Nittany Lions At Night = Not Easy For Buckeyes

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.” ~ Ulysses S. Grant

Leave it to a native Ohioan to spell it out what needs to be done in order to win. West Point graduate, Civil War general, and former United State President, I am willing to bet Ulysses S. Grant would have given football coaching a shot if it had been around in his day.

While counting down the days until the 2015 college football season begins, I thought I would pass the time by ranking and reviewing the upcoming 2015 Ohio State opponents, from least difficult to most difficult. This ranking system of mine will be highly subjective, prone to possibilities of injuries, transfers, or other unforeseen events that could dramatically impact its accuracy. As always, I encourage comments and critique about what I have projected.

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We are getting into the stretch of games that I believe will be challenging for Ohio State. Not impossible, not insurmountable, but the type of games and opponents that Ohio State fans would be wise to not overlook or be overconfident about as the games approach. I am willing to bet that Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff will be on guard against any overconfidence with the players.

Penn State Nittany Lions (Game 7)

2015 OSU Opponent Ranking: 4 out of 12

Players Recruited By Ohio State: WR Saeed Blacknall, TE Adam Breneman, TE Mike Gesicki, OT Paris Palmer, OT Sterling Jenkins, DE Garrett Sickels, RB Saquon Barkley, OL Steven Gonzalez, OT Ryan Bates, DB Garrett Taylor. I am more than willing to bet I may have inadvertently missed on some players; please let me know and I am happy to correct my error(s).

Game Date: October 17, 2015

Kickoff Time: 8pm EST. ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 telecast TBD.

Location: Ohio Stadium

Rationale For The Ranking: Ohio State destroyed Penn State in 2013, 63-14, under the lights, in Ohio Stadium. The first year of Coach Meyer’s tenure, in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State defeated Penn State 35-23. Last season, Ohio State had to rally in two overtime periods to defeat Penn State, 31-24. While Ohio State will be heavily favored in this contest, with the improved talent base that Penn State is accumulating, this will certainly be in the big game atmosphere category. Looking at Penn State’s schedule, I would not be surprised if Penn State comes into Ohio Stadium undefeated, ready to avenge last season’s close loss.

Prediction: Night games in Ohio Stadium are always special. The fans have all day to tailgate, Coach Meyer traditionally targets recruiting visits for top prospects, and the opportunity to have a strong national television audience are all factors to be weighed. Ohio State will be favored, based upon these factors, but Penn State Head Coach James Franklin will be playing upon the underdog role in getting the Nittany Lions ready for this one.

Previous Posts In The Series:

12 – Hawaii
11 – Western Michigan
10 – at Indiana
9 – at Illinois
8 – Maryland
7 – Northern Illinois
6 – at Rutgers
5 – Minnesota

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