Fansided

Chase Young to return from suspension vs. Penn State: Buckeyes Big Ten hopes bolstered

By Patrick Schmidt

BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 14: Ohio State (DE) Chase Young (2) during a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers on September 14, 2019 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 14: Ohio State (DE) Chase Young (2) during a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers on September 14, 2019 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Chase Young has his suspension reduced to two games and will be back for Ohio State’s clash with Penn State on Nov. 23.

He’s baaaaaack!

Ohio State defensive end Chase Young had his appeal heard by the NCAA which dropped his four-game suspension down to two games. Young sat out Ohio State’s win over Maryland on Saturday and will sit against Rutgers this weekend. Young, who has been practicing with the team, will be eligible to return to the field for the highly-anticipated showdown with Penn State on Nov. 23 and with rival Michigan in the regular-season finale from Ann Arbor.

Young tweeted: Excited to be back on the field next week! Thank you Buckeye Nation for all the love and support. I’m blessed to be a part of this team, this university, and this community. Lots of love to my family. God Bless and Go Bucks!

That’s great news for Ohio State and bad news for the rest of the Big Ten, and the national title hopefuls.

Young never should have been suspended in the first place for taking a loan from a family friend to cover the travel expenses so his girlfriend could see him play in the Rose Bowl last year. He paid the loan back and was still subjected to a two-game suspension. Thankfully, for Ohio State, he wasn’t suspended for Penn State and Michigan because Ohio State’s third-team could handle Maryland and Rutgers.

Having Young back for the two biggest games of the year for Ohio State is crucial to avoiding tripping before the finish line. Ohio State might be the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings when the season ends and it’ll be as a result of Young’s return to complement the great work of Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins and the Buckeye offense.

Even with the Buckeye offense scoring points seemingly at will, it’s been the defense that’s been just as dominating. Young’s 13.5 sacks still lead the nation and he’s going to shatter the Ohio State program record shortly after his return to the gridiron.

If something crazy happened and the NCAA denied his appeal and he was out for Penn State and Michigan, or even suspended for the rest of the season, Ohio State’s title hopes would have taken a sizable dent. They would still have been my pick to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff. Without Young, however, LSU and Clemson would have had a shot at the title. With Young, there may be nothing that can stop Ohio State from winning their first national championship since 2015.

Next. Best college football players of all time from every state. dark

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

Home/College Football