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Does Indiana’s win show that Ohio State is good enough to win it all?

Vaseline November 24, 2024

The question looms over Buckeye Nation like the enormous horseshoe-shaped structure that is impossible to ignore. Just as Ohio Stadium rises 160 feet above the horizon, a constant reminder of the city’s biggest game, the question is ever-present.

Is Ohio State good enough to beat Michigan?

At first glance the answer seems obvious. Michigan doesn’t have a quarterback. The Wolverines are also without Connor Stalions. Naturally the Buckeyes will end that pesky three-game losing streak. Naturally.

Are you drinking that poison? After what No. 1 Ohio State did to No. 5 Indiana on Saturday in the Shoe, it might be tempting for OSU fans to take a sip of the dangerous drink. Or even swallow enough to believe the Buckeyes are good enough to win the College Football Playoff national championship.

Are the Buckeyes up to the task? I think so. But be careful. Thinking is not knowing. And no one knows. Not Vegas. Not Lee Corso. Not even AI.

But if Saturday’s 38-15 win against IU is any indication, Ohio State fans should feel good about their chances against Michigan. Or someone else. I’ve seen Texas. Good, not great. Ditto Notre Dame, Georgia and Miami. Penn State? Pulleez. Oregon is legit, but only one point better than Ohio State, and that 32-31 win was in Eugene.

Indiana, with 10 wins for the first time in school history, was probably at the same table with those brand programs, but I never quite believed the Hoosiers hype. What’s that sentence about water returning to its own level? I don’t want to suggest that IU was a fraud, but there was some sleight of hand going on.

But magic should not be analyzed too closely, otherwise mystery will give way to cynicism. So let’s give IU credit and agree that the Hoosiers were worth something, just within a top-10 ranking. After all, their average margin of victory of 34 points against Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska is better than OSU’s margin of 20 points against those common opponents.

And yet the Hoosiers lost to the Buckeyes by 23. And there could have been more if Davison Igbinosun had kept his hands to himself. (The OSU cornerback was assessed three pass interference penalties that caused IU touchdowns.)

The Buckeyes weren’t perfect. They got stuck in the red zone, failed on a fourth-and-1 and still look a little soft on the offensive line. But they remain better than most, even as they refuse to believe their own headlines.

“I’m never someone who gets very excited after a win. I’m just not wired that way,” said wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, whose seven catches led OSU. “We get into the red zone, fourth-and-1, we have to convert that ten times out of ten, no matter who is against us.”

But especially when the “who” is Michigan. Most of us have witnessed enough OSU-UM games to know that missed scoring opportunities come back to haunt us.

“And we can never have a turnover in the red zone,” Egbuka added.

“Someday” includes next Saturday. Cough the ball up to Michigan near the goal line and it might not matter that the Wolverines are 6-5 after Saturday’s 50-6 win over Northwestern. The Buckeyes have blown games to worse UM teams. Google it.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has to eat his words

Speaking of Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who once said, “Google me. I win,” it is now 0-1 against Ohio State. Google him. He loses too. (Cignetti also said late last year, addressing an IU basketball crowd, that OSU is “stupid,” but don’t trash him for that bit of bravado. Someone had to fire up sleepy Hoosiers fans.)

Egbuka didn’t want to talk about Michigan’s “story” beyond the obligatory “it’s a big game” corporate sense. But it’s safe to say he didn’t return for a fifth season just to miss another chance to collect a gold pants charm.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was more willing to discuss the rivalry game, perhaps because he has never played in it. After apologizing for calling “The Team Up North” by its first name, Howard spoke passionately about wanting to beat you-know-what for teammates who have never experienced a win over the maize and blue.

“From the moment I came here, I don’t wear blue. And it beat The Team Up North,” said Howard, who made some bad decisions against the Hoosiers but was mostly at the top of his game, completing 22 of 26 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in the red zone.

Is Ohio State good enough to win it all?

I asked both Howard and Egbuka if the team that dismantled Indiana is good enough to beat not just Michigan but anyone else.

“I don’t want to say yes or no to that because we’re going to have to turn it up,” Howard said, adding, “We’re gaining momentum at the right time.”

Howard then offered an addendum to his comments: “I still don’t think you’ve seen our best.”

Maybe not, but Saturday was OSU’s most complete game of the season. Sure, the run game was only so-so, as it adapted to working behind a repurposed line that would only do the trick, but almost everything else clicked into place. The defense gave up a total of 145 yards on IU’s first and last drives, but only six yards between them. Yes. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is increasingly giving his best players the freedom to wreak havoc, and the results have been impressive. The Buckeyes recorded five sacks and limited the nation’s second-ranked scoring offense (43.9 points) to 15 points.

Ohio State’s offense put up 31 points on the nation’s seventh-ranked scoring defense, and for the second straight week, OSU took advantage of an opponent’s punt team’s mistake to set up short-field touchdowns.

Then there was Caleb Downs, who returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown, barely breaking a sweat in the process. Downs made his return, which put OSU ahead 21-7 early in the second half, look ridiculously effortless.

Buckeyes click on offense, defense and special teams

Put the three phases together – offense, defense and special teams – and Ohio State is trending toward a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

Are the Buckeyes great? No. But they are very good just about everywhere, with the exception of the offensive line, which could be a problem against Michigan.

Howard concluded his interview session with this nugget: “When you go into that locker room and look into every man’s eyes, you see the edge.”

The edge. These Buckeyes have top players, but top talent is not enough to win championships, as the past three seasons have proven. You also need attitude or sharpness. Ohio State has missed this in recent years. We’re about to find out how much that’s changed.

Ryan Day is now 4-6 against top-five teams, but that means nothing if OSU can’t close the deal against Michigan. If the Buckeyes play like they did against Indiana, that should be enough. If they play even a little better than they did against the Hoosiers, it could easily end with a national championship.

“We have all the resources to win everything,” Egbuka said.

But first they have to beat Michigan. Buckle up, Buckeyes fans. The answer to “can they?” coming in less than a week.

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