In just the second week of the season, Ohio State takes on an Oregon team that could be ranked higher than any opponent the Buckeyes faced until the final two weeks of the regular season in 2019.

It’s a game that has long been circled on the college football calendar in permanent ink, but don’t think the rest of the Buckeyes’ nonconference schedule will be a snoozefest. On second thought, it probably will be.

But whether it’s a Pac-12 power or a team that won three games in the MAC last year, Ohio State’s out-of-league matchups allow Buckeye fans an up-close-and-personal look at nationwide talent that they might have missed otherwise.

Even outmatched opponents often have a diamond in the rough primed to make big plays against one of the country’s best teams that will help them on a path to NFL success.

Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant began his season against the Buckeyes last year, and ended it with the Mackey Award before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Draft.

Ohio State saw the talents of Buffalo’s Khalil Mack on display in the 2013 season opener before he wound up the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year just three years later.

Few Buckeye fans may have known that California quarterback Jared Goff, who they saw play in week three of 2013, would wind up becoming the first overall pick in an NFL Draft.

We break down the standouts on Ohio State’s next slate of nonconference opponents.