The Big Ten's got another thing coming.
The Ohio State Buckeyes look ready to defend their national championship, having effectively gotten in Arch Manning's head during a gritty but dominant 14-7 win over the Texas Longhorns this past Saturday.
CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli warned the remaining teams on OSU's schedule, the Grambling State Tigers, the Ohio Bobcats, and nine Big Ten opponents, including TTUN, that the Buckeyes beat the No. 1 team in the country despite playing poorly.
"Ohio State had the worst offensive performance of the Ryan Day Era, and it still won against the No. 1 team in the country. It's highly unlikely the Buckeyes' offense will play worse in any game this season, and there's also a chance the Buckeyes won't face a better team this season," Fornelli wrote.
"Good luck, everyone."
Ryan Day's two make-or-break hires, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, helped justify their salaries by delivering on the exact game plan the coaching staff drew up.
It was a slog with spectacular plays to get them over the edge. And as the Columbus Dispatch's Brian Hedger noted, the game was perfectly slowed down for Ohio State in a way Woody Hayes himself would approve of.
"It wasn't pretty by the modern standards of college football, but No. 3 Ohio State's gritty 14-7 toppling of the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in a pageantry-filled opener Aug. 30 at Ohio Stadium was something for purists to savor," Hedger wrote.
"Woody Hayes would've loved this one.
"Anyway, there wasn't a lot of offense, and that was A-OK by Ohio State. That's largely how the Buckeyes' coaching staff drew up its game plan against the Longhorns. Gritty and tough, like overcooked steak, was the point."
There's alignment in Columbus. That's dangerous for all comers. In the B1G for now, but nationwide once bowl season begins.
Credit Day for promoting a relationship between his new hires and players that's clearly delivering on all cylinders.