You know that Ohio State-Texas at DKR Stadium in Week 2 was as good as advertised and then some when Paul Finebaum is putting it on the same level as the SEC's biggest conference matchup of the year, Georgia-Alabama this Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
Finebaum put the two matchups ahead of the much-ballyhooed LSU-Ole Miss matchup at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 19 that featured the return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford. Kiffin infamously left the Rebels for the Tigers mid-CFP run last year. The revenge game delivered sweet revenge for the University of Mississippi.
"I don’t think the loser of this game is really in trouble very much because of the opposition. I mean, this is a massive game, and you know, probably along with Ohio State-Texas, is among the biggest games of the year. LSU-Ole Miss got the hype, but that game really probably does not compare to this. Everyone knows what the two teams represent," Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic.
The Buckeyes and Longhorns delivered a matchup that was too good to be true for the die-hard Burnt Orange fans in Austin, while also being a complete nightmare for the Scarlet and Gray faithful who traveled to Travis County, Texas, and elsewhere.
The 24-23 final score saw a massive comeback from the home team and a dominant display from the road dogs. Ohio State and Texas both looked like CFP contenders, and now both own top-five slots in the AP Top 25 Poll.
Ohio State and Indiana loom as the Big Ten's game of the year in Week 7
This Saturday is a tune-up for the Buckeyes. Maryland is too futile under Mike Locksley for it to even be a trap game. The Terrapins have never won a matchup against a ranked Big Ten team during Locksley's tenure or otherwise. Maryland is 0-39 in such games since joining the conference.
It'd be unfathomably historic to see it against this Ohio State. Locksley would almost certainly save his job, which feels like it'll have a new man in the seat before 2027.
Never say never, but, you know, you could speak it in your mind for this one.
Meanwhile, Indiana is traveling to Nebraska for a potential trap game against the Cornhuskers. The Hoosiers have been lacking defensively, and the crazed environment that Big Red will host will test Curt Cignetti's reloaded roster.
If OSU and IU can make it out of this weekend with undefeated conference records, the Big Ten Championship Game rematch the following week will be the B1G's equivalent to the Dawgs and the Crimson Tide on Saturday night.
Ohio State doesn't have any other blockbuster regular season games
Unfortunately, Oregon, USC, and TTUN have already taken some luster from their matchups with the Buckeyes.
The Ducks already lost to Oklahoma State, USC lost to Oregon, and the Wolverines have two losses and counting.
The biggest matchup of Ohio State's season may end up being the Longhorns loss from early September.
We'll see if UGA-Alabama can meet or exceed the massive bar that was set in Week 2 this coming weekend at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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