Expert Grades Ohio State's Week 1 Win Over Indiana

After a less-than-dominant performance in their season-opener versus Indiana, the Ohio State Buckeyes will look to redeem themselves versus Youngstown State.

With the full Week 1 slate of College Football now in the rearview mirror, as the Florida State Seminoles beat LSU on Sunday night before Duke upset Clemson on Monday, performance grades have been handed out. 

CBS Sports' Barrett Sallee handed out his first report card of the season, which includes grades for some of the top programs in college football, including Ohio State. So how did the CBS Sports analyst grade the Buckeyes after the 23-3 win over Indiana in the season opener? Sallee gave them C+. 

"The Buckeyes were 30-point favorites over Indiana, but the game was actually in doubt for the better part of three quarters until the Buckeyes pulled away for a 23-3 win," Sallee writes. "The defense was phenomenal, which is a massive development. However, quarterback Kyle McCord wasn't exactly crisp in his second career start."

Starting out slow in the opener isn't the least bit surprising when considering what the Buckeyes lost in two-time Heisman finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud along with a number of starting offensive linemen. Combine that fact with the uncertainty at quarterback up until game week; it makes sense why the Buckeyes needed more time to put the game away. 

While it may be easy for fans to freak out about the Buckeyes' offense not looking as sharp as it has been recently, it should be noted they weren't the only team who weren't in a rhythm from the first snap. 

The defending national champions, the Georgia Bulldogs, didn't really get going as many expected against U.T. Martin until the second half. The Bulldogs held a 17-0 lead at halftime before scoring 31 points to close out the game with a 48-7 final score. 

Yet, the Bulldogs earned a B+, compared to the Buckeyes' C+, despite Ohio State's opener coming against a less inferior opponent than the defending champions. 

With a less-than-satisfying grade from the season-opener, the Buckeyes' first chance to redeem themselves will come on Saturday as they play host to Youngstown State, with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. (EST).