The Ohio State Buckeyes have not had any bumps in the road during the 2025 season, not being in danger in any of their 11 wins thus far. Now, they face the ultimate test in Week 14 when they travel to Ann Arbor for "The Game."
Did OSU "study," though? Are the Buckeyes truly ready for the most hostile environment they'll face all year? The Columbus Dispatch's Rob Oller shared a worried tone that Ohio State's 14-7 win over the Texas Longhorns at the "Shoe" in Week 1 was the team's only true test.
"The concern is real, especially this season when the lead-up to The Game has featured three consecutive pushovers in Rutgers (42-9) UCLA (48-10) and Purdue (34-10). And, really, the four games before that — Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota — were not exactly the Murderer’s Row of the Big Ten. The only true test was Texas, ranked No. 1 when OSU beat the Longhorns 14-7 in the opener," Oller wrote.
"I’m not blaming OSU for the schedule, or for a relatively weak Big Ten. And remember Penn State entered the season ranked No. 2 before bottoming out. But the bottom line is the Buckeyes managed to avoid CFP-ranked Indiana (No. 2), Oregon (7) and USC (15), which presents the question of whether they are ready for the No. 18 Wolverines."
There is a chance for severe emptiness to be felt the rest of the way if the Buckeyes can't take down the Wolverines.
It's not a stretch to say that a loss would feel as deflating as the end of the Macy's Day Parade. A loss might leave a stench that won't subside. It might be fair to say a loss could be devastating enough to derail a second straight run through the CFP gauntlet.
That's how important it is to beat TTUN this time around. The Buckeyes' season quite literally hinges on this game, since the entire season has been a three-month-long preparation for it.
A repeat just won't hit the same if Ohio State doesn't deliver the knockout punch in their 200-mile northern voyage this coming weekend.
Let's hope the Texas game was a blueprint for how it'll go. Since that was the only opponent that stacks up to TTUN.