Desmond Howard made sure Ohio State got its usual dose of Week 5 noise in Iowa City.
With the Hawkeye crowd gathered outside Kinnick Stadium before Iowa’s matchup with the Buckeyes, Howard said he would be selling his Ohio State stock. He also said he doesn’t think OSU will climb any higher than No. 5, which is where the Buckeyes sit now.
That kind of comment fits the script when Howard is involved. It also amounts to a prediction that Iowa will win in Week 5, and if that doesn’t happen, then it leaves Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami holding onto the top four spots.
Ohio State’s current ranking and the shape of its October schedule give the jab a little more bite. The Buckeyes are heading into a brutal stretch that includes Iowa, Indiana and USC this month, with Oregon waiting in the first week of November. Maryland is next week’s breather before the trip to Bloomington to face the defending champions.
And while Ohio State has plenty of talent, the early returns haven’t exactly screamed complete dominance.
Jeremiah Smith has been the star of the show, and the source material makes the case plainly: he’s been the best receiver, the best offensive player and, really, the best overall player in the sport. But he hasn’t had much help from the rest of the skill group, leaving him and Julian Sayin as something close to a two-man operation on offense.
The issues haven’t stopped there. The pass rush disappeared in the fourth quarter of the loss to Texas, and the run defense was gashed for 199 rushing yards by Illinois last week.
That’s why there’s at least some reason to wonder about October.
Still, selling Ohio State too aggressively is probably premature. The Buckeyes have been good enough for a long time that a start most teams would gladly take can still feel underwhelming in Columbus.
Their 45 points per game ranks sixth nationally under first-year play-caller Arthur Smith, while the 12.3 points per game allowed sits 13th in the country.
There is the obvious caveat that Ball State and Kent State were on the schedule. Fine. But every Power 4 program has had a few warmups too.
Against Power 4 opponents, Ohio State has shown enough stretches of dominance to keep the ceiling in place. The Buckeyes are 17 bad minutes in Austin away from still being No. 1.
There have been some growing pains, and the veteran offensive line hasn’t held up as well in the run game as hoped. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West have both been underwhelming to this point, though the sophomore backfield duo clearly shoulders part of that blame too.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Just Got Pulled Into A New Big Noon Controversy
Big Noon Kickoff found itself in an unexpected swirl this week after Dave Portnoy and Big Cat were reportedly removed from the FOX pregame show, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. The move adds another layer to a show that already sits close to the center of the college football conversation, especially for Ohio State fans who follow every storyline around Ryan Day and the national spotlight that comes with it.
Portnoy then took to social media with a striking claim, saying Day had pressured the Big Ten and FOX to get him fired, though Ohio State has denied any role in the decision. FOX is still set to feature Urban Meyer and the rest of its main Big Noon Kickoff desk as planned, but the episode has only sharpened the attention around how much influence coaches, networks and personalities really have when those worlds collide. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Faces New Pressure In The Game
Michigans uneven start has changed the temperature around the rivalry long before the teams get to late November. After the loss to Minnesota, the Wolverines are sitting at 3-2 and still trying to sort out their offense, with Bryce Underwoods play at quarterback and the running game both part of the problem. Instead of arriving as a clear College Football Playoff threat, Michigan looks more like a team searching for answers, which adds a different kind of edge to the buildup.
For Ohio State, that makes the annual showdown feel even less forgiving. When Michigan is not peaking, the Buckeyes are expected to handle business, and anything short of that invites a familiar round of frustration from their own fan base. The rivalry has always carried pressure, but this version brings a twist: Ohio State is being asked to beat a Michigan team that has not looked like a contender, and that can make the margin for error feel even smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have A Smarter Way To Stream Iowa This Weekend
With Ohio State set to meet Iowa on Oct. 3, plenty of Buckeyes fans will be looking for the easiest way to catch the game without relying on a traditional cable bundle. The streaming options are fairly broad, with services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV MySports all offering different combinations of live channels, pricing and trial offers for viewers trying to line up the right setup before kickoff.
For fans who want a more tailored approach, the key is matching the service to the channel carrying the game and balancing that against the monthly cost and any free trial window. Some platforms lean on channel-rich packages while others aim at viewers who only need a narrower live-sports option, so the best choice may come down to how long someone wants to keep the subscription and whether they need more than just this one matchup. [Read more 🡒]