Despite Mark Dantonio's mental jujitsu, Ohio State will enter new territory on Saturday night: that of the underdog.
And while it will be the first time one of the rare times during the Urban Meyer Era that Ohio State will enter as an underdog, Saturday night also presents Urban Meyer's Ohio State with another opportunity: the chance to finally beat a Top 15 team. Lost in the hoopla of the undefeated 2012 season, the current 20-game regular season Big Ten streak, and Urban Meyer's general dominance, is the fact Ohio State hasn't beaten any team truly of note.
This has more to do with the ineptitude of the Big Ten and teams like California and Virginia Tech (damn them to Hell) not living up to their historical luster than Urban Meyer's coaching, but it's also undeniable.
And to those who want to try to deny reality, what's Ohio State's premiere win in the last two and a half years?
Don't worry, I'll wait, but for reference: here is Ohio State's 2012 schedule:
| OPPONENT | RESULT | OPP. FINAL RECORD | OPP. FINAL BCS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami (OH) | W, 56-10 | (4-8) | UNRANKED |
| Central Florida | W, 31-16 | (10-4) | UNRANKED |
| California | W, 35-28 | (3-9) | UNRANKED |
| Alabama-Birmingham | W, 29-15 | (3-9) | UNRANKED |
| at Michigan State | W, 17-16 | (7-6) | UNRANKED |
| Nebraska | W, 63-38 | (11-3) | 16th |
| at Indiana | W, 52-49 | (4-8) | UNRANKED |
| Purdue | W, 29-22 (OT) | (6-7) | UNRANKED |
| at Penn State | W, 35-23 | (8-4) | UNRANKED |
| Illinois | W, 52-22 | (2-10) | UNRANKED |
| at Wisconsin | W, 21-14 (OT) | (8-6) | UNRANKED |
| Michigan | W, 26-21 | (8-5) | UNRANKED |
That's not exactly, uh, a murderer's row...
While victories over Michigan State and Purdue (#shoutout to Kenny Guiton) were probably more meaningful, the win over Nebraska was undoubtedly the best win of the 2012 season.
Nebraska, however, went on to lose "the 2012 Big Ten title game" to Wisconsin (#shoutout to Gene Smith for refusing to self-impose a bowl ban in 2011) and got dropped by two touchdowns against a two-loss Georgia team in the Citrus Bowl. That's not exactly the mark of a team for which you're looking to hang a "statement win" over.
But what about the 2013 season? Well, it's not a much better picture, unfortunately:
| OPPONENT | RESULT | OPP. FINAL RECORD | OPP. FINAL BCS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | W, 40-20 | (8-5) | UNRANKED |
| San Diego State | W, 42-7 | (8-5) | UNRANKED |
| at California | W, 52-34 | (1-11) | UNRANKED |
| Florida A&M | W, 76-0 | (3-9) | UNRANKED |
| Wisconsin | W, 31-24 | (9-4) | 19th |
| at Northwestern | W, 40-30 | (5-7) | UNRANKED |
| Iowa | W, 34-24 | (8-5) | UNRANKED |
| PSU | W, 63-14 | (7-5) | UNRANKED |
| at Purdue | W, 56-0 | (1-11) | UNRANKED |
| at Illinois | W, 60-35 | (4-8) | UNRANKED |
| Indiana | W, 42-14 | (5-7) | UNRANKED |
| Michigan | W, 42-41 | (5-7) | UNRANKED |
| vs. Michigan State | L, 34-24 | (13-1) | 4th |
| vs. Clemson | L, 40-35 | (11-2) | 12th |
While Northwestern did come into their game against Ohio State with a crisp 4-0 record and a No. 16 ranking, the come-from-ahead loss in a game in which it'd clearly staked its season sent the Wildcats on a massive tailspin.
Due to that, the best win of the 2013 season came against a four-loss Wisconsin team. And while Ohio State certainly wasn't housed by Michigan State (or Clemson), the end-of-the-season rankings show Ohio State had never truly been tested by any team of note prior to those season-ending games.
Does that matter? I think it does.
The 2014 campaign has been much of the same tune: Ohio State has rolled inferior teams. The only difference is — and Braxton Miller's injury had a lot to do with it, no doubt — Ohio State lost at home by two touchdowns to a caliber of team to which it hadn't lost in the previous two years.
| OPPONENT | RESULT | OPP. CURRENT RECORD | OPP. CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Navy | W, 34-17 | (4-5) | UNRANKED |
| Virginia Tech | L, 35-21 | (4-5) | UNRANKED |
| Kent State | W, 66-0 | (1-7) | UNRANKED |
| Cincinnati | W, 50-28 | (5-3) | UNRANKED |
| at Maryland | W, 52-24 | (6-3) | UNRANKED |
| Rutgers | W, 56-17 | (5-4) | UNRANKED |
| at Penn State | W, 31-24 (2OT) | (4-4) | UNRANKED |
| Illinois | W, 55-14 | (4-5) | UNRANKED |
| at Michigan State | ??? | (7-1) | 7th |
Michigan State is a caliber of opponent Ohio State hasn't seen since the last time it squared up with the Spartans, and this time, the primetime affair will take place in East Lansing as a de facto Big Ten title game. It's the regular season test which has been missing from the Buckeyes' schedule the last two and a half years.
And while Urban Meyer boasts two national titles as credentials, it's clear his Ohio State team needs a victory Saturday to prove it belongs among the nation's elite. Those are the stakes, because Ohio State's remaining schedule (at Minnesota, Indiana, and Michigan) won't offer the chance to prove it otherwise.
Is it fair? No, but it is undeniable.
