Heart of Big Ten Schedule On Horizon For No. 1 Bucks

By Adam Kiefaber

The Ohio State Buckeyes begin their first week as the No. 1 team in the nation. ‘Talking Head’ shows like Around the Horn and PTI have already started the debate - does OSU deserves that honor?

Buckeye fans could argue all day that their team deserves to be the No. 1 team in the country, while deep down they have to feel fortunate that all the teams with stronger schedules have lost a game.

No. 4 LSU lost to No. 7 Kentucky, No. 7 Kentucky lost to No. 6 South Carolina, No. 6 South Carolina lost to LSU and so did No. 11 Virginia Tech. No. 5 Oklahoma lost to Colorado. No. 10 Oregon lost to No. 12 California. No. 12 California lost to Oregon State. No. 9 WVU lost to No. 2 South Florida.

That leaves us with five undefeated teams in the top-25 of the BCS standings. No. 1 OSU, No. 2 South Florida, No. 3 Boston College, No. 13 Kansas and No. 18 Hawaii.

Of those five undefeated teams, I would say that only Hawaii has had easier schedule than the No. 1 Bucks. You could argue that the Kansas has had an easier ride than the Bucks, but I’ll give the Jayhawks the nod over the Bucks with their road win over Kansas State.

The Buckeyes toughest games were road contests against Washington (2-4) and Purdue (5-2, but 1-2 in Big Ten). The road win against Purdue looked good at the time, but you have to question it after the Boilermakers’ 21-48 loss to Michigan this weekend.

The combined record through OSU’s first seven games (excluding YSU, which isn’t in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision) is 18-23. It is safe to say, the Buckeyes have coasted to the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

However, that coast is about to get a lot rougher, as OSU enters into the heart of its Big Ten schedule. The remaining games include Michigan State, Wisconsin and Illinois at home. With games against Penn State and Michigan on the road. Those five teams have a combined record of 25-10.

This week, Michigan State is up. The Spartans haven’t beaten anyone good, but have a 5-2 record. They lost to Wisconsin by only 3 (34-37).

Michigan State started the season on a four-game winning streak. Its loss to Wisconsin ended that and the Spartans were still considered a dangerous team in the Big Ten. Then MSU lost to Northwestern, 41-48, and lost its respect.

The Buckeyes have to be looking ahead to the that four-game stretch, will MSU make OSU fall in its trap.

Probably not, but as long as the Bucks win out, then you can’t argue anymore - they will be in the BCS title game and they’ll deserve it.

Rankings in this article were taken from the BCS standings.