It's no secret that Ohio State's 2011 offense was utterly abysmal almost any way you look at it: scoring, rushing or passing.The archaic offense that the Buckeyes ran last season is gone and now Urban Meyer's "power spread" offense has arrived, meaning that the days of boring, stagnant offenses are pretty much over.
Ohio State certainly has the potential to have a successful offense based on the young athletes they have been able to bring into Columbus in recent recruiting seasons.
Among the players that will need to step up this year are Corey Brown, Evan Spencer and Devin Smith (pictured, top right).
Each of those three receivers had their moments throughout last season — and in the case of Brown, two years. They are speedier receivers that work best in space and with shorter routes instead of going deep every single time.
Brown has to become much more consistent as far as catching the ball is concerned, with several crucial drops at bad times. Smith and Spencer were both young and needed a little bit of seasoning, which this offseason can help provide this team.
Jake Stoneburner will be an important part of the offense from the TE position, although he might not be in as good of shape as he would normally be because he cannot workout with the team until fall camps due to his arrest.
He presents a major mismatch when it comes to the passing game but always seemed to be underused in the past several seasons.
This year, he will be used as much as possible, especially considering the success Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman have had developing Aaron Hernandez and — in Herman's case — James Casey at Rice.
As far as running backs go, OSU potentially has a solid one-two punch with Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde (pictured at left), if and when Hall returns healthy from a recent off-the-field injury and subsequent surgery that is expected to sideline him for at least 10 weeks.Hall is a shifty back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and make some screen plays as well as running up the middle. His game is multi-dimensional, which allows him to do a little bit of everything.
Hyde is the typical power back that will likely be used in red-zone packages, particularly the inside zone read plays that the OSU offense will be built around. His role may be that of a faster LeGarrette Blount, in that he has underrated speed to go with his size.
Hall and Hyde will make a strong tandem as far as running backs go, as they have had a year to gain experience and they each have some decent chemistry with sophomore QB Braxton Miller.
The players are certainly there for Ohio State. The only question is whether or not they will be able to make big things happen this season in a more athlete-friendly offense.
OSU has good athletes committed to their 2013 recruiting class, but this current group of veterans and incoming freshamn will have a chance to do some big things this year.
Spoiler Alert (sarcasm off) — The forseeable future is extremely bright at Ohio State.
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Urban Meyer has made it very clear that he plans on winning in Columbus in the trenches.
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Central Florida ended last year as the Conference USA’s biggest disappointment, finishing 5-7 (3-5) and missing the postseason.
Since appearing in their only bowl game in 2004, the UAB Blazers have strung together seven consecutive losing seasons. This includes a 3-9 (3-5 C-USA) record in 2011, where they were outscored by an average of 17 points and were beat by at least 39 on four different occasions.
Ohio State owned a 27-6 lead mid-way through the third quarter of last year's battle with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. However, when Braxton Miller went down with an ankle injury, all hell broke loose.
After beating Ohio State last year, coach Danny Hope and the Purdue Boilermakers feel like they're making strides to becoming more competitive in the Big Ten. This could be the year to make some noise in what looks to be a relatively weak outlook for the conference.
Amid a coaching change and transition period, it's easy to say that Illinois will be going through a rebuilding stage in 2012. But if the Fighting Illini are ever going to win a Big Ten championship in the next decade, this is the year.
Are you bursting with excitement yet?
Last year was the first year that the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes since 2003, but with the addition of the legendary Urban Meyer, the momentum already feels like it is shifting to Ohio State.
Miller started nine games last season and had a very mediocre record of 4-5, but under Meyer's system he will undoubtedly shine. Even though his record may not show it, his statistics were actually very solid last year.
Over the past decade, the Buckeyes have found a way to win when playing at the Big House. Fortunately for Ohio State, the Wolverines haven't been able to win a game in Columbus since 2000. There is no denying that the Buckeyes are a different team on their home field, and that has shown over the last 11 seasons.
Urban Meyer released his post-spring depth chart last month, with little-to-no surprises among the list.
The only thing that deserves a second glance on Ohio State's post-spring depth chart is sophomore Evan Spencer starting over freshman Michael Thomas.
Making the transition from being a backup guard to anchoring the offensive line as a center is senior Corey Linsley. He has become a leader overnight and has shown significant improvement from his first three below-average seasons with the Buckeyes.
As soon as the hiring of Urban Meyer was announced, I'm sure Braxton Miller was jumping for absolute joy. The system Miller was asked to perform last year was atrocious and completely unfit for Miller's skill set.
Braxton Miller is an excellent player and clearly the main attraction on this offense, but he cannot be the only attraction. The sophomore quarterback is an absolute competitor and gamer, and has already shown the ability to completely take over a game and this is easily his greatest attribute.
With the 2012 season just a few months away, Ohio State has a roster full of plenty of talent, though most of it is unproven at this point.
New offensive line coach Ed Warriner led a massive reshuffling of the Ohio State front line by moving junior Jack Mewhort over from guard to left tackle after the spring.
Jake Stoneburner for the longest time has been a tremendous mismatch that Jim Tressel and his former offensive coaching staff failed to utilize properly.
The player who has the most expectations upon him this season is an extremely obvious one.
Urban Meyer has dominated his opponents at every school he's coached; the two-time national champion carries a 104-23 record (81.9 percent) heading into his first season with Ohio State, which is second behind Boise State's Chris Petersen as the current leader in winning percentage.
With the hiring of Urban Meyer comes the offense that won him two national championships at Florida. His spread-option scheme revolves around playmakers, like Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Aaron Hernandez.
And to look forward to November 24.
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