COLUMBUS, Ohio — With his 24-hour celebration rule very much in effect following Ohio State’s 28-3 win over Illinois on Saturday, Urban Meyer headed to the house of a family friend in search of some much needed rest and relaxation. But even there, the Buckeyes head coach couldn’t escape the reality of what’s waiting around the corner for his team as it prepares for a potential three-game stretch that will define the 2015 season for the defending national champions. “I was over at my friend’s after the game…get home after Illinois and he turns on the channel, and I think it was [former Buckeye defensive lineman] Matt Finkes,” Meyer said, referencing the local Buckeye Football Fever postgame show on WSYX 6 in Columbus. “And he said, ‘Yeah, we’ve just got to get on a roll here’ “My friend looked at me and said, ‘Get on a roll here?’ So it just tells you—I guess we’ve got to get on a roll.” To some, what Ohio State is already in the midst of would be considered just that, with a 10-0 record and No. 3 ranking in the College Football Playoff standings being just a part of what is currently a 23-game winning streak that includes last season’s national title run. But the reality is that with what’s ahead on the Buckeyes’ schedule—and the lackluster lineup of opponents they’ve faced to this point—their 2015 campaign might as well just be getting started. That starts this Saturday, when Ohio State will welcome Michigan State (No. 9, AP) to Columbus for a rematch of the game that determined the Big Ten champion in 2013 and Big Ten East division winner a season ago. It will continue the following week with a Nov. 28 date with Michigan, which could ultimately serve as a play-in game for this season’s Big Ten title game. Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports Should the Buckeyes advance successfully in the next two weeks, they could very well find themselves facing an undefeated Iowa team playing for its own playoff life in Indianapolis. That would mark three consecutive games against ranked opponents heading into a potential playoff appearance, after not facing one in the first 10 weeks of the season…
Continue Reading: It’s "Do or Die" Time for Ohio State vs. Michigan State
