Ohio State can win with bully ball and a rebuilt defense.
Context
Ty remains terrified of the Julian Sayin–Jeremiah Smith connection and the number of ways Ohio State can create offense. The new question is whether Arthur Smith can add enough ground-and-pound structure to make the Buckeyes dangerous even when the deep passing game is not carrying the day.
On defense, the expectation is that Matt Patricia can again identify the right roles and turn a talented but changed group into a trustworthy unit by January. The path is difficult, but the roster's ceiling is high enough to make Ohio State a shared national-title finalist.