Joel Klatt labels Ohio State as 'the most dangerous team in the country'

Colin Cowherd asked his FOX Sports colleague Joel Klatt what he makes of No. 3 Ohio State at this point of the season.

“Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country, without question,” Klatt said Wednesday on “The Herd.”

Cowherd pressed Klatt for a more specific description, asking Klatt if Ohio State is the best team in the country.

“I think Texas and Ohio State are the two best teams in the country,” Klatt continued. “I think I would give the edge to Texas at offensive line and quarterback, and Ohio State gets the edge everywhere else — OK, so they’re probably a more complete team, but when you come down to the real important positions, I think that Texas has maybe the nod in those areas.

“I think that would be an incredible game. An incredible game.”

Cowherd opened the discussion by noting how Ohio State has quietly coasted to a 3-0 start in non-conference play while teams like Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and Oregon are dominating the headlines.

“You talk about the quiet nature of the beginning of the season for Ohio State,” Klatt said before unpacking that thought, “this incredible team [with a] defense that could become the best defense in college football and an offense that might be as explosive as any that we’ve seen. In fact, Charles Huff — who’s the head coach for Marshall and who coached on the Alabama team that Tua [Tagovailoa] played for and played against Joe Burrow’s 2019 LSU team — told me this Ohio State team, offensively, is better than that LSU team. And he’s seen it.

“So that tells me something about them. I will just throw this out there: In a season that that could be as long of a season as we’ve ever seen in college football, I think it is a monumental advantage to not have to play a matchup game, where you have similar talent to the opposition, until later in the season.”

Klatt pointed out that Michigan was dealt that hand last year. The Wolverines began the 2023 season with games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green. The start of Big Ten play wasn’t much of an obstacle for them, either. They got Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan State and Purdue before playing their first ranked opponent of the season, then-No. 10 Penn State.

But, really, Klatt focused this discussion around a forgiving schedule the first month of the season. Having that luxury means that a team doesn’t have to get “after it” as physically in fall camp as it would if it was facing a power conference team in August or September, Klatt explained.

“You could wait and build into the season, continue to develop depth with young players on the football field, getting reps on the field and then your matchup games happen later, which means that you’re only physically really getting after it for a shorter period of time, as it relates to the entirety of the season.

“Ohio State last year had to play Notre Dame early, so they had to bang early in fall camp and really get after it and get themselves prepared for an early-season matchup game. That’s what you saw this year with teams like Texas and Michigan. And now Michigan has had to play USC, and USC had to play LSU, and now Georgia and Alabama — they’re playing in the first month of the season, and here’s quiet Ohio State. And guess what they haven’t had to do? Exert any energy.”

Ohio State has allowed 20 points through three games. The Buckeyes have piled up more than three times as many yards (1,656) as their opponents (540). They outscored Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall by a combined 157-20.

In the process, the Buckeyes have emptied out their bench later in the second half and developed depth that could determine a contending team’s season in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

“In a season that could be the longest season that we’ve ever seen in college football, some teams might have to play 17 football games,” Klatt said. “Here [Ohio State is], and they haven’t had to exert any of that energy.

“I think that makes them the most dangerous team in the country — not just their roster, but their schedule makeup to this point makes Ohio State my front runner for the national championship.”