The Ohio State Buckeyes became the first team to make the College Football Playoff without winning their conference last season, and while their ultimate goal is to return to the top of college football as national champions, their first goal is to re-claim the Big Ten title. Will they be able to accomplish those goals? Here's a game-by-game prediction of Ohio State's schedule this year:
Week 1: at Indiana Hoosiers
Prediction: WIN (1-0)
Indiana has a new head coach in Tom Allen and several major question marks on defense. On the opening Thursday night of the season, Ohio State will take advantage of all of those weaknesses.
Week 2: vs. Oklahoma Sooners
Prediction: WIN (2-0)
The second of a home-and-home series between these two, Ohio State went to Norman and blew out the Sooners in 2016. Many believe that loss is what kept Oklahoma out of the playoff. Both teams should be ranked in the top five or 10 in the preseason, meaning this will likely have playoff implications again. Unfortunately for the Sooners, The Horseshoe will make the difference in this close game.
Week 3: vs. Army Black Knights
Prediction: WIN (3-0)
Simply put, Army isn't able to recruit the type of talent that is needed to compete with Ohio State.
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Week 4: vs. UNLV Rebels
Prediction: WIN (4-0)
Another Group of 5 opponent, another blowout win for the Buckeyes.
Week 5: at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Prediction: WIN (5-0)
The Scarlet Knights are making progress under head coach Chris Ash, but they still have a ways to go before they're competitive in the Big Ten. Chalk this up as an easy win for OSU.
Week 6: at Maryland Terrapins
Prediction: WIN (6-0)
The Terps were better than expected under D.J. Durkin last year and they have the talent to be a good defensive team, but there is still a lot of work to be done to be on the same level with a team like Ohio State.
Week 7: at Nebraska Cornhuskers
Prediction: WIN (7-0)
We saw just how much more talented Ohio State is than Nebraska in last year's 62-3 blowout. This won't be a repeat of that - especially not in Lincoln - but the Buckeyes should win comfortably thanks to the play of J.T. Barrett and their stout defense.
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Prediction: WIN (8-0)
The Buckeyes are absolutely itching to get revenge for their loss in Happy Valley last year. It's the reason why Ohio State didn't make the Big Ten Championship Game, and these two are the favorites to win the Big Ten East again in 2017. The winner will likely determine who gets that honor, and because this game is after a bye week and at The Horseshoe, Ohio State wins.
Week 10: at Iowa Hawkeyes
Prediction: WIN (9-0)
Iowa is expected to take a small step back this year after losing several key players, namely quarterback C.J. Beathard and cornerback Desmond King, but that doesn't make this game easy. Just ask Michigan how tough it is to play at Iowa in November. However, the talent gap between these two teams is just too wide.
Week 11: vs. Michigan State Spartans
Prediction: WIN (10-0)
Michigan State will be better than they were last year, but they're still in rebuild mode. They need to find a quarterback, and until they do, their offense will continue to be putrid.
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Week 12: vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Prediction: WIN (11-0)
The Lovie Smith experience has not been great for Illinois, and many expect them to repeat last year's 3-9 record...or worse. Penn State holds a major talent advantage in this one.
Week 13: at Michigan Wolverines
Prediction: WIN (12-0)
Michigan only returns three starters from last year's team, the fewest of any program in the country. Their underclassmen should have found their stride by this point in the season, but playing in a rivalry game like this is a different animal. That experience will help the Buckeyes.
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