A future Ohio State date with Oregon was already shaping up as a big one. After Saturday, it looks a little different.
UCLA walked into Week 6 unbeaten and left with something far louder: a win that sent a message and changed the temperature around the Buckeyes’ schedule. The Bruins, under new head coach Bob Chesney, knocked off Dan Lanning and Oregon for the Ducks’ second loss 10 days into October.
That result matters in Columbus because Oregon was supposed to be one of the marquee stops on Ohio State’s path. Instead, the Buckeyes are now staring at a two-week stretch that has taken some shine off the next two ranked opponents on the schedule.
Oregon has already shown its flaws once in a loss to Oklahoma State, and now it has a conference loss to go with it. Nebraska also pushed Indiana this week after Northwestern nearly did the same last week, with the Hoosiers escaping both times.
Put together, that’s a warning that the gauntlet may not be quite as brutal as it looked all offseason.
It also puts a spotlight on UCLA, a program that was not expected to be undefeated at this point. This was supposed to be Year 1 of a long rebuild, the kind that followed the Chip Kelly and DeShaun Foster eras and gave the Bruins a chance to reset by hiring Chesney out of James Madison, in the same spirit Indiana used when it went looking for its own turnaround.
So far, the move looks a lot more promising than anybody might have expected. Chesney’s Bruins have gone from under-the-radar to a team worth tracking, and Ohio State should be paying attention.
That’s especially true because the Buckeyes’ own schedule was always going to ask more of them than last season did. Road games at Texas, Iowa, Indiana and USC, plus a home matchup with Oregon, meant there would be no easy drift through the regular season this time around.
Ohio State’s return to Ohio Stadium on Nov. 7, after nearly a month on the road and a bye week at the end of it, had been billed as a destination game. On paper, it was supposed to be a heavyweight clash between two of the conference’s top programs and coaches, with a trip to Indianapolis hanging in the balance.
That still might be true once the calendar gets there. But UCLA’s rise has already shaved some of the hype off the meeting. Instead of a showdown with a Big Ten titan, it could end up being Ohio State hosting a team fighting for its College Football Playoff life.
In Other News...
Ohio State Fans Have A Cheaper Way To Watch Todays Game
With college football now split across a maze of broadcast windows and streaming packages, Ohio State fans looking to catch todays game have a few different paths to choose from. The latest rundown lays out the major services carrying games this season, including DIRECTV MySports, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and Fox One, with an eye toward which one gives viewers the best mix of price and channel access.
For fans trying to keep costs down, the useful part is not just knowing where the game is, but which bundle is the least painful way in. The guide compares monthly pricing, trial offers and availability so viewers can sort through the clutter without overpaying, which matters more every week as college football moves deeper into the season and the viewing options keep multiplying. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Freshman RBs Shrinking Role Now Carries A Bigger Concern
Legend Beys role has already thinned out for Ohio State, with the freshman running back not appearing in the last two games after seeing only limited work earlier in the season. For a Buckeyes backfield that leans on depth and reliability, any young player who slips out of the rotation quickly becomes a storyline worth watching, especially when the season is still in its early stretch.
Beys situation has taken on a more serious edge because of reports tying him to a speeding citation and an alleged eviction over unpaid rent. It remains unclear whether those off-field issues are connected to his reduced playing time, and the coaching staff has not confirmed any link, which leaves the situation unresolved even as the concern around it continues to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Now Gets The Undefeated Indiana Showdown Everyone Feared
Indiana did not make things easy on itself at Nebraska, but the defending national champions did what winning teams do and found a way to stay perfect. Josh Hoover delivered the biggest throws of the night, hitting Nick Marsh for two fourth-quarter touchdowns after Nebraska had briefly threatened to spoil the evening with a late Anthony Colandrea scoring run. The result kept Indianas win streak rolling and preserved the unbeaten record that has made every week feel like a test.
Now comes the game Ohio State has had circled for some time, the one that will tell a lot about how real this Indiana run is. The Hoosiers head into that matchup still unbeaten, still carrying the pressure that comes with being the champs, and still looking like a team that can survive ugly stretches and win anyway. For the Buckeyes, it is the kind of showdown that brings the stakes up fast, especially with Indiana arriving in Columbus with momentum and no blemishes. [Read more 🡒]