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Ohio State Football: Buckeyes ranked 3rd in Big Ten and behind 6 SEC teams

By Charlie Lockhart

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 1: Acting Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches his team from the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Ohio Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Oregon State 77-31. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 1: Acting Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches his team from the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Ohio Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Oregon State 77-31. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Is the Ohio State football team the third best in the Big Ten and weaker than six Southeastern Conference teams?

The ESPN Football Power Index has Michigan ranked as the 5th best team in the country, Penn State is at No. 12 and Ohio State No. 13. No less than six SEC teams are ranked higher than the Buckeyes.

Here is a look at those Southeastern Conference teams.

  • Alabama (2)
  • Georgia (3)
  • LSU (4)
  • Florida (8)
  • Auburn (9)
  • Texas A&M (11)

Alabama and Georgia would be favored to defeat Ohio State if they played the first game of the season. I’m not sure the other four would be.

Four other SEC schools were listed among the top 20 teams.

  • Tennessee (15)
  • Miss. St. (16)
  • S. Carolina (18)
  • Missouri (19)

The only two other Big Ten teams in the top 25 were Mich. St. (14) and Iowa (23).

Another team ranked five spots ahead of Ohio State intrigues me, Oklahoma. Doesn’t head coach Lincoln Riley have to replace an outstanding quarterback like Ryan Day does?

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Possibly there is confidence the Sooner defense will improve significantly with Alex Grinch leading it. Remember, he was the co-defensive coordinator for the Buckeye defense which underperformed last year.

Also, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has to replace a terrific QB as well with Trace McSorely moving on. Is his projected starter more talented than Justin Fields and has more weapons at his disposal?

I doubt it.

I really don’t have a problem with Michigan being rated ahead of the Buckeyes heading into the season. After all, Jim Harbaugh has plenty of talent on his roster and an outstanding quarterback.

Shea Patterson now has a year under his belt and it has been reported the Wolverine offense is expected to open up to utilize his talent more effectively.

Next. Buckeyes have 4th toughest schedule in the Big Ten. dark

It’s just the fact that Ohio State is rated so low in the ESPN Football Power Index rankings that makes me scratch my head. Especially when I look at some of the teams ranked higher that haven’t matched the success the Buckeyes have had on Saturdays in the fall or on the recruiting trail in recent years.

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