Ohio State enters the season with the kind of expectations that leave no room for half-measures. For the Buckeyes, it’s championship or nothing, and even with three first-round draft picks gone from the defense, the roster still draws rave reviews from coaches around the country. CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell, though, isn’t ready to stamp Ohio State as a sure thing for the College Football Playoff.
Kanell made his case on Cover 3, pointing straight at the schedule as the reason for his skepticism.
"I'm selling Ohio State as a lock to make the College Football Playoff. Their schedule is one of the toughest in the country.
The games that they've got, at Texas, at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC, and then home games against Oregon and the traditional rivalry game against Michigan, where they haven't had much success... I think you could see a 9-3 Ohio State left out potentially."
That’s the heart of the argument: the path is brutal. Ohio State has been through difficult slates under Ryan Day before and found ways to survive them, but this one carries a different level of danger because of how many high-end games are packed in.
The Buckeyes have also already shown they can handle Texas, beating the Longhorns in each of the last two seasons, including one matchup at a neutral site in Texas. Day’s offense should be the best in the country, which gives Ohio State a real margin for error.
Still, there is one area that could change everything. If the offensive line falls apart, the season could get messy fast. Day has been rotating first-team offensive line combinations to find the right group, so that spot remains worth watching.
Even with that uncertainty, Ohio State’s belief in itself hasn’t changed. The goal isn’t just to get into the playoff; the Buckeyes think they can win the national title for the second time in three years. If that happens, Day would move into a different coaching tier, maybe even into the conversation as the best in the country.
And even if Ohio State slips to nine wins, the Buckeyes could still get into the CFP. Their strength of schedule may help them in the race for at-large spots, which is exactly why they keep loading up on big non-conference games like the trip to Austin.
A loss there wouldn’t be a death sentence. A win would give Ohio State a huge cushion for whatever comes later in Big Ten play. Kanell’s point isn’t that the Buckeyes are doomed - just that they’re not an automatic playoff team.
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McCuins rise matters because Ohio State is not just looking for bodies at the position, it is looking for reliable separation behind its top target. The early impression around camp is that he has put himself in the mix for a meaningful role, which adds another layer to a receiver battle that already has plenty at stake for players trying to earn trust before the real games arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Freshman Is Suddenly Changing The Buckeyes Secondary Battle
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Timmons rise matters because nickel is one of those spots where trust can matter as much as talent, and a freshman suddenly pushing for meaningful snaps changes the shape of the depth chart. If his camp momentum keeps building, Ohio State may have to make some difficult decisions about how it wants to divide playing time among the rest of its defensive backs. [Read more 🡒]