Pat Forde Calls Out Ohio State for Having the Big Ten's Weakest Nonconference Schedule

Veteran sportswriter Pat Forde of si.com says that in the first year of the 12-team playoff, "the nonconference slate will be more important than ever." He takes the Ohio State Buckeyes to task for having the weakest nonconference schedule in the Big Ten.

In a year where USC plays LSU in Las Vegas and Notre Dame in the Coliseum, a year where Michigan hosts Texas and Wisconsin takes on Alabama at Camp Randall, Ohio State eases into the season with home games against Akron, Marshall and Western Michigan.

That's important, he says, because schedule strength will be a constant topic this year, both by the playoff committee and league commissioners lobbying for their teams.

Forde wrote, "They will cite rankings. They will cite past precedent. They will cite the former players and coaches who occupy the TV chairs on the big Saturday shows. They will chant the strength-of-schedule mantra for months on end."

He accuses Ryan Day and his program of "Tearing a page right out of the Michigan 2022–23 playbook."

Hopefully the Buckeyes stop with that page. In the quest for seeding and number of bids at playoff time, this anemic nonconference lineup could become part of the conversation. OSU doesn't encounter a genuine test before they host Iowa on October 5 and travel to Oregon on October 12. The steady diet of September cupcakes might hamper their readiness for top competition. Blowouts breed overconfidence.