Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

Head Coach: Jim Tressel

2008 Record: 10-3 (7-1), lost to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl

We couldn't even work a Tressel joke into the preview.  We just want to mention that he's pure evil.

Good God, where do we begin?  Just thinking about this team makes us angry, nervous and excited all at the same time.  Angry because they always have some hatable personalities on the squad (out with James Laurinaitis, in with Terrelle Pryor), nervous because they're obviously a great football team and excited because this is the one game on the schedule we circle every year without fail.  Everything you've read about the November 7th matchup between Penn State and Ohio State talks about how that game will be the de facto Big11Ten championship.  The fact is that game is a long time from now, and a lot of things could happen before then.  But the best part is that the Lions could be winless on the season and we'd still be there at the tailgate, getting fired up to kick to crap out of the Buckeyes.

Before we get into the preview, we should mention that Drew from the fine OSU blog "The Silver Bullet" was nice enough to help us out, so you'll see his comments throughout.  Big thanks to Drew for the commentary. Click "Read More" to check out the preview.

One thing that makes Ohio State so hatable is that they're inevitably going to put a competitive team on the field.  It seems like every year that they lose important players, they have a guy who's just as good waiting in the wings.  Last year was their shakiest year in some time, and the only games they lost in the regular season were to the two participants in the Rose Bowl.  So much for a down year.

Unfortunately for everyone else in the conference, there shouldn't be much of a letdown- if any- for the Buckeyes this season.  They've lost a lot of key players, but they also got better in a number of areas.

The offense is led, of course, by sophomore hype machine Terrelle Pryor.  If the collective online world of college football is any indication, Pryor is poised to have the greatest offensive season in the history of the sport.  There's no doubt that Pryor has elite speed, and he's definitely going to pile up the yards on the ground.  But Ohio State ranked tenth in the conference in passing last year, and that number is obviously going to have to improve.  The question of whether Pryor can be an effective college passer still remains.  Well, for us, at least.  We're biased for sure, but we're still mildly shocked that media has shown virtually no concern over Pryor's utter lack of passing ability.  The number of wounded ducks that came wobbiling out of his hand last year was astounding.  The media's response to this?  He improved his passing in the offseason.  That may very well be the case, but we'll believe it when we see it.  We're not yet convinced mechanics as awful as Pryor's can be remedied in one offseason.  Hopefully for Buckeye fans, his poise and decision making are also better this year:

The Silver Bullet is cautiously optimistic about Pryor's sophomore campaign, and the offense as a whole:

"Ohio State's offense lost a lot of notable faces from 2008, but should actually improve. Obviously, most of this will be because Terrelle Pryor has had an entire offseason to improve his mechanics and understanding of the offense. He isn't going to become Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford in one year, but he showed in the spring game that his footwork and decision making have gone to a whole new level. On top of that he seems to have a much improved chemistry with the fresh faces in the wide receiving core, which seemed to be lacking with Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline a season ago."

And about those receivers?  This is a prime example of the Buckeyes reloading a position after losing very talented players from the year before.  Robiskie and Hartline are gone, but DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher and the tumultuous Ray Small should do just fine filling in.  Posey is a home-run threat with great athleticism, Sanzenbacher was solid last year, and Small, despite the problems throughout his career, can still be dangerous.  The Silver Bullet mentions that we should also watch out for junior Taurian Washington and true freshman Duron Carter as well.

Joining Pryor in the backfield at running back will be Dan "Boom" Herron, who backed up Beanie Wells last year and finished with 452 yards and a 4.9 ypc average.  Junior speedster Brandon Saine will also get carries, and freshmen Jamaal Berry and Jordan Hall could see time as well.

As for the offensive line, there's a lot of talent coming back, but it's one area of the team where some questions remain.  The Silver Bullet seems a little concerned:

"The biggest question mark is the offensive line, who is loaded with potential stars but has disappointed everyone this fall. Former center and left guard Jim Cordle has moved over the right tackle, replacing Bryant Browning who has moved into right guard. Center will be commanded once again by Mike Brewster and left guard by transfer stud Justin Boren. Left tackle is still in doubt, with Andy Miller, Mike Adams, and J.B Shugarts all fighting for the position. Very scary that the franchise player's back will be protected by someone who is named at the last minute."

One knock on the line last year is that Pryor often didn't have a lot of time to get rid of the ball, so providing better pass protection will be a priority for this year's group.  If the line does find its way sometime this season and ends up being a significant upgrade over last year's version, it could be a very long year for defenses around the Big11Ten.

While the line is the question mark on the offense, on the defensive side of the ball, the line should be stout.  Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson return to their spots at defensive end after combining for 7.5 sacks and 19 TFL last year.  Gibson is a beast of a speed rusher, while Heyward, at 6' 6", 287, is more a 3-4 end.  Either way, they should both be great this year.  Junior Dexter Larrimore and senion Doug Washinton will anchor the line on the interior.

Thad Gibson is the guy to watch on the Buckeye D.

The linebackers are far less stable after the departures of Marcus Freeman and James Laurinaitis (you can't even imagine how happy we are that we don't have to hear about him this year, or see shots of his dad in the crowd).  The Silver Bullet points out that the candidates this year don't have a lot of experience, but the talent (and depth) is there:

"The linebacking core will be a lot more interesting to watch after having to replace James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman. On top of that the Buckeyes have dealt with a lot of injures here, so the depth chart seems to be adjusted daily. One thing is certain, Brian Rolle will be patrolling at middle linebacker. His name is not known among Big Ten fans, but he could be the biggest surprise linebacker in the entire conference. WLB is locked by returning starter Ross Homan (not flashy but effective), but SLB will be more of a battle. Senior Austin Spitler will get first look, but injuries have slowed him down and sophomore Etienne Sabino may steal the job. This unit isn't experienced, but there is an unreal amount of depth and talent (even though losing Tyler Moeller for the year hurt)!"

Finally, in the secondary, the safeties may be the best in the conference, but first-round draft pick Malcolm Jenkins leaves a big hole at corner. TheSilver Bullet sounds a little worried about the corners (hey, we know how you feel):

"The secondary returns both safeties Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell, and they are by far the best 1-2 combo at safety in the conference. Corner on the other hand is maybe the biggest question mark on the entire team. Junior Chimdi Chekwa has the one corner spot locked, but Andre Amos and Devon Torrence are battling it out for the other spot. Honestly, this position has Buckeye fans very worried, and we are expecting lots of zone."

So the defense may have some areas that can be exploited, but we're not getting too excited.  Things may get off to a shaky start, but we're still expecting that same old stingy Buckeye defense by the time November rolls around.

Now for the schedule.  The Buckeyes' slate isn't all that tricky.  They have only five road games, and only one should give them any problems.  They get Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa all at home.  In reality, we think there are only two games that Ohio State fans might be a little nervous about (okay, one more than the other), and those are, of course, USC and Penn State.  Now don't get us wrong, this is going to be a very good football team, but we think maybe they are one year away from being a great one (The Silver Bullet agrees).  Drew picked the Bucks to go 11-1, but we can't go quite that far.  A reloading USC team is better than a reloading Ohio State team, and we think that's how things will play out on the 12th in Columbus.  And as for the showdown at the Beave...Pryor isn't worried about the crowd, maybe he thinks they're all "too country" to give him any problem.  We think he'll be singing a different (but well-known) tune after his visit to Happy Valley:

There's no way we're picking against our Lions at home.

WWTL Prediction: 10-2 (7-1)

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