The Ohio State Buckeyes sure seem like the best team in the nation on the gridiron, and seemingly on paper too. But one little asterisk could drive fans in Columbus nuts — and potentially serve as a sign moving forward.
The Week 9 Associated Press poll kept the defending national champions in their No. 1 spot for the eighth consecutive week, the reward for ho-hum, 34-0 win at Wisconsin in which the Ohio State defense hardly let the Badgers cross midfield. But if you look closer, not every voter believes they belong there.
Six writers selected the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers as deserving of the top spot in this week's poll after they took down No. 3 Oregon two weeks ago and benefitted from the old No. 2 Miami Hurricanes falling to Louisville. In fact, Ohio State has not been a unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll all year.
On the other hand, Ohio State has the backing of every voting head coach in college football. The Buckeyes earned all 65 first place votes in the Week 9 coaches poll, and that should tell fans something insightful.
Lack of total confidence in Ohio State could benefit it in the long run
Sports writers may be talented at what they do, but they've frequently made mistakes in who they've backed across the board. Granted, college football this season has displayed a level of parity we've not seen in quite some time (think 2007). There have been multiple ranked losses just about every week, and it can be almost impossible to know which teams are for real and which are just one week away from tripping and falling flat on their face.
But head coaches know ball, and if they're all backing the same horse, maybe we should be paying attention. Ohio State has hardly had to sweat since that season-opening win over Texas, and it's fair to want a little more from an offense that has been all too happy to sit in second gear at times. Running the ball has been a challenge, and explosives have been hard to come by. You can understand why they would have a hard time holding voters' attention, especially considering the lack of quality competition since Week 1.
That said, the Buckeyes have won the rest of their games comfortably, allowing double-digit points exactly once all year. We know what Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs can do, and Julian Sayin looks the part. Ohio State's remaining schedule offers no real challenges until The Game against Michigan. Even if the Buckeyes fall for a fifth consecutive year to their hated rival, they'll still qualify for the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff to defend their title.
So, don't sweat the small stuff with some edgy AP writers trying to back a dark horse contender. Ohio State's peers recognize their dominance, the stray votes should just add fuel to the fire.