With last year’s expansion and the last two national champions coming out of the conference, there are no Saturdays off in the Big Ten — or at least that’s the argument the B1G has been making in its arms race with the SEC.
For a team to make it unscathed out of the Big Ten this year its going to have to earn it. And when it comes to CBS’ Brad Crawford, he sees last season’s CFP champs going down early as they attempt to defend their title.
Predicting the first loss of 2025 for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Crawford has his eyes on the Scarlet & Gray going down in their very first matchup of the year vs. Arch Manning and Texas.
“Two new coordinators. A first-year starting quarterback. A rebuilt defensive front seven. It might take time for the reigning national champions to gel, but there’s no easing in — not with Texas coming to town,” the analyst wrote.
Noting, “The Longhorns also have revenge on their minds after Ohio State kept them out of the title game last year.”
Crawford also offered predictions for the rest of the league. Including Penn State who he sees going down to OSU on November 1:
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“The Buckeyes are James Franklin’s Kryptonite,” he said. “Something about those uniforms seems to rattle him, leading to poor execution and questionable decisions. Ohio State has won eight straight in the series and should make it nine. This might not be the only time the two meet this fall.”
Ohio State and Texas meet in The Shoe Aug. 30 on FOX. Ryan Day’s squad is currently a 2.5-point favorite over the Longhorns in the highly-anticipated home opener.
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