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.
Final: Indiana 17, Ohio State 28 (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Last season, the Buckeyes left Norman, Oklahoma with a convincing 45-24 victory. This year the Sooners pay the return visit to Columbus in an early season top 10 battle.
In June, Sooners head coach Bob Stoops shocked the college football world by announcing his retirement. Oklahoma immediately named offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley his successor. Riley has big shoes to fill as Stoops won ten Big 12 championships and a national title in his 18 seasons.
The Sooner offense has a lot of weapons to replace at running back and receiver, but they won’t have to replace Baker Mayfield. There is a lot unproven talent surrounding Mayfield, but with Oklahoma, they usually reload instead of rebuild. The offense should be just fine this season.
The defense has a lot of question marks in the front seven, but the secondary will be a strength for this team. Unfortunately for them, they play in the Big 12 where high-octane offenses make even the best defenses look silly. Still, they should be one of the better secondaries in the conference.
If Oklahoma gets its receivers to step up early in the season, this game could be a track meet Big 12 style. A game that’s fun to watch if you don’t have a rooting interest. Both Mayfield and J.T. Barrett throw for a lot of yards and three touchdowns a piece. Sooner running back Rodney Anderson and Buckeye Mike Weber rush for 100 yards and two touchdown each. The game will come down to the team with the ball last and it will be the Buckeyes. They march down the field on a last-minute drive to get the win with a chip shot field goal.
Final: Oklahoma 35, Ohio State 38 (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Army is coming off one of its best seasons ever. They posted an 8-5 record, which included snapping a 14 game losing streak to Navy and a bowl victory over North Texas. Things are trending in the right direction at West Point and the Black Knights have the chance to post back to back winning records for the first time since 1990.
When it comes to Army, the one thing everyone knows is they will run the ball down an opponent’s throat and when they are stopped, they’ll just keep on running. Army’s passing game is mostly non-existent. Nobody will mistake them for a Big 12 offense, but having some semblance of a passing game would help.
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Last year’s defense ranked fourth in the country in total defense. While some starters have left, there is still talent here on a pretty solid defense. The linebacking corps is the strength, led by last year’s leading tackler Alex Auckerman.
The schedule is favorable for the Black Knights to return to a bowl game this year. The game in Columbus won’t be as kind. Ohio State should lay it on heavy early and get out of this one without any injuries. The game plan will be simple. Let Mike Weber shoulder most of the load. The Buckeye defense will load the box and prevents Army from doing much of anything outside of a late garbage time touchdown.
Final: Army 7, Ohio State 38 (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Ohio State will face UNLV for the first time in football to round out their non-conference schedule for 2017. The Rebels are coming off a 4-8 season in 2016 and don’t look like a team that will improve much.
Eight starters return on offense for the Rebels. They had a solid rushing attack last fall, ranking 15th in the nation. The passing game was putrid though, ranking 114th. Redshirt freshman quarterback Armani Rogers most likely will be tasked with jump starting the passing game. The offensive backfield and offensive line mostly return, so that’s good news. UNLV’s receivers were snake bit last year with injuries so staying healthy will be a key in 2017.
The defense only returns two starters and last year’s unit ranked 112th in the nation in points allowed with over 36 points a game. Maybe new starters will help this unit, but they don’t have a lot of depth in key areas, especially at linebacker.
This will be another opponent that the Buckeyes should dispose of quickly. A heavy dose of Mike Weber will be called upon. J.T. Barrett will use his arm and his legs, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The Buckeyes smother the Rebels all day, led by linebacker Chris Worley who will just terrorize the young Rogers for most of the day, sacking him three times. Ohio State gets the easy win and moves back into Big Ten play.
Final: UNLV 10, Ohio State 42 (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
The Buckeyes will travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers for their second conference game of the season. Rutgers just hopes that they can get on the board in this year’s meeting, as they were shut out last year 58-0.
Rutgers picked up former Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill as their new offensive coordinator. He’ll have his work cut out for him as Rutgers finished last in the country in total offense and next to last in scoring. Quarterback Gio Rescigno will be the starter but highly rated true freshman Jonathan Lewis might push for early playing time. The good news for the Scarlet Knights is they get talented wide receiver Janarion Grant back. He missed most of last season due to injury, but is healthy now.
Rutgers’ defense was not much better than the offense last season, but will look to improve. They return all their starting linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties. They do look weak in the starting front four, but they’ll look to find some answers in fall camp.
This will be another game in which Ohio State should cruise. Rutgers head coach Chris Ash would certainly love to beat his former team, but it won’t be this year.
Rutgers will be coming off a trip to Lincoln that won’t end well and Ohio State should have no trouble here. Mike Weber and J.T. Barrett combine for five touchdowns on the ground and Barrett throws a couple more through the air. Rescigno gets beat up early and turns over the ball three times, leading to Lewis entering the game. On a positive note, Lewis and Grant hook up for a touchdown and they add a field goal as well to avoid being shutout again.
Final: Rutgers 10, Ohio State 49 (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
The schedule makers were quite kind to Ohio State in the first half of the season. Even though the schedules were made far enough in advance, it just so happens that the Buckeyes face the bottom of the Big Ten East early.
Maryland fans couldn’t ask for much better last year considering the talent discrepancy between them and the top teams in the conference. First year head coach D.J. Durkin had the Terps start strong out of the gate, going 4-0 before going 2-6 the rest of the way. They had a close loss against Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl, but things are looking up for the Terps. They have a lot of highly touted recruits signing up for what Durkin is selling so the future will be better.
The quarterback situation is murky right now, but will be sorted out before the start of the season. The Terps have a terrific running back tandem in Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison. They’ll have to replace Will Likely in the secondary, but there is talent there. The strength of the Terps defense is their linebacking corps, led by senior Jermaine Carter.
Another week and another game that should be over fairly quickly. The Buckeyes just have too much firepower for the Terps to keep up. Touchdowns rain down from the sky and on the ground as Maryland has no answer for the Buckeye offense. Damon Webb has a couple of interceptions for the Buckeyes and returns one to the house. It won’t be pretty, but it won’t be as ugly as last year’s debacle in College Park where the Terps lost by 59 points.
Midway through the season and Ohio State is exactly where most have them projected.
Final: Maryland 10, Ohio State 38 (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
After four straight weeks of lopsided victories, the Buckeyes go on the road and the competition gets a little tougher against the Huskers.
Nebraska has a new quarterback this year in Tulane transfer Tanner Lee. By mid-season, he should have a firm grasp of the offense and will know the direction the team is going. We’ll also see how well the three running back rotation is working (or not working) with Devine Ozigbo, Tre Bryant and Mikale Wilbon all vying for playing time.
The Husker defense is pretty good on the back seven. The linebackers have a lot of depth and talent, led by the versatile Dedrick Young. Kieron Williams and Joshua Kalu are strong at the two safety positions.
This game could present a little trouble for Ohio State. Lincoln is never an easy place to play and most of the Huskers remember the beating they received last year in Columbus.
Nebraska opens the scoring with Lee leading the Huskers down the field on their first possession and throwing a touchdown strike to receiver Stanley Morgan. Ohio State comes right back and ties the game on a nice drive led by J.T. Barrett. Later in the first half with the Buckeyes now up two scores, Nebraska gets closer by turning a Buckeye turnover into seven points.
In the second half, the Buckeyes start to pull away. Weber starts to find more holes to run through in Nebraska’s susceptible defensive front. Nebraska hangs in by adding a touchdown and a field goal, but it’s not enough as Ohio State wins and looks to their showdown next week with Penn State.
Final: Nebraska 24, Ohio State 41 (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten)
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Next to the Michigan game, the game against Penn State is probably the most anticipated game on Ohio State’s schedule. The Buckeyes only regular season loss last season was in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions outscored OSU 17-0 in the final quarter to complete the comeback. No Buckeye forgets the image of cornerback Grant Haley racing down the field for the game winning score after scooping up safety Marcus Allen‘s blocked field goal. Revenge will be on the Buckeyes minds for this game.
The Nittany Lions return most of their offense this season. Everyone knows what quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley can do. The Lions also have one of the best tight ends in the country in Mike Gesicki. Even though receiver Chris Godwin left early for the NFL, the team still is loaded with a lot of talent at that position. Finally the offensive line, a liability for James Franklin‘s first two seasons, improved last year and now looks to be a strength.
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The Nittany Lion defense is replacing some quality players, but they’ll still be formidable. The linebackers will be great if they can stay healthy this year. Jason Cabinda is the best of this unit. The secondary took a blow in the spring with the loss of cornerback John Reid to a knee injury. Haley returns though, along with Allen, so the secondary should be a strength again.
This will be a real tough test for the Buckeyes. Although Columbus is never an easy place to play for any opposing team, Penn State has the talent and skill to go toe to toe with Ohio State. Most likely both teams will be in the top 10. This will be a real close game.
Both Barkley and Mike Weber will have outstanding games, each scoring a pair of touchdowns for their respective teams. J.T. Barrett will have a little more time to throw this year against Penn State’s defensive front and he’ll pick up a lot of yards on the ground and through the air. The game will be tied at 24 late and Barrett will have one last opportunity like he did last year against the Lions. Only this time he will deliver the game winning drive, delivering a touchdown strike to receiver K.J. Hill with less than a minute to go.
Ohio State avenges last year’s loss to Penn State and finds themselves in the driver seat of the division race with four games left.
Final: Penn State 24, Ohio State 31 (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten)
(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
After an emotional win over the Nittany Lions, the Buckeyes travel to Iowa to open up the last month of the regular season.
Iowa struggled mightily on offense last season. There was little down field passing and the offense played a slow pace in typical Iowa fashion. The Hawkeyes want to grind out games with their power running game. They have a running back that can do just that in Akrum Wadley, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. Iowa is breaking in a new starting quarterback and the receivers are young.
The defense is going to be very good in the front seven. Linebacker Josey Jewell is a leader and they are very strong at the defensive end position. They have to replace all-star cornerback Desmond King though. The Hawkeyes do have some talent though in the secondary, with sophomore cornerback Manny Rugamba having the look of a future all-Big Ten player.
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Something about this game smells like a trap for the Buckeyes. They will be on the road after an emotional victory. Kinnick Stadium is never an easy place to play and the Hawkeyes under Kirk Ferentz tend to get better as the season progresses. This game has the feel of Iowa’s upset last year at home against Michigan.
Iowa surprises Ohio State with airing it out early and they get an early touchdown. The Hawkeyes smother J.T. Barrett and the Buckeye offense for most of the night. Ohio State does get a touchdown on the board late in the first half. They add three field goals in the second half, but the Iowa defense won’t break. The Hawkeyes just keep pounding away on the ground with Wadley, who scores twice in the second half. The Hawkeyes grind it out on the ground and Ohio State runs out of time.
Despite the first loss of the season, Ohio State still has the lead in the Big Ten East with their head-to-head victory over Penn State.
Final: Ohio State 16, Iowa 21 (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten)
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
Michigan State is coming off a nightmare season. After years of success under head coach Mark Dantonio, including Big Ten championships in 2013 and 2015, the bottom fell out in 2016. The Spartans went 3-9 and only had one conference victory. Lack of chemistry and off the field issues have defined the Spartans over the last year. But there is really only one direction for the team to go and Dantonio will look to do that in 2017.
Junior running back L.J. Scott is back, but there will be a new quarterback in East Lansing, with the job most likely going to Brian Lewerke. Also the receivers are very young so this offense will have a tough time early in the season as they adjust.
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The defense was terrible last year. The defensive line brings back all four starters but they have to get to the quarterback more this year. They only generated 11 sacks all of last season. There is a lot of youth in the secondary, but the linebackers should be pretty good, led by Chris Frey.
Last year the Spartans surprised Ohio State and nearly got the victory, falling by only one point. However that game was in East Lansing and this year it’s in Columbus. It won’t be so close this time.
The Buckeyes will bounce back from their loss to Iowa and will take out their frustration on the poor Spartans. J.T. Barrett lights up the young secondary for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mike Weber also has a solid day on the ground for a couple of scores. While the Spartans will show a little fight, it certainly won’t be enough as the Buckeyes roll.
Final: Michigan State 14, Ohio State 38 (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)
The first year for head coach Lovie Smith was not a good debut, but it was hard to expect much with the state of the program after the short tenures of Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit.
The Illini offense was putrid in 2016. They finished 123rd in the nation in total offense and 122nd in scoring offense. Quarterback Wes Lunt is gone and there is a competition for who the starter will be this coming season. By this game, the starter will be fully entrenched barring injury. Senior running back Kendrick Foster is back though so that should help after he had a solid 2016 campaign.
On defense, it will be challenging. The starting front four all has to be replaced. Linebacker Tre Watson is the only star on this defense right now and they need more of them. The secondary could be a strength though.
This will be a tune up game for Ohio State as they get ready for The Game the following week. Getting out of it without any injuries will be the goal. The Illini have not beaten the Buckeyes since 2007 so no one should expect that to be changing this year.
The Buckeyes get it done on the ground, pounding away at an over matched defensive line. Illinois can only manage a few field goals against the Ohio State defense and it’s over before the third quarter.
Final: Illinois 9 Ohio State 42 (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Game will once again factor into the conference championship race. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh has yet to beat Ohio State but maybe the third time will be a charm. In fact, the Wolverines have only beaten their bitter rivals twice this century, with the last win occurring in 2011. Last year’s game in Columbus was a double overtime thriller with controversy that ultimately led to a Buckeye victory.
The big talk in Ann Arbor is how many starters Michigan has to replace this year on both sides of the ball. On offense Wilton Speight is back at quarterback but the Wolverines are replacing many of the weapons around him at receiver and tight end. Running back Chris Evans should have a pretty solid sophomore season though.
On defense, only one starter returns, senior linebacker Mike McCray. There is talent all around on the defensive front and McCray’s fellow linebackers, although most of it is unproven. The secondary will be all new but there is a lot of talent. It’s certainly not like Harbaugh hasn’t been recruiting well so the defense as a whole could be good. By the last game of the season, we will know exactly what kind of team the Wolverines are.
The Wolverine fans desperately want to beat the Buckeyes and keep them from a shot at the Big Ten championship. Ohio State not only has a Big Ten title on their mind but a playoff spot.
This will be a good battle despite Michigan not returning as experienced of a team as they had in 2016. Both teams will trade blows through the first three quarters. Ohio State will power through in the final frame though, scoring 17 unanswered to pull away.
Final: Michigan 21 Ohio State 38 (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)
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Ohio State finishes the season again with only one blemish, but this time ends up in the Big Ten championship game. If they win that, they should find themselves in the playoff once again. Another successful campaign for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.