Ohio State Football: Can any team challenge the Buckeyes in 2020?
In 2019 there weren’t many opponents who gave the Ohio State football team a truly challenging contest. Will that be the case again in 2020?
The Ohio State football team is reloaded and ready to finish what they couldn’t just a year ago. The 2020 Buckeyes will be as motivated as ever as they set out to avenge the grueling, heart wrenching Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.
The Big Ten Conference as a whole has been on the rise and quickly gaining depth, but will any of these teams be able to challenge the new-era Buckeyes under Ryan Day?
Justin Fields will be in his second year at Ohio State which is huge in many regards with the two most important being the experience he gained and coach Day getting more time to develop him. Day has not had a repeat quarterback play for him since the early 2010s so the streak will end with Fields.
The whole country saw his limitless potential and toughness on full display last season, but it will be taken to the next level come the fall. Down the stretch, rumors of Fields’ health not being 100% circulated and it appeared to at least limit his mobility against Michigan late, Wisconsin and Clemson.
Once Fields got going, Ohio State dominated those conference games (we’re not having the Clemson argument again) so to think he can perform at an even higher level means the Big Ten should be put on notice.
Penn State played Ohio State the closest, but without those three turnovers the game was not even close — it would’ve been a blowout. However, the Buckeyes have to travel to Happy Valley in October where the game is always a dogfight.
Ohio State also has to travel to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks in week two which will be another hostile environment, but the Buckeyes should still prevail in a hard-fought prime time showdown.
Back in Columbus, Ohio State will welcome Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan. The Hawkeyes are a sleeper pick of mine to win the Big Ten West and won’t be an easy task for the Buckeyes who remember the horror of 2017 in Kinnick. Nebraska will be better than a year ago, but not where they need to be to compete with the likes of Ohio State.
Lastly, with That Team Up North people have said the gap is widening which can be true if you evaluate recruiting and player development, but the Wolverines are also loaded with talent and will never be taken lightly. The Game will always be the most important because it’s more than just 60 minutes of football after a tough week of practice.
The Rivalry is 24/7/365 in Columbus and that is why we see the results we do on the final Saturday of November since 2001. Jim Tressel started it, Urban Meyer perfected the obsession and now Ryan Day is continuing the legacy and tradition of Ohio State football.
Next. 3 Predictions for the 2020 recruiting class. dark
So to answer the question, the Buckeyes are a well-oiled, highly efficient machine whose reign over the Big Ten looks to continue well into the 2020s. Some say new year (decade), new me; but not in the case of the Ohio State football team; it’s new year (decade), same old Buckeyes. A frightening sight for those who have to face the passionately motivated brotherhood this season.