It's finally here! Week 0 is upon us, and college football will be played this weekend. However, the Buckeyes won't be playing for another week. They still have time to prepare for the upcoming season. Week 1 will bring Ball State to town, so that will be an easy affair.
However, that is one of the few easy games that the Ohio State Buckeyes will play this season. They have the eighth-toughest schedule in the country. With that being the case, it will be a hard path for the Buckeyes to win a national championship. Yet, the depth chart shows they can do it.
Ohio State's offensive line could be the key to a national title
While the starting offensive line hasn't officially been announced yet, Ja'Kobi Jackson let it slip that Austin Siereveld will be at right guard. That means that Ian Moore will almost certainly be the starter at left tackle. The offensive line was a big problem at the end of last season.
If Siereveld does move to the right side of the line, that gives Ohio State some stability on that side of the line. If they feel great about moving Siereveld to the right side, that means they must have a lot of faith in Moore to protect Julian Sayin's blindside in a must-win season.
Philip Daniels struggled at times as a first-time starter last season. The transfer from Minnesota was the starter at right tackle and was manhandled against Indiana and Miami. If he struggles, the whole thing falls apart. Arthur Smith wants the team to focus more on yards after the catch, and that means Sayin needs time to survey the field.
Jeremiah Smith could have an 80-catch season that nets him 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns. If he does, he would set every single Ohio State receiving record. He is the best returning player in college football, and he is going to be a big reason the team wins it all if they achieve that goal.
Ohio State should finish 11-1 on the season
It's almost impossible for the Buckeyes to navigate their schedule unscathed this season, even if they are the number-one team in the country. They seem to have Texas' number, so they should win that game. However, they still have to play Iowa, USC, Indiana, Oregon, and TTUN. All of those teams are ranked in the top 25.
Losing on the road to the Hoosiers seems to be the most likely scenario. For years, that was a pseudo-home game for the Buckeyes. That is no longer the case, as Indiana is the defending national champs. Still, they should win the rest of their games and should compete for the Big Ten Championship.
I do think this is the year that Ohio State completes all of its goals in the same season. They will beat TTUN, win the Big Ten, and win a national championship. This team is too talented offensively for Arthur Smith to screw things up, and Matt Patricia should have the defense as a top-five unit once again.
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