Ohio State enters this season where it finished last
season: No. 1. The Buckeyes won the inaugural College Football Playoff and
are loaded up for another run at the title.

Coach Urban Meyer has wasted no time putting Ohio State back on top of the college football world, and with a fairly simple schedule, the Buckeyes are favored to repeat. No matter
who wins the quarterback battle – both J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones
are studs – look for O-H-I-O to dominate opponents this season. Running back Ezekiel Elliott might be the best back in the nation.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes schedule predictions for each game of the season. 

2015 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule Predictions

Game 1 – Ohio State at Virginia Tech

• Monday, September 7, 2015
• Lane Stadium – Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech surprised Ohio State last year by knocking off the Buckeyes, 35-21, in Columbus. That turned out to be Ohio State’s only loss of the season. Going into Lane Stadium is never an easy task, but the Hokies aren’t
quite as dominant anymore. Quarterback Michael Brewer is experienced, but
also turnover prone. Virginia Tech will have to play a perfect game to repeat
the performance from last year.

Prediction: Ohio State 34 – Virginia Tech 17

Game 2 – Hawaii at Ohio State

• Saturday, September 12, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

Ohio State will only have four days to prepare for Hawaii, but that won’t be a problem. The Buckeyes will easily handle the Rainbow Warriors, who have to travel a whopping 4,500 miles for this game.

Prediction: Ohio State 63 – Hawaii 10

Game 3 – Northern Illinois at Ohio State

• Saturday, September 19, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

The Huskies will bring in an experienced quarterback in Drew
Hare and a solid crop of wide receivers, but let’s be real, this is a game between
Mid-American talent and a team full of future professionals. Northern Illinois
has pulled off some Power Five upsets in the past, but won’t be
able to in Ohio Stadium.

Prediction: Ohio State 56 – Northern Illinois 13

Game 4 – Western Michigan at Ohio State

• Saturday, September 26, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

Yawn.

Prediction: Ohio State 55 – Western Michigan 3

Game 5 – Ohio State at Indiana

• Saturday, October 3, 2015
• Memorial Stadium – Bloomington, IN

Ohio State’s Big Ten season starts with a road trip to
Bloomington against an improved Indiana team. Quarterback Nate Sudfield is
returning from injury and will be relying on inexperienced receivers. The
Hoosiers defense was better last year, but still gave up 32.8 points per game.
This one will be over by halftime.

Prediction: Ohio State 48 – Indiana 17

Game 6 – Maryland at Ohio State

• Saturday, October 10, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

A better offensive line will benefit quarterback Caleb Rowe,
but the Terrapins defense is still suspect after giving up more than 30 points per game last season. With the talent Ohio State has at quarterback, the lack of a Maryland pass rush will make it easy pickings for whoever is under center.

Prediction: Ohio State 38 – Maryland 14

Game 7 – Penn State at Ohio State

• Saturday, October 17, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

The first real Big Ten test comes from the Nittany Lions,
who almost derailed the Buckeyes’ national title run before losing in two
overtimes in State College last season. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg could
be a star for Penn State, and defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel will make it rough
going for Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot. After a stretch of six easy games, will the Buckeyes be ready for the jump in level of competition?

Prediction: Ohio State 31 – Penn State 21

Game 8 – Ohio State at Rutgers

• Saturday, October 24, 2015
• High Point Solutions Stadium – Piscataway, NJ

The Buckeyes definitely lucked out when it came to their Big Ten road schedule, with only the trip to Ann Arbor as a potential slip up.
Rutgers was better than most thought last year, but the Scarlet Knights are unsettled at quarterback and their defense is less than mediocre. Let’s
face it: the Buckeyes won’t have any issues in Piscataway.

Prediction: Ohio State 51 – Rutgers 14

Game 9 – Minnesota at Ohio State

• Saturday, November 7, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

A dark horse to contend for the Big Ten title, Minnesota will
need to replace running back David Cobb and hope that quarterback Mitch Leidner
will improve as the Gophers finished No. 119 in passing last season. The front
of the Gophers defense could cause some problems, especially defensive end
Theiren Cockran, but the Buckeyes will run their record to 9-0.

Prediction: Ohio State 34 – Minnesota 20

Game 10 – Ohio State at Illinois

• Saturday, November 14, 2015
• Memorial Stadium – Champaign, IL

All the talk in Champaign has been about coach Tim Beckman’s
treatment of players. That isn’t exactly what you want heading into the season
with so many question marks. Quarterback Wes Lunt lost his top receiver in Mike
Dudek when he tore his ACL on April 8. The defense is improving, and defensive
end Jihad Ward can be disruptive. Still, the Buckeyes’ run continues.

Prediction: Ohio State 41 – Illinois 17

Game 11 – Michigan State at Ohio State

• Saturday, November 21, 2015
• Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH

Finally, we get to a real matchup for the Buckeyes. Connor
Cook enters his third year at quarterback for the Spartans, and may be one of
the nation’s best, but is without the services of 2014 Big Ten Receiver of the
Year Tony Lippett, who graduated. As always under Mark Dantonio, the defense
will be stout and will make it difficult for offenses to move the ball. Expect
a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Ohio State 24 – Michigan State 17

Game 12 – Ohio State at Michigan

• Saturday, November 28, 2015
• Michigan Stadium – Ann Arbor, MI

No coach has made more headlines than Jim Harbaugh this
offseason, but headlines don’t automatically lead to wins. While the offense
should be improved, the defense returns almost all of the major players from
last year on a unit that finished No. 7 nationally. This game
is always big, and the best of both teams usually comes out, but the Wolverines will
have to play perfect and force some turnovers to defeat their bitter
rivals.

Prediction: Ohio State 34 – Michigan 21

Questions? Comments?
Contact Brian at bstultz@campusinsiders.com
or on Twitter at @brianjstultz.