College football analyst sees storm brewing for Ohio State
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One of the most polarizing aspects of college football is the College Football Playoff selection committee. Every year, the committee’s decisions seem to spark controversy or leave at least one team feeling snubbed, even with the expanded playoff format.
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the first expanded College Football Playoff after capturing the inaugural CFP national championship a decade earlier. Now, they are looking to make another title run. One beat writer, however, believes their schedule could create the perfect storm.
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The Sporting News’ Bill Bender appeared on The Bobby Carpenter Show last week and discussed the challenge Ohio State could face this season.
“Well, I think we’re going to continue to see an imbalanced schedule … You know, there will be years where Ohio State misses these [elite] teams, that, you know, it’s just a perfect storm on their schedule this year.” Bender said.
“I haven’t seen a schedule this difficult … I’m not saying they’re going 9-3, but if they were 9-3 with that schedule, much like Texas was last year, I think they would have a very legitimate argument to get in the playoff.”
Road to a dynasty
Ohio State’s schedule includes road trips to Texas and Indiana, along with conference matchups against Oregon, USC, and Iowa. As always, its rivalry game against Michigan adds another unpredictable challenge.
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To Bender’s point, Ohio State could emerge as one of the most battle-tested teams in the country. If the Buckeyes run the table, they would likely enter the College Football Playoff as the clear favorites to win the national championship.
Ohio State currently ranks No. 1 in ESPN’s College Football FPI. However, the Buckeyes have just a 9.2% chance of finishing the regular season undefeated. ESPN’s FPI actually gives them a better chance of winning the national championship (17.1%) than completing a perfect regular season.
Ohio State faces a demanding path as it looks to return to the national championship game. If the Buckeyes can navigate one of the toughest schedules in the country, they will have a strong opportunity to establish the foundation of a dynasty.
Will they get it done?
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