Ohio State football looks to be in the hunt for their third playoff appearance in four seasons. We predict every game of the 2017 season.
Make no mistake about it. Ohio State’s showing, or lack there of, in last year’s college football semifinal versus Clemson was disappointing for them to say the least. The goal this year is to get back to the playoff and advance to the title game. Who cares if they win a Big Ten title along the way. It certainly did not matter last year. In all seriousness though, this Buckeyes team is loaded once again so another playoff berth is certainly in the cards.
More: 2017 Ohio State football season preview and predictions
Quarterback J.T. Barrett returns (seems like he has been there forever) for his final season in the scarlet and gray. Running back Mike Weber is also back after his 1,000 yard season. The defense lost star power, but there is plenty of talent here for this group to not miss a beat. That’s definitely a result of Urban Meyer’s recruitment prowess.
Let’s take a look at the Buckeyes schedule to see if there is any potential for hiccups or if it will be smooth sailing to the playoff.
In a rare occurrence for the Big Ten, Ohio State opens the conference slate in Week 1 against Indiana on a Thursday night. The game will be in primetime with a special edition of ESPN’s College Gameday being broadcast from Bloomington before the game. Needless to say, Indiana fans will be hyped for this one.
Adding more intrigue to the contest is Buckeye offensive coordinator/tight end coach Kevin Wilson returning to take on his old team. Wilson was fired as head coach of the Hoosiers last December when allegations of mistreatment of players surfaced. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen takes over as a rookie head coach for the Hoosiers. Should make for a good storyline.
As for on the field, quarterback Richard Lagow returns. He has a cannon for an arm, throwing for over 3,300 yards last season. His mistakes were glaring though, throwing 17 interceptions. He’ll have to clean that up this season. On the defensive side, Indiana returns nine starters. They made strides last season under Allen. Their strength is in the secondary where all four starters return.
Look for this game to be closer than expected. It’s the first game of the season, where there will be a feeling out process for both teams. Ohio State is on the road playing against a hyped up Indiana team, plus the Buckeyes cannot look ahead to their game against Oklahoma the following week.
Lagow leads the team on a surprising touchdown drive to start the game and the Hoosiers add a field goal to be up 10-0 early. J.T. Barrett settles the team down and punches back with consecutive touchdown drives to have the Buckeyes up 4 at the break. In the second half, the Hoosiers and Buckeyes trade touchdown drives. Down 4, the Hoosiers have a drive into Buckeye territory, but Lagow throws a patented pick to safety Damon Webb. The Buckeyes add another touchdown for good measure and bleed out the rest of the clock.