Daily briefing: On Ohio State, Baylor’s schedule and Syracuse’s Sean Tucker

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

A test for Ohio State — or not?

Late October to me feels like a visit to the eye doctor, when the optometrist is zeroing in on your vision. No. 20 Penn State’s visit to No. 5 Ohio State may do the trick regarding the Buckeyes. Are they as good as they have looked the past couple of weeks? Was that the result of inferior competition? An optimist would say Ohio State has won five consecutive games since losing at home to No. 7 Oregon. A realist would point out that those five opponents are a collective 14-22 and that only Maryland (4-3) has a winning record. Given that Penn State (5-2) has lost two in a row and quarterback Sean Clifford might be playing hurt, I’m not sure how much a Buckeyes victory would mean here, either.

How good is Baylor?

And while we’re on the subject of schedule strength, what do you make of Baylor. The Bears (6-1, 3-1 in the league) have been the surprise of the Big 12 this season. They are playing the quality of defense that coach Dave Aranda delivered as LSU’s coordinator in the national championship season of 2019. But take a closer look at Baylor’s schedule. The Bears’ road victories have been against Texas State and Kansas, which are a combined 3-11. They beat Iowa State and BYU, both ranked at the time, in Waco. Baylor lost at Oklahoma State. I don’t think we’ll know how good the Bears until the middle of November, when they play No. 4 Oklahoma in Waco a week before playing at Kansas State.

Will Sean Tucker wear No. 44 for the Orange?

Syracuse sophomore Sean Tucker wears No. 34, which echoes the famous Orange jersey No. 44 that hangs in the Carrier Dome rafters. No. 44 belonged to Jim Brown, Heisman winner Ernie Davis and Floyd Little. It hasn’t been worn since Rob Konrad exhausted his eligibility in 1998. Tucker didn’t make anyone think twice about his jersey number when he arrived at Syracuse a year ago. He began fourth on the depth chart. By the end of 2020, he had rushed for 626 yards and four touchdowns. Now that he’s second in the nation in rushing (132.5 yards), Syracuse fans are pushing for Tucker to wear the magical No. 44. Coach Dino Babers wants Brown and the families of Davis and Little, now deceased, to have a say. Athletic director John Wildhack said no to any number changes this season. I think 44 goes into ’22, no?