On Saturday’s College GameDay show on ESPN, the former Michigan wide receiver and current college football analyst took a shot at the second-ranked Buckeyes.
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“They blow out inferior opponents,” Howard said. “If they play a team with a pulse, they struggle.”
Other analysts in the office pushed back on Howard’s comments. However, they acknowledged that Ohio State’s toughness is under the microscope after the team looked shaky in performances against Iowa, Penn State and Northwestern. The Buckeyes were unable to cover the spreads in their games against the Nittany Lions and Wildcats.
Kirk Herbstreit said he would be focused on how Ohio State plays against Indiana this afternoon as a 40-point favorite over the Hoosiers. The former OSU quarterback believes the Buckeyes can shut them up by challenging them by playing inside and letting the game come to them on Saturday.
“It’s an early blow. Ohio State hasn’t looked at its options in the last three weeks,” Herbstreit said. “They’re hitting. Let the game come to you instead of trying to make plays to make the committee and your fans happy.”
Herbstreit continued, saying the Buckeyes should also focus on building momentum heading into their final regular-season game against Michigan.
“For me, it’s more about building on the Michigan game,” he said. “It’s about trying to get their train back on track because the last three weeks it hasn’t been there.”
Ohio State’s first chance to reinvent itself will come against the 3-6 Hoosiers on Saturday, and the next will be in a road game against Maryland next weekend. The Buckeyes will host Michigan in the Horseshoe on Nov. 26 for the programs’ first meeting in Columbus since 2018 – a game Ohio State won 62-39.
