Penn State and Michigan were expected to be the challengers to Ohio State's reign in the Big Ten East this season, but that couldn't be further from what's transpired.
Through four weeks, Penn State and Michigan are a combined 1-7 with the lone win coming from the Wolverines' win over a 1-3 Minnesota team to open the season.
To put that in perspective, the two teams have combined for more losses in four weeks than Ohio State has in four years. The Buckeyes are 52-6 in the past four seasons, going back to 2016, with no more than two losses in each of those seasons.
You have to go all the way back to the Buckeyes' 2015 loss against Michigan State to find a seventh Ohio State loss, and back to the 2014 loss to Virginia Tech to find an eighth.
In just the fourth week of the season, both Penn State and Michigan have already suffered more losses this season than Ohio State has in any season since Urban Meyer's arrival in Columbus.
These two teams have long been chasing the Buckeyes, but this season is a reminder that the gap between them and Ohio State is deep and wide.
James Franklin Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Jim Harbaugh Photo Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
