Ohio State Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2018

Although Ohio State football fell just short of the College Football Playoff in 2017, the future is bright. What does 2018 hold for the Buckeyes?

Ohio State was a blowout road loss against Iowa away from making the College Football Playoff in 2017. If it wasn’t for that “fluke” loss to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, we could be talking about the national champion Buckeyes instead of the Cotton Bowl winners over USC.

If there’s one thing Urban Meyer knows how to do, outside of win Big Ten titles, it’s lead his talented team on a revenge tour. Ohio State can’t be held back from the playoff for two consecutive seasons, right?

How will the Buckeyes fare in the 2018 season? Here’s a game-by-game prediction.

If you look up “hot mess” in the dictionary, you might see Oregon State’s logo. The Beavers had one of the most forgettable seasons of any team in college football in 2017, going just 1-11 overall and 0-9 in Pac-12 play. They were out-played and out-coached week in and week out and Gary Andersen felt the pressure and resigned in the middle of the year — you can bet he probably wishes he never left Wisconsin.

Ohio State is going to make quick work of the Beavers in Columbus, sending them home with a lopsided loss. Starting quarterback Jake Luton missed most of the 2017 season with an injury and signs of rust will rise to the surface as he struggles against the Buckeyes’ defense.

Although Ohio State will be losing a number of talented defensive stars, yet again, it will have no problem reloading on this side of the ball — that’s what the Buckeyes do best.

Dwayne Haskins will have an impressive first game for the Buckeyes, passing for 300 yards and rushing for another 50 with four total scores in a blowout effort.

Final Score: Oregon State 7, Ohio State 41 (1-0)