This week was an important bye week for the Ohio State Buckeyes. After losing Julian Sayin to a big injury, the Buckeyes needed time to get healthy at other positions and prepare for life after Sayin. Luke Fahey is likely going to start next week against USC, although Tavien St. Clair could still play.
During the bye week, the Buckeyes were ranked third in the country in both polls. It was disrespectful to only move Ohio State up one spot after winning on the road against a top-five opponent. This week, they scored a big win in the polls without having to break a sweat.
Ohio State moves up to second in both polls during the bye week
The Buckeyes have a new ranking heading into next week. In both the Coaches and the AP Poll, Ohio State is ranked second in the country. They trail only Miami, which is undefeated. However, the Hurricanes have yet to play a single ranked opponent on their schedule.
Ohio State deserves this ranking, even if they won't have their starting quarterback for the rest of the year. Defensively, the team is still good enough to beat other top opponents. Jeremiah Smith is also the best player in the country, so he should be able to help the new quarterback be effective.
Ohio State is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the poll. IU moved up one spot to fourth despite struggling with TTUN. They needed overtime to beat the Wolverines and their horrendous offense. UCLA is seventh and is one of just two teams left undefeated in the country.
The Buckeyes face the Trojans of USC next week, and they dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Wisconsin. Ohio State has a shot to put Lincoln Riley's job in jeopardy by beating them on Saturday night. Of course, they have to play well defensively in order to do that.
Ohio State can pove they deserve their ranking with a decisive win over USC
If the Buckeyes are able to travel to Los Angeles and put together a decisive victory, they can prove that they deserve that No. 2 ranking. Ohio State still has a lot of time to make improvements before the first College Football Playoff rankings come out.
Moving forward, Ohio State has only one more ranked opponent on its schedule. Northwestern is ranked 20th, and that matchup will be in Columbus. USC and Oregon both lost this past week, and they were projected to be tough games for the Buckeyes. Perhaps their schedule will actually provide them with an easier path to the CFP than we first thought.
Ohio State is a great team. They just have to put all of the pieces together. They are still the Big Ten team that has the best chance to win a national championship this season, even though a backup quarterback will likely have to lead them there.
Ryan Day has a chance to really show off his coaching chops in the last few weeks of the regular season.
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