ICYMI last week:

That Ohio State lost by one point at No. 4 Texas on the road is not a shock in any way.

Both teams have lots of talented players, so this was supposed to be a well-played, close game.

I picked the Buckeyes to win by about a touchdown, and for a while it looked like they might win by two or three scores. (Of course as someone who has been watching sports for 40 years, I didn’t take that for granted.)

The fact they blew a 20-point lead is obviously galling, and I don’t blame anyone who is upset about it.

Pointing out most of the losses of the Ryan Day era seem to play out like that one Saturday night is more than fair, too, though I have been a bit surprised at people saying he was too conservative while protecting a lead late in the game.

If anything, he wasn’t conservative enough. They had two three-and-outs in the fourth quarter. The first stated with a pair of 3-yard runs, then they tried a short pass to Jeremiah Smith that he couldn’t hang onto and had to punt. That seems reasonable. You could make the case they should have run it again on third down because A) it would keep the clock moving and B) you still might get it, but that was also a pretty high-percentage pass play.

The second drive in the fourth quarter with now a six-point lead, they came out throwing, and it got them down to the Texas 26. Then Bo Jackson got stuffed for a loss on second-and-3.

That left them facing third-and-4 at the 27. Instead of trying to run for it and keep the clock running, they not only dialed up a pass but a low-percentage fade to Smith in the corner of the end zone.

Some might think just running it would be taking for granted Connor Hawkins would make a field goal if it got to fourth down, but more likely that is the thinking behind throwing it there. Yes there is risk/reward in everything, but again, running would have taken another 35 seconds off the clock and, hey, you just might get it!

Nonetheless…

I concluded the root of this problem is still an offensive line that is not up to Ohio State standards — or at least what Ohio State’s standard should be in my eyes.

Perhaps it’s been so average-to-below for so long others no longer expect that unit to be elite, but I do. Maybe not every year, but how about more than once in seven?

The 2019 line was great, and the 2020 line was pretty good. Since then, they’ve left a lot to be desired (I know 2024 is complicated because of injuries, and they were good enough in the CFP to be part of an overall winning effort), especially when it comes to running the ball.

If the line were an Ohio State-quality line, that first three-and-out never happens because they get 4-5 yards on first down and again on second. Then they either already have the first down or they are facing a third-and-1 with the confidence they should be able to run for it.

I have to assume this is a big psychological factor for the offensive coordinator when he is deciding what to call not only on third down but every other down.

There are 10 games left in the regular season. Will this unit develop into something more than adequate? We’ll see.

Here’s Jeff Gilbert’s recap for PressProsMagazine.com:

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A win is a win, especially in the NFL.

Getting that first one to go into the column on the left is also satisfying because Mondays are just miserable otherwise in a league with such small margin for error. After waiting nine months for another real game, you can’t help but wonder if they will ever get a win if they lose the first one, right?

While last year was a root canal from Week 1 through Week 18, the Bengals season started with a lot of fun Sunday.

The defense scored a touchdown and forced three turnovers.

The offense scored on six of nine possessions and punted only once.

It was still a close game in the end because, well, that’s the NFL.

They settled for four field goals, including three on drives that went inside the Tampa 30, so there is certainly room for improvement, but after being a long-time critic of Zac Taylor’s type of football, I enjoy seeing them work on getting more balance and working from under center more.

Beyond that, the defense still had some troubles despite forcing the turnovers, but that is still an improvement over last year.

Maybe my subhead wasn’t so smart since Joe Burrow was actually not great Sunday (25/35 for 254 yards with a touchdown and a bad pick-six).

That is not necessarily a bad sign considering they won. He typically starts slow, so there is no reason to panic there.

Next week is no picnic traveling to Houston to face a Texans defense that is expected to be among the best in the league.

In the big picture, the schedule is so weak (at least on paper) they could have almost certainly afforded to start 0-2 and still get into the playoffs, but not having to worry about that is nice.

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Ohio State lost. Michigan won. Oregon lost. Indiana won.

I guess the weekend was a wash for the Big Ten, right?

Not so much.

The Buckeyes getting beaten wasn’t ideal in any way, but you play a top five team on the road there is a good chance that will happen.

Michigan’s 17-10 victory over Oklahoma was fairly pyrrhic because both teams looked pretty bad, particularly at quarterback.

If you want to know how far the bar has fallen for Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, he completed nine passes and had less than 200 total yards, and Gus Johnson said on the Fox broadcast he was “terrific.”

Hey, but at least he didn’t give the game away like Oklahoma’s John Mateer (who is not a sophomore, BTW) did with his near-pick-6 in the fourth quarter that led to Michigan’s winning touchdown.

Meanwhile, Oregon lost 39-31 to Oklahoma State in a game that wasn’t that close. The Cowboys were one of the worst teams in the country last year, but they outgained the Ducks 554-281. Oregon needed a 96-yard pick-6 and another 1-yard TD drive set up by a turnover just to stay in the game in the first half. The Ducks actually came back to take a one-point lead in the fourth quarter but gave up 10 unanswered points and left Stillwater with lots of questions.

The real story is two other games…

Minnesota lost 38-13 at home to Mississippi State, and Illinois lost 31-27 at home to Duke.

You might not care about that, but it matters to me because these teams are central to Tony Petitti’s argument for a 24-team playoff, which I oppose wholeheartedly.

It’s not that I have any issue with the Golden Gophers or Fighting Illini playing in December. I just want to see them earn it like Indiana did in 2024. The Hoosiers proved any team, no matter their recent history, can play their way into the 12-team CFP.

Results like those Saturday show we don’t need to lower the bar.

Flashback: Ohio State hires Jim Tressel