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Rutgers visits No. 2 Ohio State, and the Buckeyes will probably roll. But the Scarlet Knights at least have one thing going for them in their attempt at a memorable upset: familiarity.
First-year Rutgers head coach Chris Ash got to Piscataway by way of two years as Urban Meyer's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Ash is a good defensive mind, and he's got Rutgers' defense doing a good deal better this year than it did last. Good enough to hang with Ohio State for a while in the Horseshoe? Probably not, but stranger things have happened than an Ash-coached team annoying an elite opponent for a while.
The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week and, before that, a dominant win at Oklahoma that featured the catch of the year by Buckeyes receiver Noah Brown. A win here would move Ohio State to 4-0, and it's always important to start Big Ten play 1-0. That's what's on the table.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. The broadcasters are Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, and Lisa Byington.
Radio: Rutgers and Ohio State
Online streaming: BTN2Go
Spread: Ohio State opened as a 37-point favorite.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation's team blog chats for this game at On the Banks (for RU fans) and Land-Grant Holy Land (for Ohio State fans).
Three big things to know
1. Ohio State's awesome. This is supposed to be a kind-of-down year for the Buckeyes, but that's clearly not happening. They're an absolute Playoff team if the season ended today (which it does not), and expectations should quickly rocket back in the direction that's become standard for Meyer's teams. The Ohio State defense is roughly as basic as Oklahoma's backup QB said it was, and it doesn't matter because the Buckeyes are so skilled and so good at executing.
2. Rutgers is ... iffy, but maybe better? The Knights have been fine twice and lousy twice in four games. They're still not a competitor in the Big Ten, but they haven't been outrightly bad on the whole. The defense has given up a decent 26 points per game. The offense has scored 27, which looks worse. This isn't an explosive offense or a lock-down defense, but both units could be competitive on the right day.
3. J.T. Barrett might set Ohio State's passing TDs record this week. He's currently at 55, only behind Joe Germaine (56) and Bobby Hoying (57). A prolific day against Rutgers would put Barrett all alone on top, with still potentially more than a year and a half left in his college career. That's fairly incredible, whether Barrett gets to 58 on Saturday or not.