COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is no debate at Ohio State right now.

The Buckeyes have hit a rut, and at the moment they are struggling to regain the form from the end of September that made them a strong bet to return to the College Football Playoff.

October has nearly come and gone, and Ohio State is having far different conversations ahead of Election Day.

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer made his frustration with the offense clear after the upset loss at Penn State. Quarterback J.T. Barrett has acknowledged the passing attack isn’t meeting the program’s high standard. The captains have suddenly stressed the need to get hungry again and rebound from a loss with still so much to play for down the stretch.

The Buckeyes are certainly alive in the chase for a conference title and a berth in the playoff, but the real question is what has been plaguing them and whether the recent problems that popped up are fixable -- which called for a fact check of Ohio State’s issues.

J.T. Barrett is being too conservative: False.

Barrett has made clear time and again that he won’t force the issue down the field in favor of taking what the defense gives him. And while that did appear to lead to more checkdowns and short throws than usual for the redshirt junior at Penn State, his passing chart reveals that his attempts behind the line of scrimmage or within 10 yards have both decreased from his record-setting season in 2014. And this year, in fact, his attempts of more than 20 yards have actually slightly increased from the four he tossed per game two seasons ago. His production on those long passes has gone down, but that is perhaps tied more to the loss of deep threat Devin Smith than problems with Barrett’s arm.

J.T. Barrett has taken more shots downfield than he did in his record-setting 2014 campaign, but the results haven't been as good. Still, he's thrown for 17 TDs this season. Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The offensive line is allowing too much pressure: True, but misleading.

In the middle of the White Out, the Buckeyes looked blinded and befuddled up front. The protection for Barrett was virtually nonexistent, with the passer under duress on 44 percent of his dropbacks. He was sacked six times by the Nittany Lions. But that was out of character even for a unit with three new starters because, according to ESPN Stats and Information, that pressure rate has been much lower (26 percent) for the rest of the season and Barrett had been sacked just five times previously. The Buckeyes particularly appeared to struggle with their young ends Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince dealing with the noise and the new looks from the Nittany Lions, but this can likely be chalked up as a learning experience.

Curtis Samuel isn’t getting enough touches: Mostly false.

Meyer has expressed frustration after multiple games that his most versatile weapon didn’t touch the football enough, but he's also had to balance that with the realization that forcing the ball into his hands can limit his effectiveness. After turning one of his just two carries against Penn State into a 74-yard touchdown run, it’s understandable why Meyer might want to ramp up the production -- even with eight catches tacked on to get him to double digits. But while that fell short of his average of 14 touches, it’s not actually that far from the level of involvement Ohio State envisioned with him at H-back when it set a target of “10 to 15” combined rushes and receptions per game. Earlier this week, Meyer again stressed that going out of the way to get the ball to a player can “disrupt the flow,” a lesson he learned a year ago with Braxton Miller in the hybrid role. Unless Ohio State wants to move Samuel to tailback full time, his current volume is probably not an issue.

The young wide receivers are enduring growing pains: True.

The Buckeyes clearly have loaded up on talented receivers, but it’s possible they are rotating too many of them in to generate much-needed chemistry with Barrett or to allow any of them in particular to develop by getting repeated game reps. Only Noah Brown and Dontre Wilson have been targeted more than 14 times among the receiving corps, with a group of five others getting at least one per game. The Buckeyes planned to use a rotation to keep guys fresh, but Meyer recently conceded that he wanted one or two guys to emerge as consistent options and “hasn’t seen that happening.” There is still time, but the pressure is certainly on those young players to elevate their games.

The rushing game could be doing more: Partially true.

Mike Weber is averaging nearly 100 yards per game in his first season as the starting tailback. Barrett’s typical run gains at least 4 yards and the fact that Ohio State leads the Big Ten in rushing is another sign the offensive line is capable of getting the job done. All of this is even more impressive considering the struggles in the passing game allow opposing defenses to load the box to slow down the rushing attack. But to reach the standard Meyer’s offenses are used to, Weber might need to continue his physical growth to add to a yards-after-contact average that ranks No. 22 in the conference. And Barrett might need some help at times from playcalling that has made it predictable the Buckeyes are going to leave the football in his hands in key situations -- even if he’s generally successful bulldozing into crowded lines anyway.

Ohio State RB Mike Weber is averaging nearly 100 yards a game, but that number could rise if he improves his ability to gain yards after contact, which ranks 22nd in the Big Ten. Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports

Special teams units aren’t changing the game: True.

An edge in the kicking game has long been a hallmark of Meyer’s programs, but the special teams obviously played a crucial role in the loss at Penn State thanks to the pair of key blocks late in the contest. The Buckeyes had been shaky even before that, with Dontre Wilson’s problems fielding punts and the field-goal unit making a mess of a play while trying to return a blocked kick. A change in returner appears overdue given Wilson’s decision-making, and the Buckeyes are somewhat surprisingly still looking for their first touchdown return on either a punt or kickoff since Jalin Marshall took one back against Indiana in 2014.

The defense hasn’t been good enough: Patently false.

The Silver Bullets even took some heat for allowing two long scoring drives against the Nittany Lions. But Ohio State’s defense at this point should be largely immune to criticism thanks to the work that has it in the top five in the nation according to almost every relevant metric. Holding an opponent to 17 points should be enough for the Buckeyes to win every week.