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Ohio State has made it through its non-conference portion of the schedule by this point, granted there is a question if there will be a non-conference schedule, or even a conference one as we still wait to see what the future holds in terms of college sports in 2020.

But the purpose of this piece is not to make those predictions and rather to look at the upcoming season and have a fun hypothetical trip with how we might see the games playing out in order of how they would be played according to the schedule that we currently have in our hands.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have not been able to gain much traction in the Big Ten since joining and the hope is that the addition of Greg Schiano back to the head coaching position will provide the renaissance that fans are looking for, back to his first run as head coach.

Of course, he was doing all of that in the Big East and not in the Big Ten, more importantly in the Big Ten East. The level of competition has gone up in a significant way and there is a lot of work to be done if Rutgers is going to climb out of the lower division of the conference.

As for the Buckeyes, they will have an open week on the other side of this game before a four-game stretch that will see Iowa and Nebraska come to town, bookending back-to-back road games at Michigan State and Penn State.

Series History: Ohio State leads the series 6-0

Last time played: The two teams played in 2019, a 56-21 win by Ohio State. The 21 points scored by Rutgers is a game-high mark in the series with Ohio State only allowing a combined 10 points over the past 16 quarters of football (four games) before the 2019 game.

Justin Fields was an efficient 15/19 for 305 yards and four touchdowns in the win, two of those scores going to Bin Victor. Ohio State only ran for 217 yards, 89 on the legs of JK Dobbins, who had two scores of his own.

Ohio State took a 35-7 lead into the halftime locker room and really called the dogs off after that point. Chris Chugunov came in as the back-up quarterback and had two touchdown passes of his own in a winning effort as the Buckeyes were not really tested, despite giving up 14 points in the second half to Rutgers.

While I believe that Schiano will have some success at Rutgers, it won't be this year and it really will never occur against Ohio State. That is just how it is going to be. Yes, upsets do happen (hello Iowa and Purdue) but it is going to take multiple recruiting classes where Schiano is able to keep the top kids in the New Jersey "area" home and even then it is going to take a lot of things going correct to really press the Buckeyes.

As mentioned earlier, Ohio State is going to have a very difficult four-game stretch coming up, most notably Penn State just a few weeks away, but Ohio State will also have the open week coming on the heels of this game and there won't be that dreaded "looking ahead" story to really talk about in this instance.

Justin Fields threw for more than 300 yards in the previous game and while there is going to be a lot of need to get backups some valuable time in this game, Fields is also looking at a Heisman campaign and it will be important to give him the best two-plus quarters of play possible to keep up in what will be a battle with Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson.

This is going to be a game where the Buckeyes should be able to spread the ball around at will and I like the idea of guys like Jameson Williams or even a couple of the true freshmen to have a big game in the receiving game.

It was uncharacteristic that Ohio State was held to just 4.9 YPC in the run game last season on 44 carries against the Scarlet Knights and the Buckeyes will blow that number up, especially when the game turns into a case where Ohio State is just running off-tackle in the 4th quarter to keep the clock moving and get everyone off the field safely.

Ohio State's defense should be able to do whatever it wants against an offense that may look different in terms of some schemes but really doesn't have a ton of firepower. Artur Sitkowski and Raheem Blackshear are back off of mid-career redshirts and that gives the Scarlet Knights some pieces to work with, but those two won't be enough with not enough around them to compete against Ohio State. Ohio State 56 Rutgers 0

Additional Stat Line: TBD Backup QB - 8/10, 146 yards, 2 TD

The Buckeyes will get to play their yearly bout with Rutgers at home in 2020, so unless Greg Schiano becomes a miracle worker between now and Sept. 26, this game should be another chance for Ohio State's backups to thrive.

In the last matchup with the Scarlet Knights, Justin Fields was able to top 300 passing yards for the first time in his career. To go along with his 305 passing yards, Fields would toss four touchdowns and have his usual zero interceptions.

Being the fourth game into the season, the backup quarterback position should be decently clear and I would fully expect a running back to have seized the job. The Rutgers game will be another opportunity for the Buckeyes to flex their tremendous depth and potential.

This game should be a great opportunity for the young wideouts to have some breakout moments, and I would expect the four highly-ranked freshmen to combine for 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in this one.

The defense should continue to step up and play like one of the best units in the country, and I think this will be the game in which the linebackers show how great they can be.

After a game in 2019 in which the defense allowed three touchdowns to the Scarlet Knights, I would expect a bounce-back performance for the group. Ohio State 59 Rutgers 6

Additional Stat Line: Master Teague - 16 carries, 146 yards, 2 TD

Does this game have the looks of a trap game? Not really. Will the final score be close? Probably not. Does it have off the field intrigue? Absolutely!

Greg Schiano will return to the sideline at The Shoe for the first time in almost two years. There's no reason to think there's any bad blood (other than the whole "Schiano not being re-signed" thing) but it's always fun to watch a former coach on the opposite sideline.

Regarding the proceedings on the field, this feels like one of the least intriguing games of the season. Rutgers returns a decent chunk of talent from last year's team, but with the Scarlet Knights bringing in the second worst 2020 recruiting class in the Big Ten, it's unlikely much will change from last year's matchup.

As Keaton and Kevin mentioned, this will likely be another opportunity for the backups to see some playing time, especially since the game is in Columbus. Along with Bowling Green and Buffalo, this will be one of the best chances to see some faces they may eventually end up redshirting in 2020.

Ohio State's offense should have no issue as Rutgers gave up the eight most points per game last season, and defensively, the Buckeyes should continue to be worry-free as the Scarlet Knights scored just 13.3 points per game last year, second worst in the country behind only Akron.

I think the offense will have an early explosion like in many of the games last year, and that will set up for a fun half of seeing some backups get a chance to make an impact before a tough stretch against Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State. Ohio State 63 Rutgers 10

Additional Stat Line: Garrett Wilson - 6 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD