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Predicting Ohio State's record, College Football Playoff likelihood in 2023

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•07/03/23•

BarkleyTruax

with-devin-brown-sidelined-kyle-mccord-has-a-chance-to-make-a-statement-in-ohio-states-quarterback-battle-during-saturdays-spring-game
Ohio State quarterbacks Kyle McCord (left) and Devin Brown (right) communicate during a spring practice in March. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

Ohio State is poised for a dominant 2023 college football season. Even though the Buckeyes’ roster is oozing with talent, is it enough to overcome Michigan and head back to the College Football Playoffs?

Ahead of the season, On3’s JD PicKell revealed his where his expectations for the Buckeyes lie following the departure of star quarterback CJ Stroud.

“The floor I see for Ohio State is 10-2. That’s probably the worst thing that can happen to Ohio State is to lose two games. That should tell you enough about the roster you have in-house,” PicKell said on a recent edition of The Hard Count. “When I look at Ohio State, I have enough of a check in my evaluation of them, that I need to see some things some together.”

Some of the Buckeyes key games include a trip to South Bend to face off against Notre Dame on Sept. 23, they’ll host Penn State on Oct. 21 — and of course, will take on Michigan on the road for this season’s edition of The Game.

PicKell believes those matchups will come down to one thing:

“The quarterback position — I think it’s going to work, I think they’re going to be fine,” PicKell said. “I didn’t love what I saw from Kyle McCord during the spring game. Though, it was a glorified practice and we still haven’t seen Devin Brown. We’ll see. I just need to see it from the quarterback position so that I can feel as confident as I can heading into the season.”

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McCord was the only one of the two that was able to suit up for the spring game earlier this year, and used the opportunity to complete 18-of-34 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown. Even more, McCord is entering his third season in Day’s offense and to that regard, his experience trumps Brown’s in every way.

Still, there’s a reason Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day hasn’t named McCord the official starter, and it’s because Brown has made it difficult to rule him as the clear backup. He’s an athletic option, but hasn’t been able to show off his arm talent the way that McCord was able to during last month’s spring showcase. Regardless of Brown’s injury status, Day likes what he has with his top two options under center.

Still, PicKell believes that if Ohio State can get the quarterback position right, there is no reason why Ohio State can’t get back to the College Football Playoff and accomplish all of their goals in 2023.