Ohio State: After awful month, Buckeyes actually in pretty good shape

If you had known that a month into the season, OSU would have changed defensive play-callers, been slashed twice by land and once by air, would have lost a game and had competitive games well into the second half with Minnesota and Tulsa, you’d figure that the Buckeyes would be someplace between a rock and a hard place.

But funny enough, all of those things have happened, yet OSU (though not exactly on Easy Street) is actually doing fine for several reasons.

First, OSU’s struggles … well, they’re not just OSU’s. College football is in another offensive cycle. Defenses are playing catch-up everywhere and the Buckeyes’ defense had been near putrid before righting things against Akron. But OSU’s offense has been another story. C.J. Stroud has been solid, if not brilliant, and when he sat out the Akron game, backup QB Kyle McCord looked capable.

Freshman running back Treveyon Henderson is, well, a once in an era kind of all-purpose standout. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave still probably represent the best 1-2 receiver combo in the country. There won’t be many defenses that can slow OSU, much less stop it. Is it easier to imagine OSU’s defense being serviceable, or that Iowa (in a potential B1G title game) or Michigan actually strengthen their offenses enough to outscore OSU?

Which brings us to our second issue: The Big Ten isn’t exactly the NFC West. Iowa can defend but it can’t score. They outgained 1-3 Colorado State at home by a less than robust 278-250 margin in a 24-14 win. Wisconsin got absolutely blasted by Notre Dame for its second loss of the season. Michigan and Michigan State both were pushed to their breaking points by Rutgers and Nebraska, respectively.

Only Penn State looks like a possible threat to OSU. The No. 4 Nittany Lions had to squeak by that same Wisconsin team that Notre Dame thumped, and outlasted an Auburn squad that nearly fell to Georgia State on Saturday. Penn State is fine, but Ohio State will likely be a hefty home favorite when they face the Nittany Lions on Oct. 30.

And the third point: It’s not like the rest of the nation has made things tougher on OSU. Yes, Alabama and Georgia both seem to virtually have CFP spots sewn up, which feels crazy to say in September, but will likely prove true.

But those other two spots are still very much out there up for grabs. Clemson has lost two games and likely consigned the ACC’s CFP hopes to the trash bin. Oklahoma continues to live dangerously, eking out a close win over a so-so West Virginia team much as they nosed past Tulane in their opener and Nebraska a week ago. The Big 12 might not be murderer’s row, but it’s hard to be too scared about a team that’s whistling through the non-conference graveyard.

That does leave Oregon, but if OSU is consigned for playing for the 4th spot in the CFP, they could live with that. Other than Notre Dame, there aren’t too many other schools left who could have much to say about that.

The Buckeyes still don’t have it all together they prepare for October. But it could certainly be worse. There’s still a path to improvement, to winning out in the Big Ten, and in showing up in the CFP again. And if that happens, the beginning of the journey will very much become a footnote.