Murphy Horning on College Football

by Murphy Horning #11 Ohio State (3-1) @ Rutgers (3-1), Saturday 10/2 at 3:30 PM on Big Ten Network, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, NJ Storylines This is the eighth matchup between Ohio State and Rutgers since the latter began Big Ten play in 2014. The Buckeyes are 7-0 in the series, and none of the matchups have been close. The closest matchup was last year, a game Ohio State won 49-27 at home vs the Scarlet Knights.  Ohio State had problems  in their first three games, which has led to the Buckeyes falling from third to 11th in the AP Poll since after Week 1. After Kyle McCord started vs Akron, and Jack Miller played most of the second half at QB, all indications show C.J. Stroud will be under center for the Buckeyes vs the Scarlet Knights in Week 5.  Rutgers has had a solid start under Greg Schiano in 2021, as the Scarlet Knights went 3-0 in non-conference play, and gave #19 Michigan a run for their money in Ann Arbor, as Rutgers lost 20-13. The Scarlet Knights boast the country'

#1 Alabama QB Bryce Young is exceeding expectations for the Tide, as he's thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions through three games. A two point win against Florida while giving up 245 rushing yards shows Alabama isn't invincible, but the Tide's QB situation looks better than the other heavyweights. Through three weeks, the Tide is the best of the lot.  Properly rated #2 Georgia Georgia's offense has been rather pedestrian, as J.T. Daniels has thrown for three TD's and two picks, and neither Zamir White or Kendall Milton has emerged as a feature running back. The Bulldogs defense more than makes up for their middling offense through three weeks, as they have the best yardage and scoring defense in the country. That alone puts the Dawgs among title contenders in 2021. Properly rated #3 Oregon The Ducks shocked Ohio State on September 11th without Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe, arguably Oregon's two best defensive players. Oregon plays sound offense,

After a 35-28 loss to Oregon on September 11th, a 41-20 win against Tulsa did little to calm the nerves of Buckeye fans. To be sure, Ohio State's performance against the Golden Hurricane won't cut it against teams like Penn State, Michigan or Iowa if the Buckeyes get that far. That being said, here's the three biggest reasons Ohio State has struggled the first three games.  Lack of progression from C.J. Stroud Stroud has shown signs of brilliance. He threw for four touchdowns in his debut at Minnesota, and 484 yards vs Oregon, but there are some troubling trends. There hasn't been any notable progression from Stroud, as his quarterback rating has declined in each of the last three games. A lot Stroud's problems, namely overthrowing open receivers and being too tentative when rolling outside the pocket are normal problems for young QBs, but there hasn't been any noticeable improvement. It is worth noting that Tulsa dropped eight back in coverage, which makes thin