Here’s a quick look at OSU’s schedule so far. Not to pick on the Buckeyes, because nearly every good team does this, but it’s funny how ranked teams’ gaudy records really just boil down to a couple of tough games and then a whole lot of very easy ones.
They’ve had easy games against Marshall, Ohio University, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota so far, but they’ve handily won them all. They also soundly beat Purdue, which is hardly one of the Big Ten’s best teams, but which arguably isn’t quite as bad as the others – the Boilermakers have beaten Minnesota and Northwestern.
The Buckeyes’ two games against good teams have come against Wisconsin, to whom they lost, and also the Miami Hurricanes, who were ranked No. 12 when OSU beat them in September. Penn State might not be in the same class as Wisconsin, but they probably aren’t too far from Miami. The Buckeyes enter this game highly favored, but it’s still a big test for them, as it’s a tougher game than all but two they’ve played so far.