Ohio State Football: Can anyone dethrone the Buckeyes in 2020?

How will Ohio State football fare in 2020?

Due to the conference only schedule, a big non conference game against Oregon in Eugene was lost. The Buckeyes original schedule also included home dates against Bowling Green and Buffalo.

• Game 1: vs. Nebraska (W) — Closer than expected due to some of the Buckeyes’ defensive issues.
• Game 2: at Penn State (W) — Buckeyes closest game of the year but without the White Out and Micah Parsons, Penn State loses their advantage.
• Game 3: vs. Rutgers (W) — Rutgers is not even in the same universe as Ohio State.
• Game 4: at Maryland (W) — Nearly the same thing could be said of Maryland, but perhaps a little closer.
• Game 5: vs. Indiana (W) — Hoosiers look to be decent this season. Still should be a Buckeye win.
• Game 6: at Illinois (W) — Another blowout victory for the Buckeyes.
• Game 7: at Michigan State (W) — Spartans may have figured some things out by later in the season but Ohio State will still handle its business.
• Game 8: vs. Michigan  (W) — Can the Wolverines finally beat their bitter rival? Probably not. The Wolverines have not won in Columbus in 20 years.

Prediction: 8-0

All the usual suspects for Ohio State’s schedule of Big Ten East opponents. No Wisconsin or Minnesota from the West, instead Nebraska and Illinois. The schedule is very manageable.

The only teams that will probably challenge the Buckeyes are the Nittany Lions and Wolverines in that order. Sure there could be a loss along the way, especially if the defense does not come together quickly. But there is just no way with this schedule Ohio State loses more than one game.

Unless something major happens, Ohio State should find themselves in Indianapolis again for the fourth straight year. Even with the departures, there is just too much talent on this team to predict a different outcome.