Ohio State's regular-season schedule will test the strength of the 2024 Buckeyes, and we take a look at how each of the 12 opponents stack up entering the season.
At the start of the semester, there are sessions to allow the professor and students to meet, look over the syllabus and anticipate what will follow. Then, sprinkled into the weeks-long class, there are midterms where the professor tracks the students’ comprehension. And then there’s the final exam, the last session where the professor tests what the student applied and learned from the beginning to the end of the course.
Quarterback Tahj Bullock, who will compete with Cal transfer Ben Finley for the title of QB1, is the lone returning player who rushed for more than 14 yards last season. For that matter, no one on this year's roster had more than 188 receiving yards last year, either. That’s a lot of experience, and if transfers like wide receivers Devaughn Mortimer and Jordin Parker and safety Ryan Raybuck can make an impact, the Broncos should be a decent team – in the MAC.
This fall, Marshall will turn to Wake Forest transfer Mitch Griffis or Tulsa transfer Braylon Braxton as its quarterback. They could also start a transfer at running back, all three receiver positions, tight end and three offensive line spots. The defense will also feature seven transfer defensive linemen, two transfer linebackers and two transfer defensive backs.
This fall, Michigan State will look like an entirely different team than it did a year ago, as Michigan State will return five regulars on offense and seven regulars on defense. Both of those units ranked outside the top 100 in production in 2023. One could argue Ohio State’s 2024 season doesn’t “start” until Oct. 5, when Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Columbus. A preseason top-25 team in the AP and Coaches polls, Iowa will have one of the best defenses in America, as always. But the question remains – as always – how will the Hawkeyes score points?
In 2014, Oregon reached the College Football Playoff national championship game behind the standout performances of Heisman Trophy quarterback Marcus Mariota. In the seven seasons after, the Ducks ranged from mediocre to exceptional, winning four games twice while winning nine or more games four times.
With an improved roster and a weak schedule through seven games – UTEP, Colorado, Northern Iowa, Illinois, Purdue , Rutgers and Indiana –Nebraska could arrive in Columbus undefeated, creating a possible top-25 matchup between the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers. However, time will tell if Nebraska ends the year in poll position, as Rhule and Co. will go on to face UCLA, USC, Wisconsin and Iowa following their matchup with Ohio State.
On defense, former Indiana head coach Tom Allen will take over for Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator. To Allen’s credit, his Hoosier defenses had good game plans, even if the program didn’t have the depth to execute them for 60 minutes. In State College, Allen will have plenty of depth. While cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon are off to the NFL, Cam Miller will be back along with transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber .
On defense, Thieneman will headline a unit that returns eight of 18 players to start at least once last season. Of those eight Boilermakers, defensive end Kydran Jenkins, defensive tackle Cole Brevard, cornerback Derrick Rogers Jr. and linebacker Yanni Karlaftis, the younger brother of George Karlaftis, should be among the team’s top contributors.
When Ohio State and Northwestern meet at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, the Buckeyes will be the superior team. However, late November in the Windy City could make weather an interesting factor, much like it was two years ago when C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes needed all four quarters to beat the Wildcats 21-7.Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti during practice at Memorial Stadium. “I’ve never taken a backseat to anybody and don’t plan on starting now,” Cignetti said.
Regardless of the outcome, the Hoosiers will still face an incredible uphill battle to beat the Buckeyes in Columbus. Ohio State currently holds a 28-game win streak over Indiana dating back to 1988. With the Michigan game scheduled for the following weekend, the Buckeyes have every intention of extending that streak to 29 before hosting the 120th edition of The Game.
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