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Breaking down Ohio State’s 2024 football schedule by tiers
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
We all know Oregon is the toughest game this season, but who are some pitfall games on the schedule?
We are officially nine days from the start of college football, and 16 days away from Ohio State’s CBS debut against Akron to kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 31.
As we get closer to the season, we can really dive into previewing the schedule and circling the big games on the calendar. The Buckeyes’ slate is not the most difficult, but it has its fair share of possible pitfalls, tough road matchups, and games that they just have to get through healthy.
Here are all 12 of Ohio State’s regular season games sorted into four tiers.
This one is very simple and deserves to be on a tier of its own.
No offense to the other top teams in the conference, but Oregon is one of the top teams in the country. Dillon Gabriel is a legitimate Heisman contender, Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart are both elite targets, the offensive line is really solid and the defense is at the top of the conference.
On Oct. 12, Ohio State has to travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to face the Ducks, which is one of the hardest places to play in college football. If the Buckeyes come out of that game with a win, that will answer a lot of the questions coming into the season.
The good part is that there is a high chance they will see each other in the Big Ten Championship game, too.
Per usual, the Buckeyes will have to get through Penn State and Michigan.
Penn State is likely the harder matchup just because it is in Happy Valley, which is always a tough place to play. Drew Allar is a good quarterback who will need to jump into the great tier for the Nittany Lions to take the next step, but no matter what, with the players Penn State has it will be a grind.
Michigan lost a lot, but they are still 3-0 against the Buckeyes over the last three years and have an elite defense. They have some things to work out on offense, but this is three months into the season, and those questions should be answered by then.
The Jonathan Smith and Aidan Chiles era is here in East Lansing, but they may need more than one year to get rolling.
Iowa has a great defense again, so if they can just get anything on offense, they can win some games against elite opponents.
I think Nebraska will take a huge jump this season, as all college teams do in their second year with Matt Rhule at the helm.
These six games are what we call “just stay healthy.”
To be fair, I do think Curt Cignetti and Indiana will be pretty good soon, but in the first season, there will be a lot of room to grow.
The other five are against wildly overmatched teams where the starters will likely only see the field in the first half.
Just win these games and move on.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
We all know Oregon is the toughest game this season, but who are some pitfall games on the schedule?
We are officially nine days from the start of college football, and 16 days away from Ohio State’s CBS debut against Akron to kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 31.
As we get closer to the season, we can really dive into previewing the schedule and circling the big games on the calendar. The Buckeyes’ slate is not the most difficult, but it has its fair share of possible pitfalls, tough road matchups, and games that they just have to get through healthy.
Here are all 12 of Ohio State’s regular season games sorted into four tiers.
Game of the Year: At Oregon
This one is very simple and deserves to be on a tier of its own.
No offense to the other top teams in the conference, but Oregon is one of the top teams in the country. Dillon Gabriel is a legitimate Heisman contender, Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart are both elite targets, the offensive line is really solid and the defense is at the top of the conference.
On Oct. 12, Ohio State has to travel to Autzen Stadium in Eugene to face the Ducks, which is one of the hardest places to play in college football. If the Buckeyes come out of that game with a win, that will answer a lot of the questions coming into the season.
The good part is that there is a high chance they will see each other in the Big Ten Championship game, too.
Difficult: at Penn State; vs. Michigan
Per usual, the Buckeyes will have to get through Penn State and Michigan.
Penn State is likely the harder matchup just because it is in Happy Valley, which is always a tough place to play. Drew Allar is a good quarterback who will need to jump into the great tier for the Nittany Lions to take the next step, but no matter what, with the players Penn State has it will be a grind.
Michigan lost a lot, but they are still 3-0 against the Buckeyes over the last three years and have an elite defense. They have some things to work out on offense, but this is three months into the season, and those questions should be answered by then.
Don’t Take Them Lightly: at Michigan State; vs. Iowa; vs. Nebraska
The Jonathan Smith and Aidan Chiles era is here in East Lansing, but they may need more than one year to get rolling.
Iowa has a great defense again, so if they can just get anything on offense, they can win some games against elite opponents.
I think Nebraska will take a huge jump this season, as all college teams do in their second year with Matt Rhule at the helm.
Just Win and Stay Healthy: vs. Akron; vs. Marshall; vs. Western Michigan; vs. Indiana; at. Northwestern; vs. Purdue
These six games are what we call “just stay healthy.”
To be fair, I do think Curt Cignetti and Indiana will be pretty good soon, but in the first season, there will be a lot of room to grow.
The other five are against wildly overmatched teams where the starters will likely only see the field in the first half.
Just win these games and move on.
Continue reading...