Ohio State Football: The game that could ruin the Buckeyes’ season

Ohio State has a relatively easy schedule lined up for the 2020 season, but there is one game that should make Buckeye fans nervous.

Ohio State is one of the favorites for the National Championship, and for good reason. Not only is this one of the most talented teams in the country, but they have a schedule that is very manageable and projects an undefeated season. Before you start getting tickets lined up for a championship parade, there is one game that should bring some fear.

The three most difficult games on the Buckeyes’ schedule are at Penn State, hosting Michigan, and the Big Ten Championship game.

Penn State will be a very difficult game against a very good team that should be the deciding factor in the Big Ten East. These two teams have been the cream of the crop in the Big Ten for the last several years and that shouldn’t change this year.

Penn State will likely end the season with their only loss being to Ohio State. While this will be a challenging game, there is not enough around it to make it too concerning. Easy games before and after will allow the team to fully prepare for Penn State, and without the crowd of the white-out, Ohio State should win.

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The Big Ten Championship game will likely be a matchup between either Wisconsin or Minnesota. I think Wisconsin is able to win the Big Ten West again and return to the big stage in Indianapolis. This will be another matchup in a long string of games between the two teams, and Ohio State will be ready for another game.

Wisconsin is able to beat up on weaker teams with their punishing style of play, however, against Ohio State this just won’t be enough. Ohio State should not have any problem winning the Big Ten.

The biggest game that should put some fear into the Buckeyes is The Game against Michigan. I think Michigan is likely to lose 3 games this year. One to either Wisconsin or Minnesota, one to Penn State, and to Ohio State. The danger comes if Michigan has several losses before OSU and has nothing to lose.

The more games the Wolverines lose the more the Buckeyes may overlook them as a credible opponent. With back-to-back blowout wins there is a good chance that Ohio State feels they are leagues above Michigan. While this is likely true, in this type of rivalry every game must be taken with the utmost respect.

Ryan Day will have to elevate the practice and preparation of his team to get them prepared for a team that could have nothing left to play for. If they lose enough that Jim Harbaugh’s job is on the line he could finally open up his offense and play like he has nothing to lose.

For these reasons, Ohio State fans should be more concerned about this matchup with Michigan than ever.