The real gauntlet stretch of Ohio State’s season begins this Saturday.
Ohio State has already taken on ranked opponents and formidable foes in 2021, but Mel Tucker’s 9-1 Michigan State program may be the best team the Buckeyes have played since losing to Oregon on Sept. 11.
Had the Spartans not stumbled in an upset loss to Purdue on Nov. 6, we could have been looking at a matchup of top-five teams in the penultimate game of the regular season. Nevertheless, the forthcoming contest remains a meeting of top-10 teams and still has massive postseason implications as both programs hope to secure a Big Ten Championship Game berth and a spot in the College Football Playoff.