The Ohio State football team has a schedule that isn't too hard to deal with this season. They have a massive opening game against Texas, but they don't have too many other truly hard games. Penn State and Michigan will be hard games to win, but the Buckeyes are a very talented team.
Ohio State faces three overrated quarterbacks this season who are all on pretty decent teams. These guys all believe they have the talent to beat the Buckeyes, but they haven't proven that they can win big games. The first QB on the list is actually the first one Ohio State faces.
1. Arch Manning
Arch Manning has already played against the Buckeyes. In the most meaningful snap he took in the Cotton Bowl, he ran for a first down. The ball looked like it came out, and fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes still feel that he fumbled the ball. It didn't end up mattering, though.
Manning and the Longhorns lost the Cotton Bowl, but they will get their chance at revenge at the end of the month. He started two games last season, throwing nine touchdowns and two interceptions, but those games weren't against good opponents.
Despite this, Manning has a ton of hype coming into this season, even being projected as the number one pick in next year's draft. Ohio State should show the rest of the country that is wrong in the first week of the season. Manning is going to have a tough day on August 30th.
2. Drew Allar
The AP Poll has the Ohio State football program third in the country behind Penn State, mainly on the strength of what Drew Allar has already done. He has been an above-average quarterback for his entire career, but he hasn't ascended to the elite level that some think he has.
Allar has been particularly bad against the Buckeyes. Last season, he was just 12/20 for 146 yards with an interception. He couldn't lead the Nittany Lions to a single offensive touchdown. IN 2023, he was just 18/42 for 192 yards and a touchdown.
Until James Franklin and, by proxy, Allar can prove that they can beat Ohio State, he should still be listed as overrated. Ohio State's defense should be able to keep him at bay.
3. Bryce Underwood
The final game of the season has been a tough one for the Buckeyes in the last four years. Ryan Day has struggled to beat TTUN, refusing to let his offense take over. That will change at the end of November this season, as he will be more aggressive in his play-calling.
True freshman Bryce Underwood will likely be the starting quarterback for that game. While he's the number-one recruit in the country, he's still a freshman. The hype he has gotten is way out of proportion for what his skills are, and for the playmakers he has around him.
Ohio State's defense should be locked in by that part of the season, and they should be able to keep Underwood from doing anything of consequence.