5 reasons Ohio State still makes the College Football Playoff

3. The Silver Bullets are elite

It may be an exuberant feeling to light up the scoreboard. Prancing down the field for countless yards generates a lot of excitement among fans, but there are other facets in football that wins championships.

On the other hand, the significance of defense should never be taking lightly. The old cliché of defense wins championships didn’t emerge from a Disney movie, history shows that teams with top-flight defenses have a fighting chance to win more often.

While it’s easy to praise the play of J.T. Barrett, Mike Weber Jr., and Curtis Samuel, the “Silver Bullets” are just as important. Led by Sam Hubbard, Raekwon McMillan, and Malik Hooker the Buckeye defense are holding opponents to 14.4 points per game, which is good for fifth in the country.

They are also tied for fourth in the country in takeaways. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that forcing turnovers create opportunities for the offense. Comparing the early part of the season to the past two games, the big plays on defense are missing.

Ohio State has a ball-hawking defense with a penchant to make game-changing plays. Outside of facing Nebraska’s dual-threat quarterback, Tommy Armstrong, the Buckeyes face a stable of unproven quarterbacks in their upcoming game. On paper, the odds favor Ohio State to increase their chances in making the CFP.

Defensive coordinators Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano need to get back to restructuring the “basic” defense that tormented the Oklahoma Sooners.