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After several weeks of criticism, the Ohio State offense seems to be back on track behind senior quarterback J.T. Barrett. With seven different receivers catching a touchdown pass last week vs UNLV, Zone 6 seems to have finally arrived this season. And with sophomore running back Mike Weber most likely back in the lineup this weekend, the tandem rushing attack with J.K. Dobbins will be most formidable indeed.
However, the offense will face a stiff opponent in the Rutgers defense. The Scarlet Knights are ranked in the top 30 in most offensive categories—a vast improvement over last season when the unit was pretty abysmal. Unfortunately for Rutgers, however, Blessuan Austin, their top cornerback (and widely considered best player on their defense) tore his ACL versus Nebraska last weekend and is out for the rest of the season.
Rutgers has never beaten Ohio State in the three times that they have played since joining the Big Ten in 2014. That's not likely to change this year. Even so, second-year coach Chris Ash, a former Ohio State assistant, has made a lot of improvements to the Rutgers program after the departure of former coach Kyle flood amid an NCAA investigation.
It might be Rutgers... But welcome back to the Big Ten football!
When is the game and how can I watch?
Game Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Piscataway, NJ
TV: BTN
Online: BTN2Go
Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM
Where is GameDay today?
After a hiatus in Times Square, College GameDay is back on track and headed to an actual college campus. This week, the crew heads to Blacksburg, Va. ahead of the No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech matchup. GameDay covered Clemson’s throttling of Louisville two weeks ago in Kentucky, but this is the first time the pregame show has been at a Hokies game this season. It will be the sixth-overall visit to Blacksburg, and the first since 2007. This game, a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship that solidified Clemson’s spot in the College Football Playoff, represents the first time the Tigers have traveled to Virginia Tech since 2011.
What’s the rest of the Big Ten up to this weekend?
All of the Big Ten teams are now officially in the midst of their conference schedules at this point. After Nebraska and Illinois faced off last night, today’s schedule starts with two noon games as Northwestern travels to No. 10 Wisconsin on ABC, while Maryland heads to Minnesota on FS1. Indiana faces No. 4 Penn State in Happy Valley at 3:30 p.m. on BTN before Iowa goes to East Lansing to take on Michigan State at 4 p.m, on FOX.
Join the conversation
Below is your Ohio State-Rutgers GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and as always, keep it classy. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s keep the season going strong.