The Penn State loss could benefit Ohio State in the long run?

So I am legitimately pissed. My beloved Buckeyes lost to the same Penn State team that lost to Pitt and absolutely got blown out by Michigan. I have been trapped in my mad little shell, and haven’t even gotten out of my apartment all weekend since the loss. But while looking at the big scheme of things, this loss is probably the best thing that has happened to Ohio State this season.

First of all, the loss just goes to show how much depth the Big Ten has. Michigan is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the country, Nebraska‘s undefeated and ranked No. 7, Wisconsin‘s sitting at No. 11 and is 14 points shy of being undefeated itself, Penn State moved up to No. 24 with its win over Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are still ranked No. 6 in the country.

Many people overlooked what a daunting two-week trial the Buckeyes were facing in having to navigate back-to-back night games at Camp Randall Stadium and at Beaver Stadium, arguably the two toughest road venues in the league. Both Wisconsin and Penn State had bye weeks before playing Ohio State, allowing them to get healthy and spend extra time preparing for the Buckeyes.

With the Big Ten being strong, not only will this loss not look too bad on Ohio State’s resume, it will only bolster the Buckeyes up in the college football playoff rankings if they end up winning out and taking the conference crown.

Secondly, the loss just goes to show that you can’t overlook anyone in college football. No one expected Penn State to beat Ohio State Saturday night, and it’s a testament to the powerhouse Urban Meyer has built in Columbus that a loss in State College appeared unthinkable. No Big Ten team other than Michigan State had beaten the Buckeyes in Meyer’s tenure, and his Ohio State teams had never lost a true road game.

This is a huge learning experience for the Buckeyes. You are the Ohio State freaking Buckeyes. You have arguably the best coach in college football and have recruited better than anyone in the conference for the last EIGHT years! You better believe everybody’s gunning for you.

At the start of each season, you are the team that everyone on your schedule puts a big, fat, red circle over. “Okay guys, THAT’S the big one!”, they say. Get used to it. Of course you’ll have haters say things like, “You guys barely beat this team” or, “You got beat by a sucky Penn State team”, but let them hate. Now just go out there are prove everyone wrong. In doing that, however, the Buckeyes now know not to take any team for granted.

This leads me to my next point. Now that Ohio State has lost a game, they will be an underdog versus top-tier teams like Michigan. Guess when else an Urban Meyer-coached-team was an underdog? Well, his Gators were an underdog versus Heisman trophy winning Troy Smith and Ohio State in the 2007 BCS national title game. He crushed them 41-to-14, leaving them scoreless in the second half.

His Gators were underdogs versus top-ranked Oklahoma and Heisman trophy winning Sam Bradford in the 2009 BCS national title game. He crushed them, holding them to 14 points, when they came into the game averaging 54 points per game.

His Buckeyes were underdogs versus No. 1 Alabama in the 2015 college football playoff, and he beat them 42-to-35. They were also underdogs versus Oregon and Heisman trophy winning Marcus Mariota in the 2015 college football playoff national championship game, and he crushed them, holding them to a season low 20 points, and more than doubling their score.

The Buckeyes will most likely be underdogs versus Michigan later on this season, and underdogs versus whoever they play if they do win out and make it to the college football playoff. That’s right where Urban Meyer wants to be, as he is a master motivator when his teams are the underdog. This leads me to my last point.

Urban Meyer had at least one loss in each of his three national-title-winning seasons. This 2016 team was expected to compete for a national title, and it still can. Before the season began, I expected the Buckeyes to have at least one loss this year, but still win the Big Ten title and go on to play in the college football playoff. The Penn State game was that win to give.

If the Buckeyes win out, however, and defeat a tough Michigan team in the process, they will be right back in the national title hunt.

Sure, as Ohio State fans, we can blame the Penn State loss on the pass interference no-call, but truth be told, it shouldn’t even have been that close. Not only that, blaming it on that no-call isn’t going to change the outcome of the game. Ohio State lost. That loss is set in stone.

But do not, for one second, write these Buckeyes out of the national title picture. Urban Meyer will get things together, and his squad will be hard to beat down the stretch of this season.