Ohio State Football: 3 biggest threats within the division
By Ben Swanger
The Michigan State Spartans, no matter the season, can’t be taken lightly by Ohio State.
The Spartans will come into the 2020 season with a new head coach, Mel Tucker, for the first time since 2007. The guys over at Spartan Avenue aren’t particularly high on their chances to make a bowl game, but that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes can win with their eyes closed.
When Ohio State took on MSU last season in early October, the Mark Dantonio led team was ranked #25. They played like a ranked opponent in the first quarter holding the Bucks down to just three points. Come the second quarter, though, Justin Fields and the back-in-black Bucks put up 24 on their way to a 34-10 home victory.
Come mid-October of this season nobody expects the Spartans to be ranked and their chances are slim. They’ll be coming off their rivalry game with Michigan and it might be an opportune time to bury the Spartans. However, a week later in the Buckeye’s schedule is Penn State in Happy Valley.
Ryan Day didn’t let his team slip up in any trap games last season, but this one against MSU might be a possibility. The young men in Scarlet and Gray could have the date with State College circled and slip up against Sparty a week prior.
There isn’t a single aspect of the X’s and O’s that says Michigan State should have a chance against Ohio State, but that’s why they play the game.
With all that being said, Day will have his young men ready to go. Yes, there’s always a chance for an outlandish upset, but these Buckeyes under Day are different. Ohio State won’t overlook any opponent because the players and coaches grasp the magnitude of perfection.
The Buckeyes can’t put it on cruise control, but they don’t necessarily need their A-game to defeat the 2020 edition of Spartan football.
Let’s move to the very next week in what will be a very intriguing matchup.