Ohio State kicks off their 2020 college football season at home against Nebraska on Saturday October 24 The Buckeyes enter the game as the top-ranked Big Ten team, though they haven’t played the first seven weeks of the season OSU won their 2019 game 48-7 against the Huskers behind three quarterback touchdowns Justin Fields The junior finished third a year ago in the Heisman Trophy vote and will look to kick off their 2020 campaign with a strong start against the Nebraska
OSU enters 2020 college football season with unfinished business After an unbeaten regular season, the Buckeyes were stunned in the dying minutes of their college football playoff semifinal loss to Clemson OSU started at No 2 in the 2020 pre-season AP poll before falling ahead of the Big Ten’s decision to bring football back this fall.With eight games in eight weeks, the state of Ohio will be looking to climb back to the top of the ranking while participating in the program’s fourth application to the CFP
The Buckeyes went 13-1 last season, winning a third straight Big Ten title The Buckeyes came undefeated in the college football playoffs, winning their first 13 games by 36 on average2 points, all double-digit wins Clemson ended Ohio State’s season in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl in a 29-23 thriller
The Buckeyes were in the top 5 teams in total defense and total offense last season before losing three players in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Defensive end Chase Young was taken second overall by the Washington football team while defensive backs Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette were selected third and 19th overall by the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders Overall, the state of Ohio had 10 players (seven defensemen) drafted in April, likely opening the door for new faces to be key contributors in 2020
Quarterback Justin Fields played in his first season at Columbus following his transfer from Georgia He was a second-year Heisman Trophy finalist, totaling over 3,200 yards and 41 touchdowns for just three interceptions Fields also showed his versatility as a double threat option, recording another 484 yards and 10 TDs with his legs. If Fields replicates his success from a year ago, he’ll likely be in contention for major hardware
Ground play can be different with JK Dobbins gone Replacing a three-year-old starter is hard enough It gets even harder after the junior rushes for 2,000+ yards while scoring 23 touchdowns in total a season ago The leading role of the full back could go to Master Teague III (789 yards, four touchdowns in 2019) or Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon (13 touchdowns in 2018)
Although the racing game may see some personnel changes this year, Fields will have one of his main targets in Chris Olave His 49 receptions placed second in the Buckeyes, although Olave led the team. in yards (849) and touchdowns (12) With KJ Hill and Binjimen Victor leaving for the NFL, there will be additional targets up for grabs Don’t be too surprised if Olave crosses the 1,000 yard mark with a significantly higher utilization rate higher this season
The Buckeyes won’t have JK Dobbins anymore, but OSU will continue to have strong ground play (Master Teague) and dynamic QB at Justin Fields (51 total TDs in 2019) Defense will lose star Chase Young and others, but CB Shaun Wade is one of those who return
College football playoff era enters seventh season of 2020-21 season LSU won a national championship in its very first appearance as Ohio State received its third entry in six The Buckeyes won the first CFP of the 2014 season with victories over Alabama and Oregon Ohio State has never made back-to-back CFP appearances
Here are the dates and locations for the 2020 College Football Qualifying Semifinals and the CFP National Championship
The CFP semi-finals are scheduled for January 1, 2021 One semi-final is the Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. The other semi-final is the Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome at New York -Orléans
The CFP National Championship is a little later in 2021 The two semi-final winners will meet on the second Monday of January in Miami on January 11, 2020 at Hard Rock Stadium
2021: Miami-South Florida (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida) – January 112022: Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana) – January 102023: Los Angeles (Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, Inglewood, California) – Jan 92024: Houston (NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas) – January 8
Zach Pekale is an Arizona State University alumnus with a degree in sports journalism He has worked for Arizona PBS, Arizona Sports 987 FM and the Cape Cod Baseball League His writing has also appeared on FOX Sports, Bleacher Report and Associated Press Follow him on Twitter @ZachPekale
The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions
Ohio State Football
World News – USA Football Calendar – Ohio State 2020: Dates, Times, Opponents, Results
