For the third straight week, Ohio State struggled in the first half and had to make adjustments and work on a new mindset in the second half to pull away for a victory. This time it was on the road in the middle of what looked like a non-tropical monsoon at Northwestern.
Not many in the national media were impressed by the Buckeyes’ performance, and we’ve already seen some fallout. If you’ve followed almost any team’s championship run, there always seems to be a game or two where it has to find a way pull victory out of the fire.
But how did it all affect Ohio State’s chances of winning ch of its three remaining home games? We keep tabs on ESPN’s matchup predictor based on its Football Power Index (FPI) and have done so since Week 1.
To date, there hasn’t been a week in which Ohio State hasn’t been favored to win according to ESPN, but did Michigan’s blowout win over Rutgers change that?
Here is what the ESPN FPI matchup predictor says about Ohio State’s chances of winning each of its remaining games against Indiana, Maryland and yes — those Wolverines.
Saturday, Nov. 12, vs. Indiana
How it all breaks down
Venue | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Predicted Winner | Ohio State
Buckeyes Win Probability | 98.5% (⇔ from 98.5%)
All-Time Series | OSU leads, 77-12-5
Projected running record: 10-0
Saturday, Nov. 19, at Maryland
Venue | Maryland Stadium (College Park, Maryland)
Predicted Winner | Ohio State
Buckeyes Win Probability | 88.1% (⇑ from 87.5%)
All-Time Series | OSU leads, 7-0
Projected running record: 11-0
Saturday, Nov. 26, vs. Michigan
How it all breaks down
Venue | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Predicted Winner | Ohio State
Buckeyes Win Probability | 74.6% (⇓ from 74.8%)
All-Time Series | OSU trails, 51-59-6
Projected Final Regular Season record: 12-0
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