Finebaum reported the Buckeyes are 0-5-1 at home against non-conference opponents ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll.
“History doesn’t bode well for the Buckeyes on Saturday night,” he wrote.
Ohio State’s most recent chances to beat a top-five non-conference team at home came in 2005, when it lost 25-22 to Texas, and in 2009, when it lost 18-15 to No. 3 Southern California. Oklahoma ranked third when it last visited Columbus in 1977, and it beat the No. 4 Buckeyes 29-28.
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That 0-5-1 record matters little, of course. Ohio State is 8-4 against top-10 teams in the Urban Meyer era. It is 1-0 against Oklahoma under Meyer, having beaten the Sooners 45-24 on the road last season.
No matter how you look at it, this is a big game. Here are five storylines to follow:
1. Playoff implications: The Buckeyes earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs last season in part because of their victory at Oklahoma. The Sooners didn't lose after that game and finished seventh in the final playoff ranking. Ohio State also had a victory against No. 6 Michigan, while its only loss was to No. 5 Penn State.
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Assuming the loser of this game has another strong finish, the winner will have a strong line on its resume. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was asked Thursday how much he thinks about how much this game might affect the playoff race.
“Not at all,” Meyer said with a smile.
2. Powerful pair: Mike Weber, a 1,000-yard rusher a season ago as a redshirt freshman, will make his 2017 debut for Ohio State after missing the 49-21 victory at Indiana with a hamstring injury. He will share time with the star of the opener, true freshman J.K. Dobbins, who rushed for 181 yards.
Both will play. Meyer said Thursday on his weekly radio show Dobbins will start, but he hasn’t said if he would play both in the backfield at the same time. The pair could also split time with Antonio Williams, who had seven rushes for 44 yards in the opener.
“Last week, we used two (running backs),” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “You need two. They’re going to get tired and gassed. I actually think you need three. No matter who goes out there first, they’re all going to play. It’ll be nice to get Mike off and see what he’s got this week.”
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3. Oklahoma connection: Wilson coached against his former team last week and will do so again this week. He was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops from 2002-10. That was his last job before he got the head coaching job at Indiana in 2011.
" It never gets old," Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis said. "There's nothing like the home opener, coming out and running down the tunnel, the fireworks and stuff."
SATURDAY’S GAME
Oklahoma at Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ABC, 1410
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