The reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, are on the first off-week of the season. After taking each of the first three matchups on the schedule, the Buckeye bye week rolls around with the top-ranked squad gearing up for its first trip to Seattle since 2007. That year, the Buckeyes came out on top, 33-14.
With the week off, Ohio State can step back and take a look at what it’s done to this point, as well as begin to gauge what lies ahead on the schedule.
Buckeye Bye Week Breakdown: Looking Ahead
Looking Back
In Week 1, Ohio State took down Texas, 14-7. In a game that saw the Buckeyes hold the Longhorns off the scoreboard for 56:32 of game time. To this point in the young season, the Buckeyes’ victory is the single-most impressive win as the Longhorns enter Week 4 ranked eighth in the AP Poll, well ahead of the next one-loss team (14th-ranked Alabama).
Since that loss, Texas has rebounded with two wins over San Jose State and UTEP. While both were decided by multiple scores, neither truly shook the idea that Arch Manning is either hurt or just not yet the guy he’s been hyped up to be. Regardless, wins are wins.
In Week 2, the Buckeyes nuked Grambling State, 70-0. It was the breakout party for Bo Jackson, now a fan favorite, but it did not do much by way of measuring the Buckeyes up to their contending counterparts. Either way, Grambling rebounded with a 37-31 win in overtime against Kentucky State (Division II). The Tigers have beaten both of their lower-level foes. The challenge that lies ahead features all FCS opponents.
Then, last week, the Buckeyes overpowered Ohio, 37-9. Ohio put up a good fight and was able to frustrate the Ohio State offense in the red zone. The Bobcats finally have an easier week this week as Gardner-Webb (FCS) comes to town. After that, Ohio’s MAC championship defense begins.
The Next Four
After that, the Buckeyes return home to face Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are 2-1 with a narrow win over Buffalo, a blowout of Northwestern State (FCS), and a loss to California last week. Minnesota is also off this week and will play host to Rutgers next week. This year might not bring much success for P.J. Fleck’s team.
The following week is a trip to Champaign, Illinois, to face the Fighting Illini. Illinois has been building itself up to be in that second tier of Big Ten programs. This weekend, the Illini face Indiana in a battle to see who the best non-Ohio State/Oregon/Penn State team is this year. Brett Bielema has his team looking good to this point. Ohio State will do well to not overlook the Illini. We don’t want a repeat of 2007, do we?
Then, another sneaky trip to Camp Randall awaits. Wisconsin does not look great this year. While the Badgers may be 2-1, they struggled against Miami (OH) and were trounced by Alabama. Luke Fickell might be on the hot seat. Despite his history with the program, the Buckeyes could make that seat significantly warmer with a strong performance.
The Final Five
Then, Ohio State can run through three of the bottom-feeders of the conference. Purdue is still Purdue. While the Boilermakers are currently 2-1, they lost badly to USC last week. The Spoilermakers could certainly return, but as of this moment, it seems unlikely. Saying that UCLA has looked bad to this point would be a massive understatement. The Bruins have started 0-3, fired their head coach, and are wondering if that massive investment in a quarterback who tried to extort his former team was worth it. Suffice it to say, better financial decisions could have been made.
In the penultimate week, the Buckeyes will take on Rutgers. The same Rutgers team that struggled and very nearly lost to Ohio. The Scarlet Knights are currently 3-0 thanks to two wins over the MAC and one against an FCS team.
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