Ohio State linebacker Chris Worley did not mince words on the fact his team faces a challenge from here on out, despite starting its 2016 season 3-0 and notching a statement road victory at Oklahoma.
“Big Ten, that’s the real deal,” Worley said on Monday. “There’s a lot of good teams in the Big Ten right now. It’s one of the strongest conferences if not the strongest conference right now. We’ve got a lot of good teams to play so it’s going to be a long journey.”
The Buckeyes play host to former co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Ash and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, their first of nine consecutive Big Ten contests. Mentally and physically fresh from a week off, Ohio State's first step at getting back to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship starts homecoming weekend.
“That's my concern is with all the added publicity, press conferences and everybody being told how good they are, that's, I really worry about that. So just get ready to practice and we'll be fine.”– Urban Meyer
However, an abnormally early off week poses a new challenge. Last season Ohio State did not play on Halloween weekend. In 2016, its break happened more than a month earlier, which leaves quite the stretch — complete with road games at Wisconsin, Penn State, Maryland and Michigan State — waiting as the weather turns cold.
“I'm not worried so much about the staff, but the grind on a player — and that's why you hope you develop enough depth, to keep a nice rotation going and I have to be smart about practice,” head coach Urban Meyer said. “Because it is, we got nine straight weeks coming up against Big Ten opponents and a bunch of tough road games.
“So yeah I'm kind of looking out in the future as well and it's, we're going ready to hit the grind.”
The Grind served as the program's rallying cry a year ago, put in place by Meyer, strength coach Mickey Marotti and other support staff members in the hope of getting Ohio State back to the College Football Playoff. That didn't happen but nine games in nine weekends against Big Ten opponents deviates from the norm as it compares to Meyer's tenure in Columbus.
In 2012, the Buckeyes did not play on Nov. 14. A year later, their off week came Oct. 12 and Oct. 11 during the 2014 national title season.
A later open week could allow for a team to get a mental and physical refresher after eight or 10 games before pushing into the home stretch. This season, Ohio State's home stretch is the entirety of the Big Ten slate, which as Worley said, is “the real deal.”
“Every game counts in football, but Big Ten season, you gotta step it up a notch I feel like,” defensive end Tyquan Lewis said. “Because now every win counts moving forward to what we all want to achieve.”
The Buckeyes want to get back to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship game the first Saturday in December. In order to do that, they will earn it. The Big Ten East houses top-25 teams Michigan and Michigan State, plus trips to Madison and State College are never easy.
Meyer announced an ankle injury to K.J. Hill on Monday and confirmed that Justin Hilliard is out for the season with a torn biceps. Hilliard didn't start but played a key role in special teams, while Hill rotated with the wide receivers. Add that to Tracy Sprinkle, Darius Slade and Malcolm Pridgeon's season-ending injuries either from training camp or the first three games of the season and hits to depth keep coming.
Nine games and nine weeks could add to that list, plus put a strain on the minds of key guys like Worley, Lewis and quarterback J.T. Barrett.
“I'm not worried about the ones that complain about everything, I'm worried about the real guys on our team, because now throwing a class, a course load and at a high-end academic school, it is a wear and tear,” Meyer said. “So we have to be very careful of that.”
Such a span could serve as a positive, however, if Ohio State keeps rolling and takes care of business against Rutgers and Indiana as expected to start conference play 2-0 before making the trip north to Wisconsin. The schedule just doesn't provide any breaks in terms of free weekends.
“I think if anything, I like how it's going to be straight games so we just try to get in a rhythm and try to stay in a rhythm going into Big Ten play,” Barrett said on Monday. “I kind of like that it was earlier because I wouldn't want the bye week and then it may have messed up the rhythm that we had.”
How Ohio State handles the next two-plus months of "real deal" football will determine its postseason fate. It's always like that. Only this time, the No. 2 Buckeyes won't get a chance to catch their breath.
“It's so early right now and you better worry about the next game, the next practice, the next game, and not worry about anything else,” Meyer said. “That's my concern is with all the added publicity, press conferences and everybody being told how good they are, that's, I really worry about that. So just get ready to practice and we'll be fine.”
