COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Forget the College Football Playoff. A majority of respondents to a recent poll in the Buckeye State believe Ohio State could jump a level and beat an NFL team.
According to the results released this week by Public Policy Polling, 62 percent of those polled said the No. 2 Buckeyes would beat the struggling Cleveland Browns, while only 23 percent picked the professionals in a hypothetical meeting.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer's team has certainly looked like an NFL-caliber outfit over the past few seasons. It produced five first-round selections in this year's draft and 13 rookies who are playing in the NFL this season.
Ohio State appears to have another bumper crop of future pros on hand this season. The Buckeyes have steamrolled to a 4-0 start, and they are heavily favored against Indiana on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Browns are mired at the bottom of the NFL and again struggling to generate any sort of positive momentum.
Either way, the people made it clear which team they would back. Only 7 percent of those polled have a negative opinion of Meyer, unofficially making him the second-most popular person in the state behind only Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.