The Ohio State Buckeyes are winding down a chaotic bye week, thanks in large part to Ryan Day's announcement concerning quarterback Julian Sayin's indefinite elbow injury and whether Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair is the right fit to replace Sayin long-term.
With nearly a week to figure it out, Ohio State now has the opportunity to rest and recover before a Halloween date with the USC Trojans on the road next Saturday night.
For the Ohio State fanbase, this also means waiting a week to watch another game, which also means that Saturday, Oct. 24, is a rare time to scoreboard watch around the conference.
In reviewing the Week 8 schedule, there are six conference matchups on tap, with at least three to zero in on as must-watch games. Including the Buckeyes' rest week, the Maryland Terrapins, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Purdue Boilermakers and Washington Huskies are idle this week.
Without further ado, here are those selections concerning Ohio State in some fashion.
Oregon @ Illinois – 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT (Big Ten Network)
The Buckeyes will begin their November gauntlet against the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Nov. 7, in Columbus. But questions linger over whether the Ducks (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) will still be in CFP contention, let alone Big Ten title consideration, by the time the game rolls around. Oregon will be without quarterback Dante Moore, who is still nursing a concussion, and its star wideout Evan Stewart (DUI) this Saturday in a must-win spot.
Meanwhile, Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) was trounced by the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) in late September and has since seen its own quarterback woes play out firsthand. Freshman Michael Clayton III will earn his first start Saturday, relieving Katin Houser, after leading the Illini to a 38-37 nail-biter in East Lansing against the Michigan State Spartans (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten).
Illinois coach Bret Bielema is 7-2 off a bye week since arriving in Champaign in Dec. 2020 ahead of the 2021 season. Should Oregon lose somehow, it could easily make the Nov. 7 matchup just another game to cushion the Buckeyes' body of work even further. If not, it could be a title game eliminator should the Buckeyes not stumble sooner (and barring other league outcomes).
2. Indiana @ Michigan (noon ET/9 a.m. PT, FOX)
Once again, the Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) are one-half of a marquee attraction on Big Noon Kickoff. Except this time, they draw a Michigan Wolverines (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) team that decided to make a major change at quarterback and swap Bryce Underwood for freshman Tommy Carr.
Regardless of whether the Wolverines win or not, the game should give Buckeye fans a glimpse of what they could potentially expect come Thanksgiving weekend when they'll likely face a team still clawing through on the way to bowl eligibility.
3. Michigan State @ UCLA (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT, CBS)
In one of the more lopsided games on paper in terms of roster talent, records and stakes attached, this game is massive concerning Ohio State's remainder of the season. The Bruins (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) and Buckeyes are the only two teams unbeaten in conference play. That says a lot, simply because neither team plays each other head-to-head during the regular season's final month plus a few weeks.
Therefore, the ideal scenario would be an upset by the Spartans. Pat Fitzgerald's biggest issue in Year 1 thus far is his team's inability to finish in the fourth quarter. An argument could be made that Michigan State is only two plays away from being a four-win team entering Week 8 (a successful two-point conversion vs. Illinois and one stop against Northwestern).
Nonetheless, it isn't. Coach Bob Chesney needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal through the end of the regular-season. If the conference shakes out amongst its current forecast, a one-loss Ohio State team could very well play the upstart Bruins in December in Indianapolis.
Other Big Ten Games To Watch
In any event, Week 8 should be one to remember. Here's the rest of the slate below.
- 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) — Rutgers at Northwestern (Peacock)
- 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) — Iowa at Minnesota (FS1)
- 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) — USC at Wisconsin (NBC)
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