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Throughout the year, we will be asking and answering questions about various Ohio State teams, the players, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33, or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
As we wrap up Biggest Concern Week, we are taking a look back at this week’s fan survey in which we asked Buckeye Nation to chime in on which position groups and games they were most concerned about heading into the season.
You can check out the results — and my thoughts about the results — down below, and if you have any thoughts about what you read, feel free to throw in your two cents in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Question 1: Which position group are you most concerned about heading into the season?
While this is anything but nice, I certainly understand where Buckeye Nation is coming from with this one. All four of OSU’s starting defensive linemen from last year’s national championship team are now in the NFL, and every other position on the team — save quarterback — has at least one guy who was a starter last year (even if it wasn’t with the Buckeyes in the case of C.J. Donaldson).
Replacing all of the talent and experience along the defensive front will be incredibly important for the Buckeyes, especially as they transition to Matt Patricia’s defense. This is the option that I would have gone with as well, so glad we are on the same wavelength, Buckeye fans.
Question 2: Which game are you most concerned about heading into the season?
If we are just talking about what game we think OSU has the best chance of losing, I might agree with the slim plurality here. However, since the Big Noon meeting with the Longhorns happens in August, I’m not terribly concerned. The Buckeyes have proven that losing early in the season (or even losing late) is not a disqualifying factor in earning a College Football Playoff berth.
So, while I obviously don’t want them to lose and will be concerned if they do, I would go with one of the top two Big Ten options as my pick. I think Penn State has a legitimate shot at being much improved this season, but they’ve still got the same albatross weighing them down that they have for the past decade, their head coach. So, until James Franklin proves that he can get his team up to expectations, I am less concerned than I otherwise would be.
And, of course, that means that all roads lead back to Michigan — as they often do for Buckeye fans. Ryan Day won the national title last season, so obviously that earned him an immense amount of goodwill and forgiveness for his four straight losses to his rival. Honestly, I was personally tired of having to write about whether Day could get out of his own way, whether or not he was maximizing his team’s potential, and if he should be fired or not, so I am genuinely ecstatic that we get to go into a season without that garbage hanging over our heads.
However, can you imagine the uproar around Columbus if the Buckeyes lose to TTUN for a fifth straight year? I don’t even want to think about it. Even if they go on to make the CFP again following another regular-season ending defeat, there will undoubtedly be a bunch of angry fans ready to pull their pitchforks out of storage and re-light their torches.
There is so much more to this game than just the win or loss; it is about pride, reputation, and legacy, and for nearly half a decade, Ohio State has been on the wrong side of that equation. So, until the Scarlet and Gray vanquish the victors valiant, I will remain inordinately concerned about The Game.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country.