Ohio State Football: Ranking Buckeyes’ 2020 opponents by toughness

Lovie Smith was on the hot seat heading into the 2019 season and after a 2-4 start, it looked like the former NFL head coach was headed out the door. He stopped the bleeding with a last-second win over Wisconsin, ending the Badgers’ playoff hopes. That led to four straight wins, including an epic comeback against Michigan State after trailing 28-3.

Illinois went bowling for the first time under Lovie, losing to California in the Redbox Bowl. While the Illini may have been ranked lower on the list last season, there’s some momentum in Champaign. Could this be your stereotypical trap game?

Halloween in Columbus is going to be a scary sight for Nebraska fans as they remember just what happened last season in Lincoln when the Buckeyes came to town in an ‘upset special’ matchup. Ohio State ended up winning 48-7 and while we might not see that happen again this year, the Buckeyes shouldn’t be too worried about this one.

There’s an argument that could be made about switching the Cornhuskers and Fighting Illini on this list, but I see Nebraska as the second or third-best team in the Big Ten West.