COLUMBUS, Ohio – After three years of slogging through mostly overmatched non-conference teams and a weakened Big Ten, Ohio State finally is presented with a quality opponent in Michigan State.
Ranked No. 14 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, the Buckeyes (7-1, 4-0) travel to Spartan Stadium in East Lansing for a long-awaited showdown with defending conference champion Michigan State (7-1, 4-0) ranked No. 8 in the CFP (8:00 p.m./ABC).
While the media and fans may view the game as a rare opportunity to impress the rest of the country for a change, head coach Urban Meyer sees it differently.
“I think we’ve beaten a bunch of very good teams. But they’re the king of the hill right now because they won the championship and you have to dethrone them,” he said. “How do you do that? You outwork them Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.”
Over Meyer’s more than 2½ years and 34 games as head coach, the Buckeyes have played only seven times against teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25. They’re 5-2 heading into their only meeting against such a team so far this season.
Therefore, when the Buckeyes reel off a few wins it’s usually met with a collective shrug by so many observers.
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A trio of Buckeyes has made the short lists for post-season honors:
Red-shirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.
Sophomore defensive end Joey Bosa has been named a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarick Award, given annually to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player.
Junior center Jacoby Boren of Pickerington was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Capital One Academic All-District 5 team. Boren is now eligible to earn Academic All-America honors.