The Ohio State football team's biggest positional advantages in Week 2

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Western Michigan Broncos face off in Week 2 under the lights at 7:30 p.m. EST in Columbus. The Buckeyes are coming off a dominant victory, while the Broncos delivered an impressive performance in their loss to the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes hold a talent advantage over the Broncos in nearly every position on the field, but there are two areas where the Buckeyes have an overwhelming edge.

The Ohio State Wide Receivers versus The Western Michigan Secondary

Ohio State's offense holds the biggest positional advantage in its wide receivers against Western Michigan's secondary.

In Saturday's opener against Akron, Ohio State's receivers recorded 16 catches for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns. All three starters—Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate—hauled in at least four catches each. Freshman Jeremiah Smith, who had two touchdowns, is already living up to his preseason hype.

Western Michigan’s defensive backs are largely unproven and have not been battle-tested to this extreme. The Broncos haven't faced the level of talent Ohio State possesses at wide receiver, and they can’t replicate it in practice.

With such a significant talent and experience gap, the Broncos will likely struggle to keep up with the Buckeye playmakers on Saturday.

The Ohio State Defensive Backs versus The Western Michigan Receivers

Ohio State’s biggest positional advantage in the matchup against Western Michigan lies in their secondary, which is one of the best in the country. This unit showcased its dominance last Saturday against Akron, holding their receivers to just 45 yards and rarely allowing them to get open.

Cornerback Denzel Burke added to the defensive highlight reel with an aggressive interception, ripping the ball away from the receiver. Safety Lathan Ransom also contributed, scoring a touchdown on a scoop-and-score.

Western Michigan’s offensive strength lies in their offensive line and running backs, not their receiving corps. Ohio State will likely force the Broncos to rely more on their passing game, which could result in a performance similar to last week’s dominance over Akron.