Ever since he arrived at Ohio State in 2012, Urban Meyer has defaulted to a particular motto when it comes to explaining ugly wins that have occurred while the Buckeyes remained undefeated: The best part about being unbeaten is the opportunity to remain unbeaten. Following Ohio State’s 34-27 win over Indiana on Saturday, Meyer’s mantra would sound something like, “The best part about being 5-0 is the chance to go 6-0.” “I’ve learned to enjoy it,” Meyer said in postgame press conference through a forced grin. “To get on the plane here with a victory, I’ll take it.” With the way the Buckeyes looked throughout their closer-than-expected escape from Bloomington, that’s all the Ohio State has to celebrate at the moment. Yes, running back Ezekiel Elliott reinserted himself into the Heisman Trophy discussion with a 274-yard, three-touchdown performance as he ran rampant against the Hoosiers and once again looked like the player who entered the season as the favorite to win college football’s most prestigious individual award. And the Buckeyes are in fact still unbeaten as the nation’s longest winning streak remains active at 18 games. But outside of Elliott, this Ohio State team looked little like nation’s top-ranked team. And perhaps most importantly, it looked even less like the favorite to win this year’s national title. Andy Lyons/Getty Images The reality is that the Buckeyes haven’t looked like a team deserving of either of those accolades for the better part of the past month. Ohio State’s quarterback play has been shaky, its wide receivers have been inconsistent and a defense that at one time looked like the nation’s most talented has suddenly shown issues in the past two weeks that didn’t seem to exist in the previous three. For the second time in three weeks, the Buckeyes found themselves on the ropes late in the fourth quarter, bailed out this time against an Indiana team playing its backup quarterback and down its star running back due to injuries. Overall, however, the bulk of Ohio State’s issues have stemmed from the play of its offense, which starts with a quarterback conundrum that remains in question heading into the sixth week of the season. …
Continue Reading: Ohio State Is Not Playing Like the National Title Favorite Right Now
