Throughout the year, we will be asking and answering questions about various Ohio State teams, the players, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
Alright, how did everyone enjoy the off week? Did you relax? Get some chores done? Have the sweats because you experienced Ohio State football withdrawal? Don’t worry, we’ve all been
there, and the first step is admitting you have a problem.
Fortunately for all of us, we are back in a game week as the Buckeyes will travel west to take on the Washington Huskies on Saturday afternoon. But, before we dive completely into coverage of that game, we have a few off-week things to tie up.
Late last week, we asked Buckeye Nation a couple of questions in our weekly fan survey. The first was about their impressions of the team following the first quarter of the season, and the second was about which team nationally deserved to be No. 2 behind the Buckeyes.
Today, we have the results. So, check them out below (along with my thoughts and feelings), and if the answers that your fellow fans put forth don’t jive with how you see things, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments at the bottom fo the page.
Question 1: How have your feelings changed about this year’s Buckeyes through three games?
I agree with the collective intelligence of Buckeye Nation. Despite being an unapologetic homer who picked the Buckeyes to go undefeated and win a second-straight national title, I knew how much talent the team lost to the NFL following last season, so I assumed that it would take time for these new starters to play at the level that Ohio State expects of its starters. But so far, they have far exceeded my expectations.
I also wasn’t sure what the depth would be like. There were so many guys on last season’s title team who had seemingly been Buckeyes since the Obama administration that it was easy to forget about all of the top-flight blue chippers sitting behind them. So far, both the starters and the reserves have been excellent.
I was also a little concerned that it would take some time for guys to get acclimated to the new coordinators and playcallers. While I still don’t think we have yet seen the full capabilities of what Matt Patricia and Brian Hartline can do, I have been impressed not only with their schemes but also with how the players have responded to them.
So, I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, but I think someone needs to start finding a spot for another national championship trophy!
Question 2: Not counting Ohio State, who do you think is the best team in college football right now?
I think Oregon is where I am at as well, although I would probably have Miami as a close second. Anyone with eyes knows that they are really good, but the Ducks have not played anybody of consequence yet, so it is tough to get a good grip on just how good they actually are.
Obviously, that will change this weekend when they play Penn State. If Oregon dominates that one, then I think it is safe to slot them in at No. 2 without a second thought. However, it is also an opportunity for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions to prove that this is a different type of Penn State squad. For years, PSU has struggled in big games, and often because Franklin can’t seem to get out of his own way. If they can win this primetime barn-burner, then I think the Nits will jump to the spot behind the Buckeyes.
But, as much as I am loath to admit it, Miami… might be… back? With wins over Notre Dame, South Florida, and Florida, the Canes’ resume is about as deep as anyone else in the country. Are any of those three teams going to be major contenders? At this point, probably not, but other than letting ND back in the game in the fourth quarter of the Week 0 season opener, Miami has been pretty dominant. They are off this weekend, but if neither Oregon nor Penn State looks great on Saturday night, I wouldn’t be opposed to the Hurricanes being right behind the Buckeyes.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
