Ohio State Football: Who should Buckeyes fear in upcoming years?

Ohio State will always have their sights set on beating Michigan every year. While historically the Wolverines are a good team, they aren’t the team most likely to catch the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has been dominating the Big Ten for two decades now with no signs that the ship is slowing.

Recruiting, coaching, developing, and playcalling have consistently been the best in the Big Ten and the records corroborate that line of thinking.

Ohio State has a winning percentage of 83.5% in the last 20 years. With multiple National Championships, Big Ten Championships, and College Football Playoff appearances, they have cemented themselves as the conferences best.

While nobody is very close to catching the Buckeyes, there are a few teams that are trying to get there.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is to the Big Ten West as Ohio State is to the Big Ten. The Badgers come into every season as the favorites to win the West and for good reason.

Making it to 3 out of the last 4 Big Ten Championship games shows how dominant they have been.

While the recruiting numbers are rarely exceptionally high, they are a team that knows who they are and develops well.

Penn State

This has been the only team to play Ohio State close on multiple occasions in the last four years. With a win and two one-point losses, Penn State is trending in the right direction.

The Nittany Lions have done a great job recruiting, and are viewed every year as the second tier with an outside chance to win the Big Ten East.

Penn State has a strong group this year, and with Ohio State playing coming to Happy Valley, there is a shot the Nittany Lions could take a huge step forward with a win.

Michigan

It seems that the longer Jim Harbaugh is head coach, the farther away the Wolverines get from the Buckeyes.

It feels like forever ago when Curtis Samuel scored in double overtime to give Ohio State a close win. Since then Michigan has seemingly gotten worse in the biggest game of the year.

While they are trending down, Michigan is one of the few schools in the Big Ten that can compete with Ohio State in financials and facilities.

Given a few good recruits and a change of fortune in The Game, Michigan more than likely will pull off an upset eventually.