Rutgers looks to score points against Ohio State this year

“But now that the two have met four times, the Scarlet Knight offense has contributed mightily to series history. While Ohio State has combined to outscore Rutgers 114-0 in their last two games, there were RU touchdowns to speak of in the two other games between the two teams.”

- Richard Johnson, SBNation

To say that Rutgers has struggled against Ohio State since joining the Big Ten would be a bit of an understatement. This series is as lopsided as any in all of college football, and there’s no reason to expect that to change this weekend when the Scarlet Knights head to Columbus.

In honor of this momentous game, Richard Johnson took some time to rank each Rutgers touchdown against Ohio State since the two started playing in 2014. All three of them.

“Think about it: did Rutgers really have to score this touchdown? Of course not. They could have taken their medicine and got right on the plane home with only one touchdown to their name. Yet they did not. They chose to stand up and fight.”

Rutgers comes into this Saturday’s game having not scored against Ohio State in nearly three years. The last time Rutgers put points on a scoreboard when playing the Buckeyes was October of 2015. Maybe this is the year they finally break the streak.

Probably not though.

Buckeyes ready to light up the NFL

NFL season is officially underway, and picking up right where it left off, with an Eagles victory (go birds). As the Eagles knocked off the Falcons last night, a couple former Buckeyes put up solid performances, including that beloved Australian punter, Cameron Johnston, who apparently had an excellent first game.

Johnston wasn’t the only one that got in on the fun, as his teammate Malcolm Jenkins picked up three tackles, and seems primed for yet another All-Pro caliber season. Unfortunately it’s not all good news for former Buckeyes in the league, as Malik Hooker is still dealing with some issues from his torn ACL last season.

Generally when a coach says that a player will be monitored, that means they’re not playing a lot that game. Even if he doesn’t see the field a ton, it is good to see Malik back to playing, and hopefully he’ll be fully healthy sooner rather than later.

“The Ohio State women’s basketball team has been selected to play at least 11 of its conference games on the Big Ten Network this season. One of the highlighted games is the Buckeyes’ first Big Ten game of the season on Dec. 28 at Purdue. That game will tip at 4 p.m. and will be the first of 11 games on BTN. The second is OSU’s Big Ten home opener on New Year’s Eve against Nebraska which tips at 1 p.m.”

- Ohio State Athletics

After a disappointing second round tournament exit last season, Kevin McGuff and the Ohio State women’s basketball team are out looking to prove themselves in 2018. With no Kelsey Mitchell or Stephanie Mavunga, there are plenty of questions about this Buckeye team, but a huge nine person 2018 class, including five graduate transfers look to help lead the team to another top three seed.

The full schedule shapes up pretty nicely for the Buckeyes to make another Big Ten Title run this upcoming season, and if the new comers are as good as expected, it should be another good year for Buckeye basketball. You can view the full schedule here.

That glut of talent can mean many things, though, and the most compelling thing about the Big Ten down the stretch will come down to one question: Will the conference manage to help itself with its high caliber of play or be its own worst enemy?

- Joan Niesen, Sports Illustrated

It’s way too early in the season to be making accurate playoff predictions, because there are just so many huge games left to be played. We barely know anything about the 2018 season through just one week, and while early losses and struggles can give us plenty to think about, those games mean little in the long wrong.

However, with that in mind, I think Sports Illustrated’s Joan Niesen makes an excellent point in her piece about the Big Ten. We knew coming in to the season that the Big Ten, specifically the Big Ten East is absolutely loaded with talent. As a whole, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin all seem to be playoff contenders, and even with a loss by Michigan, each of those teams are all still in the running in week two. Nothing catastrophic happened.

That means that just one year removed from missing the playoff entirely, the Big Ten may be the key to this year’s playoff. That’s good news for Ohio State, because the Buckeyes will have plenty of chances to prove themselves on a national stage this year, and they’ll be battle tested for whatever approaches in the post eason.

Ohio State athletics schedule of events this weekend

STICK TO SPORTS

• “NBA Live 19 saves EA’s troubled series with a fantastic playground”.
• The Marion Popcorn Festival is upon us.
• Remembering Burt Reynolds through his best performances.
• Rest in peace Mac Miller.