Ohio State football: 3 biggest offseason questions facing Buckeyes in 2021

2. Will the Buckeyes’ path through Indianapolis be as clear as it has been?

For the better part of the College Football Playoff era, Ohio State has been the best team in the Big Ten. Though the Buckeyes have not won the Big Ten every season since 2014, they have won it more than any other conference foe. Thus, Ohio State has made the College Football Playoff four times in seven seasons. However, are we certain they are going to make it to Indianapolis and win?

When looking at the Big Ten East, the Buckeyes’ biggest challenger next year will probably be Indiana again. We should expect the Michigan State Spartans to be improved under second-year head coach Mel Tucker, as well as the Penn State Nittany Lions to be significantly better after a year from hell for James Franklin’s team. There is also the Michigan Wolverines to keep an eye on.

While Ohio State should again be the favorite to come out of the Big Ten East, the Buckeyes might get a real challenger out of its Big Ten West opponent. Though it could be Northwestern again, the two teams to keep an eye on in the opposite division are the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers. Iowa could be a top-10 team to start 2021 and Wisconsin should be a top-25 team, too.

Simply put, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is not going to be as vast in the Big Ten as it had been in recent seasons. Northwestern and Indiana did a fine job of closing the gap last year. Look for teams like Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin to join the party of Big Ten teams wanting to wreck another promising Ohio State season. Day and his team better be ready for a serious challenge.

1. What does life look like after Justin Fields at the quarterback position?

Starting quarterback Justin Fields is expected to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Though he only played two years in Columbus, he is arguably the greatest quarterback in school history. Fields only lost two games as a starter, and those defeats came in College Football Playoff games to Clemson and Alabama. He will be the second player taken in the upcoming draft, assuming he does declare.

Though Ohio State has done just fine historically without a ton of blue-chippers at the quarterback position, Fields does leave a huge void for the Buckeyes at the most important position on the field. We have to wonder who will end up replacing him in 2021. Will it be C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller III or rising freshman Kyle McCord? This is Ohio State’s biggest question heading into the spring.

Truth be told, Ohio State should do just fine, regardless of who ends up being named the Week 1 starter. This is a team that will likely win 11 or 12 regular-season games next year. Though they have not dropped a regular-season game in a few years now, it is not going to be the end of the world if the Buckeyes fall for the first time before the calendar officially flips over to 2022.

What is important is understanding that whoever replaces Fields is not Fields. He is not going to be the next Steve Young like the Kennesaw, Georgia native was after his stunning three-year college career. Fields’ successor just has to be himself for him to have success in the Scarlet and Grey. However, a first-year starter may limit how good Ohio State can be at its 2021 zenith.

Ultimately, Ohio State feels like a team that will finish inside of the top four after the College Football Playoff Selection Committee meets for the final time in Grapevine, Texas. This is because they are expected to be the best team in the Big Ten again. If they navigate the regular season with one or fewer losses, Ohio State will be back in the playoff for the fifth time in school history.

Ohio State may not be the favorite to win the national title, but the Buckeyes are a contender.

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