EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The hurdles were everywhere, and they nearly tripped up Ohio State.
A late-season road game in the Big Ten. Terrible weather conditions to disrupt the normally explosive offense. A nemesis that has twice knocked off Urban Meyer and kept the Buckeyes from the College Football Playoff. The potential temptation to look ahead to The Game and a chance to play their rivals with huge national-title implications.
The Buckeyes dodged them all and narrowly survived, even if they clearly didn’t have their best against motivated Michigan State in a 17-16 victory on Saturday at Spartan Stadium and needed to stop a 2-point conversion try to stay alive.