Ohio State finally got over the hump by winning the national championship for the first time in a decade, but when it comes to Cleveland.com's Big Ten preseason poll, a similar accolade was not given credit where it likely should have been due.
The Buckeyes fell one spot below Penn State, which was ranked No. 1 in the poll while predicted to end a near-decade drought by winning the league this December.
Although ESPN's Heather Dinich didn't directly react to the poll itself, she did drop a major Buckeyes prediction about the season from a holistic viewpoint, one that those in Columbus likely won't be happy about during a recent "Get Up" episode.
“Ohio State will beat Michigan, but they will not win the Big Ten,” Dinich said. “Look, I’m sorry, Buckeyes, but there are a lot of questions."
Those questions are rather obvious, but the biggest one may be the Buckeyes' quarterback position after Will Howard was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the spring.
“When you lose your quarterback, your two leading rushers, your top three leaders in sacks, and by the way, both of your coordinators? There’s some questions in Columbus.”
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
With too many unknowns, as Dinich suggests, her league champion prediction validates the top of the poll.
“It’s Penn State," Dinich said. "They’re my No. 1 preseason team. On paper, they are absolutely loaded. Back to the coordinator position, James Franklin might have the two best in the country. On offense, with Andy Kotelnicki, and Jim Knowles on defense, who he picked from Ohio State. Talk about a secret weapon."
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions meet in early November, which may determine the Big Ten regular season champion based on who wins the game and whether the rest of the conference pans out as expected.