College Football Rankings: Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2018
By Zach Bigalke
Ohio State is going to get a long look from AP pollsters in the offseason. After the way things went down in the College Football Playoff, the absence of the Buckeyes from the field seemed even harder to justify. They dominated USC in a 24-7 win in the Cotton Bowl, as the two conference champions met not in Pasadena but instead in North Texas.
The Buckeyes defense gave up 359 yards through the air to Sam Darnold, but they also prevented the NFL-bound quarterback from throwing a touchdown pass. Ohio State also nabbed an interception, and they turned the Trojans one-dimensional. USC managed just 57 rushing yards all night long at AT&T Stadium.
J.T. Barrett will no longer be suiting up at quarterback after a long career for the Buckeyes. But Dwayne Haskins could be even better at quarterback, and Ohio State’s offense also gets back tailbacks J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. The Buckeyes should be as prolific as ever when they have the ball, and the defense will reload once again around Nick Bosa.
Ohio State is the favorite in what should be a deep Big Ten East race, and Urban Meyer’s team will be in the hunt to return to the College Football Playoff. An opener at home against Oregon State won’t tip the scales, but the Buckeyes also travel to Fort Worth in September to play TCU.