Finally, mercifully, we are officially in game week mode for Ohio State football. After a start, stop, then start again offseason, we’ve finally got a full slate of Big Ten games on tap for this weekend.
And while Ohio State should have a whale of a team this year, the national media has been on a kind of wait and see mode with the Buckeyes, all while Alabama and Clemson look like Alabama and Clemson yet again.
ESPN’s Chris Low has been publishing his weekly college football Power Rankings throughout the season, and so far he’s had the Buckeyes up in the top five without seeing any product on the field. That continued after week seven of the college football schedule, but OSU even moved up a spot with the Georgia loss (I know, shocking).
Now, instead of Ohio State appearing at No. 4, Low has the Buckeyes just behind the Tigers and Tide and No. 3, sitting in the waiting room, just looking to make a statement.
Behind those three, rounding out the top ten include Georgia (4), Penn State (5), Notre Dame (6), Oklahoma State (7), Cincinnati (8), BYU (9), and Oregon (10).
We’ve been high on this Buckeye squad since the offseason and expect it to come out swinging on Saturday against Nebraska. After that, we’ll see where Low has OSU going into next week and beyond.
For now, though, here’s what Low says about Ohio State.
NEXT … The early ESPN narrative on the Buckeyes
No. 3 – Ohio State
What Chris Low of ESPN says
“The Buckeyes’ running game will look a little different this season now that J.K. Dobbins is gone. He finished third nationally a year ago with an average of 143.1 yards per game and carried the ball 301 times. Oklahoma graduate transfer Trey Sermon will likely be option No. 1 this season, but sophomore Master Teague III looks to be recovered from his Achilles injury. So instead of one back getting most of the carries, Sermon and Teague figure to share the load for an Ohio State running game that should again be explosive in 2020.”
What we say
It’s one thing to talk about the running backs, and of course, Justin Fields is the guy that’s going to make everything go, but the Buckeyes might have more offensive firepower than what we’ve seen in a long time. The receivers are deep and talented (albeit young), the offensive line is going to maul opponents, and the front seven on defense is as good as you’ll see in the country. The secondary is a question mark, but having Shaun Wade back helps solidify things back there. This team has all the pieces to hang with and beat both Clemson and Alabama.
NEXT … Complete ESPN CFB Power Rankings, Week 7
ESPN College Football Power Rankings, Week 7
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Georgia
5. Penn State
6. Notre Dame
7. Oklahoma State
8. Cincinnati
9. BYU
10. Oregon
11. Wisconsin
12. Texas A&M
13. Miami
14. Florida
15. Kansas State
16. USC
17. Michigan
18. SMU
19. North Carolina
20. Virginia Tech
21. Coastal Carolina
22. Oklahoma
23. Louisiana
24. Iowa State
25. Liberty
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