This season, it's national championship or bust for Ohio State. They have some of the best talent on any roster in the country, even after losing three first-round draft picks on defense alone. Still, the coaches across the nation think they are the best team in the country.
Not everyone is sold on the Buckeyes' chances to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State, though CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell doesn't think that the Buckeyes should be sold as a guaranteed contender heading into the season.
Danny Kannell cites schedule as reason to doubt the Ohio State Buckeyes
While speaking on Cover 3, Kanell laid out his case on why he's hating on the Buckeyes.
"I'm selling Ohio State as a lock to make the College Football Playoff. Their schedule is one of the toughest in the country. The games that they've got, at Texas, at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC, and then home games against Oregon and the traditional rivalry game against Michigan, where they haven't had much success...I think you could see a 9-3 Ohio State left out potentially."
The only way you can think that Ohio State won't make the CFP is because of the schedule. It's a credible argument, even if I think he's wrong. Ohio State has had tough schedules in the past under Ryan Day, and they have been able to navigate them well.
Ohio State has beaten Texas in each of the last two seasons, including one of them at a neutral site, which was in Texas, so was it really neutral? Either way, the Buckeyes have handled the Longhorns. Day's team should possess the best offense in the country, as well.
The only way Ohio State wouldn't be able to get at least 10 wins this season is if the offensive line completely falls apart. Day is running multiple first-team offensive line combinations to pick the best one, so that could be one area of concern.
Ohio State feels confident in its ability to win a national championship
Despite Kanell's fears, Ohio State doesn't just have a goal of making the CFP. They believe that they can actually win a national championship for the second time in three years. That would put Day in a different tier when it comes to coaching. He would become perhaps the best coach in the country.
Even if Ohio State doesn't win 10 games, they could still make the CFP with nine wins. The strength of schedule could give the Scarlet and Gray the edge over other teams fighting for one of the final at-large spots. That's one of the reasons why they schedule big non-conference matchups like the one they will play in Austin.
Even if they lose that game, it won't punish them that much. However, winning that game gives them a massive cushion for some stumbles in Big Ten play. Of course, Kannel isn't saying that Ohio State definitely won't make the CFP. He is just saying that they aren't an absolute lock.
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