Real Pod Wednesdays: Potential Advantages, Challenges for Ohio State in Top-3 Showdown with Oregon

It’s time for our first true look at what this year’s Ohio State football team is made of.

The first half of the season has all built up to this week’s road trip to Oregon, where the second-ranked Buckeyes will face the third-ranked Ducks in what’s not only one of the biggest games of Ohio State’s regular season but one of the biggest games of the entire year in all of college football. While Ohio State was heavily favored to win all of its first five games, this week brings a true matchup game for the Buckeyes in which they’ll be tested in all phases.

Ohio State has some potential advantages over Oregon, with its defensive line and running game looking like two of its biggest strengths. But the Buckeyes will have to break the trend of the past three weeks in which teams throughout the Big Ten have lost after long road trips. Will Howard faces his first major test as Ohio State’s quarterback, the offensive line faces its first major test in pass protection and the Buckeyes’ pass defense must prove it’s up to the task against an Oregon offense full of weapons.

We spend more than an hour previewing the game from all angles on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays. The rundown below highlights some of the main topics we covered in our breakdown of the Buckeyes vs. the Ducks.

0:00 The First Marquee Game for Ohio State Has Arrived
4:30 OSU Offensive Line Passed A Test vs. Iowa, But Oregon Presents Bigger Test in Pass Protection
12:05 Defensive Front Has Momentum Off Iowa Dominance, But Oregon Brings Different Challenges
18:36 Ohio State’s Pass Defense Has Something to Prove Against Best Offense It’s Faced So Far
24:39 A Massive Measuring-Stick Game for Will Howard
33:38 Running the Ball Effectively to Take Pressure Off of Howard Will Be Crucial
39:04 Continuing to Excel in Red Zone, Situational Football Could Make the Difference
43:22 Why the Challenge of A Long Road Trip Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
50:44 Keys to the Game: Winning the Battle in the Trenches and the Running Game
55:48 The Importance of Avoiding Mistakes on Special Teams
56:54 Why Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs Are Our X-Factors for the Game
59:10 Our Score Predictions and Levels of Confidence in an Ohio State Win

Head to Eleven Warriors to stay up to date on Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and other news:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com

Subscribe to Eleven Warriors on YouTube:
   / @elevenwarriors  


Follow 11W on social media!
➜ Twitter:   / 11w  
➜ Facebook:   / elevenwarriors  
➜ Instagram:   / elevenwarriors  

#GoBucks