In case you haven't heard, Ohio State's expected to win each one of its games this coming season — by a wide margin.
While it's difficult to rise to the top of any sport and win a championship, it's even more arduous to remain at the pinnacle.
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/7 | at VIRGINIA TECH | 8:00 |
| 9/12 | HAWAII | 3:30 |
| 9/19 | NORTHERN ILLINOIS | 3:30 |
| 9/26 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | TBA |
| 10/3 | at INDIANA | TBA |
| 10/10 | MARYLAND | 12:00 |
| 10/17 | PENN STATE | 8:00 |
| 10/24 | at RUTGERS | 8:00 |
| 10/31 | BYE | -- |
| 11/7 | MINNESOTA | 7:00 or 8:00 |
| 11/14 | at ILLINOIS | TBA |
| 11/21 | MICHIGAN STATE | TBA |
| 11/28 | at MICHIGAN | TBA |
Ohio State faces a similar task to what Florida State had before it one year ago — push through a regular season with a huge target on your back and keep making check marks in the win column.
Winning games isn't as easy as it sometimes appears on Saturdays in the fall, with unforeseen hurdles from injuries to suspensions or whatever else threatening programs used to winning all the time. There's also those frightful episodes known as "trap games."
As first discussed on the forum by 11W reader NavyBuckeye91, Ohio State's 2015 slate is a grinder. The Buckeyes don't get to enjoy a bye week until the end of October.
That's eight consecutive weekends of football, starting with a visit to Virginia Tech Labor Day Night. Awesome for fans; rough on football players.
Ohio State proved last season it didn't have to win every single game in order to make the College Football Playoff, but a slip-up against someone who isn't seen as a contender would be a significant black eye to its résumé. It would also make the remaining games on the schedule must-win contests.
Which game could look like the biggest breeze on paper but end up as something else entirely? Let's take a look.
The Options
Realistically, only three games look to be worthy of "trap" consideration for the Buckeyes this fall. Virginia Tech's been left out because it's the season opener, so there's no way Ohio State won't be up for that game.
INDIANA
Urban Meyer's never lost to the Hoosiers, even managing to pull out a 52-49 victory in a road night game in 2012 when he had fullback Zach Boren starting at linebacker.
Indiana doesn't look like it will be very good this season after losing wide receiver Shane Wynn and stud running back Tevin Coleman early to the NFL, but the Hoosiers only lost by a pair of touchdowns in Columbus last year with a freshman male model playing quarterback.
It took a career day from Jalin Marshall to stave off the upset last November, and the Buckeyes have a terrific chance to be 4-0 following their non-conference slate this year before visiting Bloomington, Ind. Ohio State's won 19 consecutive games against Indiana — perfect time for a road upset in a game most everyone thinks they should have no problem.
RUTGERS
Ohio State's first trip to Piscataway, N.J., is naturally a matchup under the lights on national television and the eighth game in as many weeks for the Buckeyes. The Scarlet Knights also host another Big Ten East power, Michigan State, at home at night two weeks before, so they'll be used to taking on conference favorites on their home turf before the Buckeyes come to town.
Kyle Flood's team finished a respectable 8-5 with three conference victories in their first Big Ten season. One of those eight triumphs was a solid season-ending win against North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl.
If the Scarlet Knights can go into Happy Valley, Pa., and somehow pull out a win against Penn State, then follow it up with either a victory or respectable performance against the Spartans, watch out. Plus, Ohio State will be coming in off a night game of its own against Penn State the week before.
ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini dropped their bowl game to Louisiana Tech in classic Illinois fashion to finish 2014 with a losing record, even losing to Ohio State by 41 along the way. Under Tim Beckman, Illinois hasn't shown it can compete consistently against the upper echelon of the Big Ten but let's not forget what it did the last time it played an Ohio State team ranked No. 1. There's a good chance — if Ohio State performs how everyone expects it to — the Buckeyes will be No. 1 heading into the Nov. 14 game.
Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall and Jeremy Leman aren't walking through that door, but Ohio State visits Illinois after hosting Minnesota in primetime the week before.
Stranger things have happened, and there's just something weird about playing in Champaign, Ill., for the Illibuck, though it hasn't been that way in recent years.
It's hard to pick against Rutgers as the biggest "trap game" for Ohio State heading into 2015, mainly because the Scarlet Knights boast the best team of the three listed above.
Everything for the Buckeyes will be new that weekend — flying to New Jersey, playing a game in a stadium they've never been to before, that game being under the lights for their eighth game in as many weeks.
Meyer's never lost to any of the three teams listed since being at Ohio State, bringing to light yet another reason any of them could serve as the ideal "trap game" and threaten a chance for the Buckeyes to go unbeaten in 2015.
