25 games that will shape the 2019 College Football Playoff

Week 3: Ohio State at TCU

Ohio State was listed as a 12-point favorite against TCU before the Urban Meyer suspension when the first lines were released this summer. The Week 3 road test at TCU is the one challenging game that Ohio State will have to play during Meyer’s three-game suspension. Going on the road into a hostile environment to face a consistently well-coached, well-prepared TCU team led by Gary Patterson, it feels like this game has the makings of an upset.

But given the fact that it’s an early season game and TCU is unproven at quarterback, combined with the defense Ohio State will put on the field, the upset feels much less likely. Dwayne Haskins is a first-year starter at quarterback but he’ll have a very good offensive line to protect him and impact players at receiver and running back to take some of the weight off of his shoulders.

Even if Haskins and the offense struggle without Meyer, the defense should be good enough to shut down TCU’s offense. Defense travels when offense doesn’t and Ohio State’s, especially up front, should give TCU nightmares and keep whoever they line up under center from getting comfortable. In spite of everything that led to Meyer’s suspension and how many transgressions he seemed to have let go over the years, it doesn’t seem like it will hurt Ohio State’s season. After beating TCU, they’ll be 3-0 and will have Meyer for the rest of the games on their schedule.