It's in The Athletic so subscription only, but here's the link [Mod edit, this is a pay site]: https://theathletic.com/472123/2018/08/14/mandel-big-ten-football-predic...

He has us 9-3. 4th in our division. Here is his rationale:

"Previously, I would not have picked against J.K. Dobbins, Nick Bosa, Chase Young and the other freaks on this Ohio State squad. But I’ve watched off-field distractions derail other talented teams. TCU sends a message in Week 3 that these Buckeyes are mortal."

What's so wacko about this is Mandel has aggressively fanned the flames of the off-field distraction. His colleague, Bruce Feldman, has us winning the division at 11-1 and losing to Wisconsin in the title game. Feldman has taken a much more "let's wait and see" approach to the Zach Smith stuff, and seems much more skeptical of Courtney's claims.

Interesting how people's take on the Zach Smith stuff is coloring their ability to analyze the team. There is no chance this team is losing 3 games. It doesn't matter who is coaching.