Ohio State still has some Big 10 competition left this season

Is there any team in the Big 10 conference that can bring real competition to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the rest of this season?

The Ohio State Buckeyes team is currently sitting at a 3-0 record for this… awkward 2020 season. It’s hard to say if the late start to the season this year led to teams just not being ready or not, but I’m not sure if the Big 10 is churning out top tier teams this year. But Ohio State still stands amongst the best in the league right now at number 3.

However, there is still one question that remains: is there a single Big 10 team that is on the Buckeyes schedule that still poses a threat? Currently, the Big 10 hosts four ranked teams in the aforementioned Ohio State at #3, Indiana at #9, Wisconsin at #10, and Northwestern at #19. The Buckeyes don’t face Wisconsin or Northwestern in the regular season, so they’re non-factors unless they make it to the Big 10 championship.

But the only ranked team left in the conference that the Buckeyes will take on is Indiana. Other than that, they will be facing Illinois, Michigan State, and Michigan. Only one of those 4 teams actually poses a threat to this current Ohio State team.

Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State all sit at 1-3, and really don’t scare me when it comes to our regular-season matchups with them. They could pose a challenge if the Buckeyes get complacent, but that’s unlikely. Indiana, on the other hand, does still have some fire left in them. Indiana currently sits at 4-0, holding wins over both Michigan and Michigan State, Rutgers, and Penn State.

Even with those wins, it’s still hard to say if Indiana will walk away with a win over the scarlet-and-gray-clad Buckeyes, but if they do, it’ll be a hard-fought victory. The other big concern is that previously mentioned Wisconsin. They might only be 2-0, but they absolutely trounced Illinois and Michigan. If Ohio State and Wisconsin do find themselves battling out for the Big 10 championship, then there’s something more to talk about. But that’s a big “if’.

To answer the question I posed earlier of if there’s competition left in the Big 10 for the Buckeyes this season, the answer is 95% no. That small 5% of Indiana and Wisconsin is still there, but the margins for them beating Ohio State are very slim. The Buckeyes are looking at what could be a very easy season for them heading into the back half of the season.