LSU has made quite a statement so far in this early season. The Tigers already have two top-10 wins on their resume and have jumped all the way up to No. 5 just four weeks into the season.
Dwayne Haskins? More like Dwayne (First) HALFskins
September 25, 2018Indians Playoff Chess: Making A Pitching Plan
September 26, 2018Until either Alabama, Georgia, or Clemson lose, it’s pretty clear that the Ohio State Buckeyes won’t be able to jump either of the three in the AP Top 25. Following their dominant win over Tulane last Saturday, the Buckeyes remained at No. 4 in the latest AP Poll, where they will likely stay as long as they and the other top-3 teams in the country remain undefeated.
Not being able to jump the Crimson Tide, Bulldogs, or Tigers isn’t ideal, but that’s the situation Ohio State will likely be stuck with unless one of them loses at some point this season. Due to the Big Ten’s inability to have a solid, top-10 team consistently outside of the Buckeyes, it could (and will) be too tough for the Buckeyes to argue that they have a better resume than any SEC team, let alone many of the top teams in the country. It doesn’t mean Ohio State should worry because if they go undefeated it’s fine, but it’s the reality of the situation at the moment.
One of their three remaining games against teams currently ranked in the AP Poll will be this Saturday night in Happy Valley. Two weeks after beating TCU in their biggest non-conference game of the season, the Buckeyes are set to play one of their biggest conference games of the season Saturday night when they take on No. 9 Penn State. Beating the Nittany Lions is tough no matter where the game is; beating them in Beaver Stadium is much, much tougher.
Besides Ohio State and Penn State, the Big Ten has three other teams ranked in the Top 25: No. 14 Michigan, No. 15 Wisconsin, and No. 21 Michigan State. For those keeping score at home, the SEC has six top-25 teams, including the top two teams in the country, three in the top five, and four in the top 10.
All eyes will be on the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions Saturday night. With College Gameday at Penn State Saturday morning, the top-10 matchup will not only have huge implications on the Big Ten but the Playoff race as well.