Ohio State allowed a whopping 16 points at Illinois, seven more than it had in any other game this season, and the Buckeyes were ticked off about it.
«Definitely bothers me,» defensive lineman Kayden McDonald said. «If we want to be the best defense in the country, we can't let people score.»
As the midpoint of the 2025 season arrives, even the most dominant unit on the most dominant team is looking for areas to improve. This has largely been a season of imperfections and invalidated predictions. Don't stare directly at the preseason polls or you'll damage your eyes.
Week 7 highlighted some problems, from Oklahoma's offense to Tennessee's third-down defense (and offense) to LSU's general sloppiness to Ole Miss' inability to finish drives. And that's just in the SEC. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore looked shaky in a 10-point loss to Indiana, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw an ugly pick-six in the victory. Michigan's normally sound defense had no answers for Jayden Maiava, King Miller and USC, which has its own flaws but looked very sharp against the Wolverines.
We're at the halfway point, and our latest power rankings examine the biggest obstacles facing the top teams. --Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 1
There's not much to nitpick about the Buckeyes, who are 6-0 and have outscored their opponents 221-41, never facing legitimate danger of a loss. But Ohio State's run game remains a work in progress after losing TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to the NFL from the national championship team. The Buckeyes averaged just 2.9 yards per carry in Saturday's win at Illinois, with only one rush longer than 10 yards. CJ Donaldson reached the end zone twice, and Ohio State's offensive line generated good
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