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B1G Thoughts: Will Ohio State finally reclaim its throne despite a legitimate challenger in Oregon?
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Wrapping up the Big Ten preview by looking at the conference’s best hope for a National Championship.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024, we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
I wonder how big of a relief it was for Ryan Day that Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for the NFL after a dominant three-year run ending in a national championship. If he took that deep sigh, I’m sure it was only for a brief moment before he remembered that Oregon and Dan Lanning were entering the Big Ten and standing firmly in Ohio State’s way of a Big Ten title and a National Championship run.
I’m sure if you asked Ohio State fans, beating Michigan and winning a national title would be enough. For some fans, making it to the national championship game might be enough. But for the hardcore fans, it will be bittersweet if the Buckeyes go four-straight years without winning a Big Ten title. It would be made even worse if it comes at the hands of Oregon — a team that is hoping to announce itself on the big stage as a perennial Big Ten title winner and national championship contender.
It’s going to be harder than ever to win the Big Ten. There will be a reprieve, for some fans, with Ohio State almost guaranteed to make a 12-team playoff any year they don’t lose more than three games. Still, it is important for Day to finally step into the light and reclaim Ohio State’s power and glory as the flagship program in the Big Ten.
Adding on to the high expectations for Day and the Buckeyes, Ohio State has arguably the more talented roster in the country, and if it’s not No. 1 it’s no worse than third. Besides Marvin Harrison Jr., almost every key contributor who had eligibility returned for a chance to beat Michigan and win a title.
The Buckeyes bring back their entire defensive line besides Mike Hall Jr., the entire secondary plus the addition of Caleb Downs, who is one of the best safeties in the country. Despite losing both starting linebackers, they bring back Cody Simon who will play alongside former five-star recruits Sonny Styles and CJ Hicks. Ohio State should have the best defense in the country.
On offense, they added senior quarterback Will Howard and brought in a top-10 running back in Quinshon Judkins to split carries with top-10 running back TreVeyon Henderson. Losing Harrison Jr. is a major loss, but they bring back Emeka Egbuka and have four former five-stars vying for sports, including arguably the best wide receiver recruit ever in Jeremiah Smith.
Ohio State is loaded, and Ryan Day has to finally find a way to win big games or risk losing the fanbase even more.
If we agree that Ohio State has the best roster in the country, Oregon is fighting with Georgia for No. 2. Oregon brought in what many pundits think is the best transfer quarterback in the country, Dillian Gabriel, to replace Bo Nix. Gabriel will get to play behind a Joe Moore award-winning caliber offensive line and throw to a WR room that could be the best in the country.
Despite playing at Oklahoma, this will be the most talented offense Gabriel has had. If he can follow in Nix’s steps and become a Heisman finalist, Oregon is a legitimate national championship contender.
On defense, Oregon lost key contributors but was bolstered by a great transfer class including Washington transfer Jabbar Muhammed at cornerback and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon from Michigan State. Oregon will enter the conference with potentially the best quarterback in the conference, the best offensive line, and a top-five defense.
Head coach Dan Lanning will probably continue to be aggressive, even when it burned him against Washington last season. Oregon is expected to be one of the best teams in the country, and their roster is national championship ready. The only question for the Ducks is how high is their ceiling and if they can beat Ohio State.
At worst, this team should be hosting a playoff game in December.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
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Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Wrapping up the Big Ten preview by looking at the conference’s best hope for a National Championship.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024, we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
I wonder how big of a relief it was for Ryan Day that Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for the NFL after a dominant three-year run ending in a national championship. If he took that deep sigh, I’m sure it was only for a brief moment before he remembered that Oregon and Dan Lanning were entering the Big Ten and standing firmly in Ohio State’s way of a Big Ten title and a National Championship run.
I’m sure if you asked Ohio State fans, beating Michigan and winning a national title would be enough. For some fans, making it to the national championship game might be enough. But for the hardcore fans, it will be bittersweet if the Buckeyes go four-straight years without winning a Big Ten title. It would be made even worse if it comes at the hands of Oregon — a team that is hoping to announce itself on the big stage as a perennial Big Ten title winner and national championship contender.
It’s going to be harder than ever to win the Big Ten. There will be a reprieve, for some fans, with Ohio State almost guaranteed to make a 12-team playoff any year they don’t lose more than three games. Still, it is important for Day to finally step into the light and reclaim Ohio State’s power and glory as the flagship program in the Big Ten.
Adding on to the high expectations for Day and the Buckeyes, Ohio State has arguably the more talented roster in the country, and if it’s not No. 1 it’s no worse than third. Besides Marvin Harrison Jr., almost every key contributor who had eligibility returned for a chance to beat Michigan and win a title.
The Buckeyes bring back their entire defensive line besides Mike Hall Jr., the entire secondary plus the addition of Caleb Downs, who is one of the best safeties in the country. Despite losing both starting linebackers, they bring back Cody Simon who will play alongside former five-star recruits Sonny Styles and CJ Hicks. Ohio State should have the best defense in the country.
On offense, they added senior quarterback Will Howard and brought in a top-10 running back in Quinshon Judkins to split carries with top-10 running back TreVeyon Henderson. Losing Harrison Jr. is a major loss, but they bring back Emeka Egbuka and have four former five-stars vying for sports, including arguably the best wide receiver recruit ever in Jeremiah Smith.
Ohio State is loaded, and Ryan Day has to finally find a way to win big games or risk losing the fanbase even more.
If we agree that Ohio State has the best roster in the country, Oregon is fighting with Georgia for No. 2. Oregon brought in what many pundits think is the best transfer quarterback in the country, Dillian Gabriel, to replace Bo Nix. Gabriel will get to play behind a Joe Moore award-winning caliber offensive line and throw to a WR room that could be the best in the country.
Despite playing at Oklahoma, this will be the most talented offense Gabriel has had. If he can follow in Nix’s steps and become a Heisman finalist, Oregon is a legitimate national championship contender.
On defense, Oregon lost key contributors but was bolstered by a great transfer class including Washington transfer Jabbar Muhammed at cornerback and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon from Michigan State. Oregon will enter the conference with potentially the best quarterback in the conference, the best offensive line, and a top-five defense.
Head coach Dan Lanning will probably continue to be aggressive, even when it burned him against Washington last season. Oregon is expected to be one of the best teams in the country, and their roster is national championship ready. The only question for the Ducks is how high is their ceiling and if they can beat Ohio State.
At worst, this team should be hosting a playoff game in December.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...