Buckeyes Losing Four Games? Expert Reveals Shocking 'Floor'
The Ohio State Buckeyes will enter their season-opener on the road versus Indiana, ranked as the No. 3 overall team in the country by the Associated Press, which matches up with where ESPN has them power rated.
It seems like a consensus at this point that the Buckeyes are national championship contenders this season, which is the expectation in Columbus, which makes it no surprise that in their power rankings, ESPN's panel of 57 experts made Ohio State's ceiling in 2023 a national title, which isn't a shocker considering how close they came to achieving that last season. The real shocker is ESPN penning the Buckeyes' "floor" at four losses.
"A four-loss season is highly unlikely but possible for the Buckeyes," ESPN writes. "It would stem from continued regression on defense and the abrupt end to a stretch of superb quarterback play. The questions at the offensive tackle spots would need to be amplified, as would health and production issues at running back. The defensive line has been ordinary lately and, in theory, could continue down the path despite so much talent and experience."
Adam Rittenberg pointed out Ohio State's tough road schedule as a potential reason for the Buckeyes dropping four games. The road slate for the Buckeyes this season includes trips to Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among others.
Yet, that is the three toughest teams on paper that Ohio State will play on the road, as the others include Indiana (in the season-opener), Purdue, and Rutgers, all of which will still likely be heavy underdogs.
Seeing as though the Buckeyes have lost four games or more in a season just four times this century, this season would be an unmitigated disaster if it happened for a fifth time.
With Ohio State returning so much talent at key positions like receiver, linebacker, defensive line, and in the secondary, it is hard to imagine how they'd go from a play away from being in the national championship to not even playing in a New Years Six bowl game.
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