Ohio State Football: 3 reasons why Buckeyes can go undefeated in 2017

Ohio State football has yet another opportunity to make a run at a national title and the College Football Playoff again in 2017.

Ohio State returns more talent in 2017 than almost any other team in the country. Head coach Urban Meyer has an uphill battle in front of him with getting the Buckeyes trending in the right direction. They experienced an embarrassing 31-0 defeat against the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal. 

They have an opportunity in Week 2, against the Oklahoma Sooners, to show that loss did not affect anything. Quarterback J.T. Barrett and Ohio State handily defeated the Sooners last year in Norman. A much different offense takes the field in Columbus this season.

An unprepared Ohio State team in Week 1 could lead to upset. The Indiana Hoosiers have a good team this year and can put up a good fight against the Buckeyes in the season opener. Barrett has too much proven experience to let something like that happen.

The defensive line returns players like redshirt senior Tyqwuan Lewis and redshirt junior Sam Hubbard. Ohio State’s D-line is ready to dominate the opposition in 2017. They’re backed by a solid linebacker group led by junior Jerome Baker.

Ohio State’s secondary is the area hit the hardest by departures. Safety Malik Hooker and cornerback Marshon Lattimore both left for the NFL. Safeties Erick Smith and Damon Webb lead a potent group of defensive backs.

The Big Ten has some talent in it in 2017 with top 10 teams like the Michigan Wolverines, Wisconsin Badgers, and Penn State Nittany Lions. Only facing two of the three, Ohio State also gets Penn State at home.

The annual rivalry game with Michigan is the final test for the Buckeyes in the regular season. A huge opportunity is their for Ohio State to make a big run at the Big Ten and national title in 2017.

Now, let’s take a look at three reasons why the Ohio State Buckeyes can go undefeated in 2017.