The Ohio State Buckeyes had a down game against the Indiana Hoosiers in a 13-10 Big Ten Championship Game loss in Indianapolis last weekend. That performance was a product of its circumstances, as Cleveland.com's Stefan Krajisnik explains.
Ohio State had just received word that Brian Hartline was becoming the next USF Bulls head coach, and didn't have him around as much as the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator was introduced in Tampa, Florida. Plus, Ryan Day had National Signing Day to worry about in the week leading up to the B1G title game.
As Krajisnik notes, this won't be an issue for Day and Co. when the Buckeyes play either the Miami Hurricanes or TAMU Aggies in the Cotton Bowl Classic on December 31. Ohio State will be at full strength for that one.
"The most pressing question left for Ohio State to answer before the CFP relates to offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. The Buckeyes’ play-caller was hired ahead of the Big Ten title game as South Florida’s next head coach," Krajisnik prefaced before saying, "Hartline called plays against Indiana, according to Day, and the plan is for him to do the same in the CFP. If there are concerns about his ability to balance two jobs, Day has a solution: time."
"USF announced Hartline’s hiring three days before Ohio State took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. While also balancing the opening of the early signing period, Day had little opportunity to sit back and determine what was best for his offense."
"The Cotton Bowl won’t present those challenges...By then, Day will have had time to take a breath, assess the situation and determine who will run his offense."
Ohio State barely lost to Indiana despite worst possible circumstance
In hindsight, the Buckeyes handled the Hartline challenges as well as possible. The Hoosiers should probably feel like they left some food on the table by nearly losing to a team that was in disarray from a planning perspective.
Ohio State is so good this season that, at their worst, they're a freak field goal miss away from being undefeated and the class of College Football.
In Day we trust, that the B1G title game was an anomaly, and that better days lie ahead for the Buckeyes' CFP repeat bid this December and January.