Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will fend off TCU
By Alec Hartman
Five reasons the Ohio State football team will fend off TCU, their first national ranked opponent of the season on Saturday.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are set for a real test this weekend as they’re set to play against their first ranked opponent of this season in the form of the 14th ranked TCU Horned Frogs.
The Buckeyes embark on their first road game of the season as the No. 4 team in the county, according to the Amway Coaches Poll.
This will be the third and final game of Urban Meyer‘s suspension from coaching on the field. Interim head coach Ryan Day has done a masterful job handling coaching duties so far. The Buckeyes have looked strong and are playing with confidence.
After previously starting the season against the Big 12 heavyweight Oklahoma, the Buckeyes will be crossing paths with the Sooners’ neighboring Big 12 member the, TCU Horned Frogs. The Buckeyes have quite the history against the Horned Frogs.
This may be unknown to many due to the fact that this match up is practically prehistoric with the first meeting dating back to 1937.
The Buckeyes have owned this series as they sport a lead of 4-1-1. Interestingly enough, all six of those games took place in Columbus. The match up this weekend will take place in the Horned Frogs’ home state of Texas. However, it will not be in their home stadium but rather in AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys will be playing on Sunday night.
The Buckeyes are 23-7 against Big 12/Big 8 teams. This is not entirely surprising considering the strength of the Big Ten conference but it doesn’t hurt to have some reassurance. Yes, the Buckeyes lost to the Oklahoma Sooners at home last season but that was against first overall pick Baker Mayfield and the College Football Playoff bound Sooners. The Buckeyes will certainly look to make things right by planting their foot back onto the Big 12 conference against the Horned Frogs.
There is plenty to look forward to in this match up as both teams come into this game in great standing. Only one of these teams will emerge with a flawless record.
A win coupled with a strong performance in this game would propel the Buckeyes into the national spotlight as serious title contenders.
A win for the Horned Frogs would signal their return to being a top tier team in the Big 12 as they look to get their second ever conference title since they won their first in 2014.