Chop Chat College Football 2017 Preseason Rankings: No. 5-1
By Jason Parker
No. 3 – Ohio State Buckeyes
For head coach Urban Meyer, last year was a mixed bag considering the men from Columbus made it to the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten East, but got worked by Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. That being said, the Buckeyes are far from taking a step back considering what is still on the roster. In fact, there is a decent chance that they will be back among the final four teams at this point.
On offense, the loses at wide receiver are made up by the fact that quarterback J.T. Barrett and running back Mike Weber are returning to go along with what may be one of the best offensive lines in the country. The defensive front seven will be a solid unit, and if the secondary can overcome losses from last year it could be back to the playoffs.
Most Important Game – October 28th vs. Penn State: We talked about it a couple slides ago as being important for the Nittany Lions, but Ohio State is going to need this game since – after the Oklahoma game in week two – they aren’t challenged until this meeting and will have to play Penn State, Michigan, Iowa and Michigan State in their finally five game. Yikes.