Buckeye Nation is used to a near-perfect program, but the last four games for this program have been far from it.
I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse, but Ohio State fans expect winning. The word "winning" is not even sharp enough to describe what Buckeye fans believe to be the expectation for this team.
They expect dominance; they expect total control; they expect to be the best. It is as simple as that.
Over the last four football games, Ryan Day and Ohio State have been far, far from clearing that standard. Ohio State currently holds a 1-3 record in its last four football games, with the lone win being the blowout against Ball State.
It is a shocking reality for this team and this program because it is so far away from the norm.
Ohio State has lost to the eventual National Champion Indiana Hoosiers, the eventual runner-up Miami Hurricanes, and now the current No. 1 team in the country, the Texas Longhorns.
Let's not get it confused; they aren't losing to any slouches. They are falling to the best teams in football, and that can be expected in some cases.
However, the top of the sport is where the Buckeyes believe that they should be, and unfortunately, there is a bigger picture to paint with this statement of fact.
It's now gotten to a point where there is a major issue that needs to be addressed. This losing streak spans over two offensive coordinators, but a lot of the roster is the same. The quarterback is the same, the offensive line is largely the same, and the skill positions still have the best player in the world, but they have taken a step back as a whole. There are so many areas that have stayed relatively the same, which opens the floor to a really good question: who is the problem?
Is the quarterback good enough in big games? Can the offensive line compete against the big boys? Are the coordinators good enough to compete with the best of the best?
The other part of this is that the Buckeyes do not get the benefit of an easy schedule this year, which they have had in the past.
They have to face some of the best in the sport, including the Hoosiers, the Oregon Ducks, the USC Trojans, and, of course, the Michigan Wolverines.
This is a murderer's row of opponents for anyone. This is especially concerning when the Buckeyes have proven over a four-game stretch that this current makeup of the group just might not be good enough.
I hope that I am wrong.
