3 biggest games for the Ohio State Football team in 2021

The Ohio State football team is ready to begin their defense of dominating the Big Ten, but they will have some unique challenges on the schedule this year.

Last year most people approached each game just hoping that the Buckeyes would be able to play. While there will still likely be different COVID protocols in place there is reason to look ahead and analyze each opponent. Ohio State will be able to get the majority of their most difficult opponents at home, but that does not mean they will be easy games.

With a full slate of games, all of the excitement about big opponents, rivalries, trap games are littered over the Buckeye schedule. It will be up to Ryan Day and the rest of the Ohio State football coaching staff to help a young team be prepared each week.

Every season comes with new challenges though. The Buckeyes will be breaking in a new quarterback. They now move into the post-Just Fields era and have no quarterbacks that have thrown a pass in a college game. That would be hard enough in a normal year.

This year is not normal because, after a year where there were no fans in the stands, the stadiums will be full. Ohio State will have to play in a lot of stadiums where opposing fans will give teams juice. That’s juice that they didn’t have a year ago.

Over the last few years, the Buckeyes have been the team to beat in the Big Ten, but nobody has been able to do it. Ryan Day is still perfect in Big Ten play with his only losses as the Buckeye head coach coming in the College Football Playoff. Will he be able to stay perfect? Here are the games that will likely prove the most difficult for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes in 2021.