I was thinking that realistically, this season has been shaping up to be a perfect string of events that has done wonders for the maturation of this young team, players and coaches included.

9/6/14 - Buckeyes get an early season loss against an inferior opponent in primetime at home.  The narrative afterwards was, "This O-line needs to improve immensely and this defense needs to get off the field on third down.  Oh yeah, and coaches could improve their in-game adjustments."  Without a loss, I'm not sure these points of emphasis are worked on to the extent they were worked on this year.  For example, last season the media and fans brought into question our pass defense and the defensive coaches' response was always, "Did we win?  That's what I thought, next question."  I think a loss like this would do wonders for any ego or complacency issues that may (or may not) have been there.  I realize last year was a different defensive philosophy and coaching, but nothing proves a point better than a loss.

Now, the Bucks seemed to breeze through their schedule (and rightfully so) until Penn State.  While there was definitely improvement since VT, I'm not sure those improvements were fully tested by the likes of Kent State, Cincy, Maryland, or Rutgers.  However, these wins were all blowouts, so there was definitely optimism that this team was right where it needed to be.  It seems they needed some adversity before taking on the Spartans, so let us thank the Penn State game for providing just that.

10/25/14 - Buckeyes get a double overtime win in Happy Valley in primetime.  After leading 17-0 at half, an injured JT Barrett struggled in the second half only to carry the team on his back in overtime.  The crowd was disruptive, causing numerous communication issues.  A pick six to start the second half only made the environment that much worse to play in for the good guys.  Justifiably so, numerous questions arose about this team's ability afterwards.  Can they handle a top-tier opponent?  Not to mention, can they handle a top-tier opponent away from the friendly confines of home?  Did the O-line ever really improve?  Why did Herman resort to conservative play-calling...is this becoming a narrative for Herman in big games?

We're going to skip Illinois, because, well, Illinois.

11/8/14 - Buckeyes get a convincing victory over 8th-ranked Michigan State on the road.  All the questions were seemingly answered.  Herman was fantastic, and it's clear the coaching staff came in with a great plan and the offense executed it to perfection.  The Bucks proved they could win on the road on the big stage.  The O-line looked fantastic.  Perhaps the only question that came out of this one was, "Can the defense put up a dominating performance against a top-tier offense or will we always need to get in a shootout?"

11/15/14 - Buckeyes get a seven point win over Minnesota despite frigid conditions and two crucial Jalin Marshall turnovers.  The biggest question that came from this one was, "Can this defense stop the run?"  Hmm, just like every other question that needed to be asked in order to pass the next test, this run defense thing seems awfully pertinent for the likes of Tevin Colemand and Melvin Gordon.  What an appropriate time to ask such a question!

It just seems like with every close call this team has had, they have been able to identify their areas of opportunity and it seems like every time the next true test comes along, the team has put every question to rest.  To me, this is a great formula for building a championship caliber team throughout a season.  I sure wouldn't want to play these guys right now.

Not to mention next year...