This isn’t a big deal. Really, it isn’t. Ohio State is not going to lose to Virginia Tech because of the newly announced one-game suspensions for four of its standout players: defensive end Joey Bosa, H-Backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, and wideout Corey Smith. The Buckeye defense doesn’t need Bosa’s relentless pressure from the edge to shut down the Hokies, and the Buckeye offense—one that boasts the services, after all, of one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, possibly the best tailback in the nation, and one of the most explosive X-factors in the nation—doesn’t need Marshall, Wilson or Smith to score enough points to put the Hokies away, even taking into account that the game is being played in Blacksburg. Yes, I know the Hokies beat the Buckeyes last season. And yes, I know some expect the Hokies to be even better in the season to come (the defense should be great, though the offense should be … eh). But let’s face it: the Hokies caught the Buckeyes last season at a time when Ohio State had yet to fully adjust to the loss of Braxton Miller, or the introduction of J.T. Barrett. In fact, that same wayward Buckeyes team very nearly lost to Navy the week before. Which is to say, of course, the Buckeyes team that lost to the Hokies in Week 2 was not the same Buckeyes team that hoisted the national championship trophy in January. So for those of who might look at these suspensions and wonder if—maybe, just maybe—Ohio State’s national title dreams could be dead as early as Week 1, my advice would be as follows: Put aside the result from last year’s Hokies-Buckeyes game for a moment, put aside, too, the news of these suspensions, and then accept the undeniable fact that the gap in talent, in depth and in coaching between Ohio State and Virginia Tech is huge. [embedded content] I mean, huge. …
Continue Reading: No, Ohio State Will Not Lose to Virginia Tech
