No. 16 Ohio State vs. Miami (FL)—Week 3 Game Preview, History Lesson, and Prediction

A fter opening the season with a convincing 42-0 win over hapless Akron, it seemed fairly reasonable to believe the Buckeyes (2-0) would not have too much trouble dispensing the Toledo Rockets in week two.

Toledo, an experienced and veteran squad, returned 18 starters from their 2010 team -- including superstar WR Eric Page -- yet, the Buckeyes were favored to win by 19.5 points.

In reality, the game was much too close for comfort. Toledo was not intimidated, and fully expected to compete, and win the game.

In the end, the Big Ten's top defense bent, but did not break, and stopped Toledo's final -- and potential game-winning -- drive in the final two minutes, securing the 27-22 victory/escape.

In 2002, on their way to 14 wins, including a BCS national title, the Buckeyes won seven games by 7 or less points. Winning close, and sometimes winning ugly, is better than losing any day of the week.

As for Miami (0-1), the Canes had an off-week to lick their wounds and prepare for Ohio State after opening the season in defeat on the road at Maryland, 32-24.

On a kind of cool/kind of hideous side note:



Seeing the Maryland "state-flag" jersey was like seeing two Arena League teams merge, and then not be able to agree on which jersey to keep going forward, so instead, they decided to take half a jersey from each team to form the new team's jersey -- OR -- Perhaps they resemble a CFL team sponsored by a taxi-cab company?


Brief Game Outlook

As programs go, there are a lot of similarities between Ohio State and Miami.

Both have at least five national titles (OSU 7, Miami 5).

Each school boasts a who's-who list of national award winners, and both programs have sent multiple players to the NFL.

Oh, and you may have heard something this off-season about both schools being under investigation by the NCAA regarding players that have received improper benefits.

While the off-the-field infractions that occurred at Ohio State are very serious and are likely to warrant additional sanctions from the NCAA on top of those already self-imposed by the university, those at Miami could include a lack of institutional control charge, and all-totaled, could potentially be deemed as death-penalty level violations.

As for the game this Saturday night, it's a bit of a toss-up.

Last week, freshman QB Braxton Miller was expected to play against Toledo, but never saw the field. Instead, senior Joe Bauserman played the entire game, and while Bauserman didn't turn the ball over, he also did little-else to help lead the Buckeyes to victory.

This Saturday, against a speedy and athletic team like Miami, Coach Fickell might want to strongly consider playing Miller. Not only can Miller move well in the pocket and scramble away from pressure if needed (a la Terrelle Pryor), but he also possesses excellent passing mechanics and a strong, accurate arm (a la NOT Terrelle Pryor).

Jordan Hall (RB), Travis Howard (DB), and Corey Brown (DB) will be reinstated by game time. Miami QB Jacory Harris has also been given the all-clear and will start for the Canes. In all, the Buckeyes still have four players (including 3 starters) out due to suspension -- certainly an edge in favor of Miami.

Last season in Columbus, Miami scored two special teams touchdowns, but the Buckeye defense pressured Harris into four costly interceptions, and held the Canes offense to just 10 points en route to a 36-24 win.

Harris will look to improve upon his poor performance and breath some life into the Canes passing game that was somewhat lacking in their opener.

Miami RB Lamar Miller played well in the losing effort against the Terps, rushing for 119 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

For the Bucks -- running back Hall may have to earn his spot back -- so expect Carlos Hyde to start his third straight game. Rod Smith or Jaamal Berry should also get some touches, although Smith has had two untimely fumbles in two games -- generally a sure-fire way to find yourself on the sidelines more often than not.

Freshman receiver Devin Smith leads OSU with 119 yards on 5 catches and has one touchdown reception. TE Jake Stoneburner has been the Buckeyes' most consistent and reliable receiver so far this season with eight grabs for 93 yards, including four for touchdowns -- two more than he had all of last season. Converted high school QB Verlon Reed is third on the team with five receptions for 89 yards.

Ultimately, look for the 2011 game to be decided much the same as the 2010 contest -- by turnover margin and in the trenches. The team that best protects the ball and the quarterback, and opens up the running lanes for their tailbacks should come away with the "W".


Current FBS Team Rankings



Ohio State—Miami History Lesson

• This will be the 5th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Miami.

• Ohio State is 3-1 against Miami (including the vacated win from 2010).

• Ohio State is 15-7 all-time vs. ACC opponents.

• Ohio State is 32-16 all-time in night games, including a 17-6 mark on the road.

• Ohio State is 42-8 vs. non-conference opponents since 2001.

• Ohio State has held opponents to fewer than 10 points 30 times since 2006.

• Ohio State's defense has allowed just four 100-yard rushers in their last 39 games.

• Ohio State has 821 wins all-time, the fifth-most among FBS teams.

• The last Buckeye head coach to win his 1st first road game was Earle Bruce, a 21-17 win at Minnesota in 1979.

• Miami is 23-2 in home openers since 1986.

• Miami is 1-3 vs Big Ten opponents since 2001, having lost their last three.

• Miami is 49-15 overall at home since 2001.

• Since joining the ACC in 2004, Miami is 14-1 at home vs. OOC opponents.

• Miami is 5-14 overall against ranked teams since 2006.

• Miami is 3-5 at home vs. ranked teams since 2006.

• Miami has won four straight home openers (2007-2010) by an average of 34 ppg.

• Miami coach Al Golden is 1-12 vs. BCS teams in his career.


Final Thoughts and Score Prediction

Both teams need a win -- Miami, to avoid an 0-2 start, and Ohio State, to prove last weeks scare against Toledo was a fluke and that they are deserving of their top 20 ranking.

The Canes rarely lose in home openers, but the 23 wins in 25 games since 1986 have mostly not been against teams the caliber of the Buckeyes.

Both teams have question marks on offense, but defensively, Ohio State gets the edge.

If there is an area of concern for OSU, it's the young secondary of the Buckeyes, however, Jacory Harris has yet to prove he can consistently play well and protect the ball -- see 2010 in Columbus -- and there are several up-and-coming defensive backs (including Bradley Roby and Dominic Clarke) on the rise for Ohio State.

Expect the Buckeye defense to contain Miller and the running game and to pressure Harris into a repeat of last years meeting -- and a similar game result.


Ohio State 31
Miami 16


"To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will" - Sugar Ray Robinson

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Ohio State-Miami: Week 2 Preview, History Lesson, and Prediction

The much-anticipated Ohio State-Miami (FL) rematch is nearly upon us.

The last meeting came in January, 2003 when the underdog Buckeyes outlasted the heavily favored Hurricanes 31-24 in double-overtime to capture the 2002 BCS title.

Both teams expect to challenge for their respective conference championships this season, but each also have their eye on another trip to Arizona and a BCS championship game berth.

As of right now, the No. 2 Buckeyes are in better position for the latter than are the No. 13 Hurricanes, but an upset win in Columbus this Saturday would legitimately catapult Miami into the top 10 or even the top five.

Of course, coming away with a win is going to be a huge challenge for Miami. Non-conference opponents don't usually fare too well against the Buckeyes in The Shoe.

Miami is a fast team with their fair share of talented players at most every position on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately for the Canes, so too are the Buckeyes—even more so actually..

There are two ways to look at recruiting rankings—quantity vs. quality.

For example, in 2008, Miami signed 33 players compared to Ohio State only signing 20. Both Scout and Rivals ranked the Miami class ahead of the Ohio State class even though the average star rating for Miami players was 3.33, while the average star rating for Ohio State per recruit was 3.9.

In this case, bigger recruiting classes clearly do not equal better recruiting classes.

Here are how the two schools stack up against each other in recruiting when the quality of class is measured as opposed to just the number of recruits that committed to each school.

Each team currently has players on their squads that were members of one of their classes between 2006 and 2010, so those are the years that will be used in the chart below.

Year   OSU Class Rank     Ave. * / Recruit    MIA Class Rank     Ave. * / Recruit

====   ==============     ================    ==============     ================



2006       7th                  3.60               10th                3.41



2007       5th                  3.73                7th                3.72



2008       2nd                  3.90               17th                3.33



2009       4th                  3.80               15th                3.37



2010       8th                  3.47               30th                3.03

As you can see, Ohio State has out-recruited Miami in all five seasons. 2006 and especially 2007 were comparable, but the last three classes weren't very close, as all were significantly in favor of Ohio State.

Miami fans will want to point out that while recruiting numbers and rankings do matter, they are not everything since not all highly touted recruits live up to expectations, while less-heralded prospects sometimes prove to be diamonds in the rough.

Point taken.

So let's get down to it and look at what does, and will, matter most when these two titans clash this coming Saturday.

Here's a good place to start

Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor and Miami's Jacory Harris

Both Ohio State and Miami opened the 2010 season with decisive victories last Thursday night. The Buckeyes cruised to a 45-7 win over Marshall, while the Hurricanes shutout Florida A&M University, 45-0.

The stats each school has compiled so far are from one game vs. inferior opponents, so while they may or may not indicate what we could expect to see on 9/11, they're still worth mentioning.


Miami—By the Numbers

QB Jacory Harris showed no signs of any lingering issues from off-season thumb surgery. In just two quarters, he completed 12/15 passes (80%) for 210 yards and three touchdowns, for a QB rating of 263.6. Harris took care of business and could be poised to lead his team to the ACC title, and maybe more. If he can produce similar results against one of the nation's better defensive units, his name could start moving up closer to the top of the 2010 Heisman watch list.

Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson led Miami with six catches for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Only two other Miami receiver had more than 30 yards, but both had less than 45.

Running back Lamar Miller led the Canes in rushing with 65 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Damien Berry caught a 32-yard touchdown pass and had another 45 yards rushing. Mike James had six caries for 36 yards.

As a team, Miami totaled 405 yards, while holding A&M to 110 yards and just eight first downs the entire game. The shutout was the first by a Miami defense since 2006.

For the record, FAMU is a FCS school, so while Miami looked impressive, those individual and overall team statistics might not be very similar to their offensive and defensive totals when they meet the Buckeyes this weekend.


Ohio State—By the Numbers

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor continued to play as he did in the 2010 Rose bowl. In just a tad over three quarters of work, he completed 17/25 pass attempts (68%) for 247 yards and three touchdowns, for a QB rating of 190.59. The majority of his passes were perfectly on target and he seemed very comfortable not scrambling, but rather remaining in the pocket and finding his receivers.

Wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher led the Buckeyes with three catches for 113 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown that was perfectly placed in stride by Pryor. Two of DeVier Posey's four receptions for 41 yards went for touchdowns. Tight end Jake Stoneburner caught three balls, also for 41 yards.

In only one half of play, running back Brandon Saine carried the ball nine times for 103 yards and found the endzone twice. Four backs in all averaged more than six yards per carry. Jaamal Berry had seven carries for 80 yards. Dan Herron rushed for 44 yards on seven carries and Jordan Hall added 32 yards on just five carries.

As a team, Ohio State totaled 529 yards, while holding Marshall to 199 yards and 11 first downs the entire game. The OSU defense pitched a shutout as well, but was charged with a special teams touchdown that Marshall scored after returning a blocked 53-yard field goal try.


Ohio State—Miami: History Lesson and Other Tidbits

• This will be only the fourth ever meeting between Ohio State and Miami.

• Ohio State is 2-1 all time vs. Miami with the lone defeat, a 23-12 loss coming in 1999, and the two wins coming in 1977, a 10-0 shutout, and in 2003, the classic 31-24 double-overtime thriller for the BCS title.

• Since 2001 under Jim Tressel, Ohio State is 36-8 vs. non-conference opponents.

• Overall since 2001, Ohio State is 57-7 at home.

• Ohio State has not allowed a 100-yard rusher over its past 22 games.

• Miami is 26-16 all-time vs. Big Ten opponents, but only 1-4 in road openers.

• Miami has improved every season under Randy Shannon, winning five games in 2007, seven games in 2008, and nine games in 2009.

• Since 2007 under Shannon, Miami is 4-6 against top 25 opponents, but only 1-5 against top 25 opponents on the road, having only defeated then-No. 18 FSU in Tallahassee in 2009.


Summary and Prediction

Miami is fast, but so is Ohio State.

Miami has recruited well, but Ohio State has recruited better.

Miami has a very good quarterback, but so does Ohio State and theirs can also hurt you running the ball.

Miami may just have the best group of receivers in the nation, but Ohio State's group isn't far behind, just younger and less experienced.

Miami has one of the best defensive fronts you will find, but Ohio State's might just be the best in the country.

Miami has a pretty good offensive line, but the Ohio State o-line is one of the top five lines in the nation.

Miami has one of the better secondaries in the country. Ohio State's secondary has a couple of new faces, but could still be one of the best when it's all said and done.

Miami finally has a good coach in Randy Shannon who has their program heading in the right direction. Ohio State has Jim Tressel, the best coach in the Big 10, who also happens to be one of the best six or seven coaches in all of college football.

It could be close, and a back-and-forth shootout, but this Buckeye squad will be fired up, and so will 105,000+ Buckeye fans. They will be too much for the Hurricanes in the second half and should win by at least two scores.

Final Score
==========
Ohio State 30
Miami 14

After the ludicrous 9-3 W/L record for Ohio State prediction of yours, suck on that Brian Griese...



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Ohio State Buckeyes Fans and Miami Hurricanes Fans Open Thread

9/11/2010
3:30PM -- Columbus, Ohio

OHIO STATE VS. MIAMI

OK, so I have a few thoughts about the rapidly-approaching Ohio State-Miami game.

The intention of this thread is to provide an ongoing forum for OSU and Miami fans to come here and chat about the game from now until "D-Day", September 11, 2010.

Please feel free to respond after hearing me out, but let's try to act like adults and keep it civil.


Number One

Terrelle Pryor and Jacory Harris are similar QB's but, as a passer, I'm giving a slight edge to Harris for now.

That being said, Pryor gets the overall nod b/c he's definitely improved/improving as a passing QB, but he has the speed and moxie to be a game breaker.

He's fast, elusive, and he has an amazing stiffarm for a QB. He has shoved many a DB to the ground as they attempted to tackle him, so while I do like Harris and he's a very good QB, Terrelle Pryor, he is not.


Number Two

The OSU O-line, led by Mike Brewster, Justin Boren, and Bryant Browning, is going to be absolutely sick.

The Buckeyes rushed for well over 2,000 yards in 2009 and with this unit of big uglies clearing the way in the trenches, 2,500-3,000 yards is not a pipe dream.

Our No. 1 guy, Brandon Saine is healthy and if you saw the Rose Bowl, you know he's dangerous in the backfield carrying the ball and as a receiver as well.

Dan Herron is also a solid 1B to Saine, and then we also have sophomore Jordan Hall and redshirt freshmen Jaamal Berry who will also see the field, who I'm sure those of you in Florida are familiar with.


Number Three

So, if you are planning on forcing Pryor to beat you by loading the box to stop our superb stable of RB's, I suggest you do not overlook what Pryor did to Oregon in Pasadena.

That was their game plan too.

No. 1 wideout DeVier Posey is on his way to being a 1st round NFL draft pick in 2011 or 2012, but he's not the only target Pryor has.

Dane Sanzenbacher is a clutch receiver with surprisingly elusive speed and it looks as though Taurian Washington will be the no. 3 WR, but a couple other names to know are Jake Stoneburner, Chris Fields and James Louis.

Stoneburner, technically a TE, will see the ball thrown his way a lot more than a TE at OSU traditionally has in the past. Fields is a redshirt freshmen who has been rumored to be pushing Washington for the No. 3 spot, but should definitely be used in some 4-wide sets, and Louis is a very fast true freshmen from Florida who many expect may be used this year as a punt and kick return specialist.


Number Four

The losses on defense aren't as big of a deal to us Ohio State fans as some of you might expect.

Sure, Kurt Coleman and Thaddeus Gibson were both stars who will be missed, but Cameron Heyward and Chimdi Checkwa both return.

Also remember the names Nathan Williams, John Simon, Melvin Fellows, and Jermale Hines. They are all on track to be the next crop of defensive studs for the Buckeyes.


Number Five

The game will probably be close in the first half, but with no disrespect directed towards Miami, the Buckeyes have the more-proven coach and are the better team, so I expect the Buckeyes to pull away in the third and fourth quarter, and ultimately win by at least 14-17 points.


Number Six

At Ohio State, we always lose great players every year to graduation and/or early entry into the NFL, but we do not rebuild -- We reload with the next crop of stars.

The 2010 season will be no exception.


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Block-O-Nation's All-Inclusive Top 10 Quarterbacks in College Football for 2010, Unbiased Edition

I hate to see any top 10 list that omits teams or players just because they are not from a BCS "power" conference.

To me, that sort of list would be authored by a clueless, shallow-minded person who has very little useless knowledge about the nationwide college football landscape as a whole.

For that reason, I now offer you "the real" rankings of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation for the 2010 season, regardless of team or conference affiliation.

I hope you enjoy my take, and whether you agree or disagree, I welcome all replies.

Please post your thoughts in the comment section below—Thank you.


Number 10—Jacory Harris (Miami-FL)

Harris, who is very similar to Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor, is a slightly-more accurate passer, however, he lacks the explosive individual game-breaking ability of Pryor. His team does have a few other playmakers though, so be sure you do not miss their potential game-of-the-year battle on September 11, when Ohio State hosts Miami in The Horseshoe.


Number Nine—Jerrod Johnson (Texas A&M)

Johnson had a tremendous season in 2009. In my opinion, he is undervalued as both a QB, and as the leader of his team. Johnson could likely be the best field general in the Big 12 this coming season and could also be poised to will the Aggies to only their second-ever BCS Bowl game appearance—the only previous BCS appearance by the Aggies being a loss to our own Ohio State Buckeyes in 1999. Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas could each potentially derail that thought, but maybe, led by Johnson, the Aggies break through as the best team in the conference this season.


Number Eight—Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech)

A great supporting cast of dual-1000-yard-tailbacks (Darren Evans, Ryan Williams) should open up huge passing lanes for third best dual-threat QB in the nation. He sits only behind Pryor and Baylor's Robert Griffin in my estimation. If the Hokies are to meet expectations by winning the ACC and challenging for a BCS bid, Taylor won't have to shoulder the entire load, but he will have to make significant positive contributions.


Number Seven—Robert Griffin III (Baylor)

Griffin had an awesome—and I do mean awesome—freshmen season in 2008. He is second only to Pryor in my top dual-threat QB race, which begs the question—How has everyone forgotten about him? I know he missed nearly the entire 2009 season due to injury, but can I really be the only blogger and fan of college football who is not suffering from short-term memory loss? Wake up people...


Number Six—Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State)

I am a Buckeye fan so I may be accused of homerism (although I'd actually claim I'm being a bit modest) with my ranking and this statement about Pryor, but nobody can realistically dispute the fact that he is clearly the best dual-threat QB in the country. The 2010 Rose Bowl win vs. Oregon was his coming out party as a passer. He will be surrounded by great WR depth in 2010, so look for many more of his future performances to resemble the one he had against the Ducks.


Number Five—Andrew Luck (Stanford)

This kid is my runner-up to Washington's Jake Locker as the best QB in Pac-10, but only because of the experience factor. Luck is entering his second season under center for the Cardinal, while Locker is a fifth-year senior in his fourth year as the Huskies starter. The then-redshirt freshmen dazzled fans in 2009 as he led Stanford to wins over Oregon and USC (both were ranked in the top 10 at the time) in 2009 before breaking his finger against Notre Dame the last week of the regular season. The injury forced him to miss Stanford's Sun Bowl loss vs. Oklahoma. With the departure of running back, and Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart, all eyes and hopes will be on Luck as the Cardinal chase the Pac-10 title in 2010.


Number Four—Jake Locker (Washington)

I'm sure there will some grumblings that I have Locker too low, and perhaps I do, but time will tell. While I believe he has the size, arm, and the play-making ability to succeed at the next level, I need to see him protect the ball and make better decisions on the field at this level before I can consider him top three material. In his three year career at UW, he has thrown 36 touchdown passes, but he has also been intercepted 26 times. That's not a great TD to INT ratio. Overall, his stats haven't been terrible, but he has a measly 9-20 win/loss record as a starter. I'm just not sold on him enough to put him any higher than fourth as of right now.


Number Three—Kellen Moore (Boise State)

Moore has put up big numbers and recorded an incredible 26-1 record in his two seasons at the helm for the Broncos, but can he continue those trends against BCS conference foes Virginia Tech and Oregon State this season? On paper, history says yes as BSU has defeated three of the four ranked opponents they've faced with Moore under center, but will that hold true in 2010? If indeed it does, Moore may be the first small-school player to legitimately challenge for, and possibly win, the Heisman Trophy since Houston's Andre Ware won it in 1989. Boise State will be favored in all of their games outside of the trip to D.C. to face Va Tech. They would likely become the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to play for the national title since the 1998 inception of the BCS if they run the table. With Moore leading the way, it just might happen.


Number Two—Ryan Mallet (Arkansas)

Mallet possesses a strong arm, and he is all set for a statistically huge season in 2010. The Razorbacks might now win the SEC, but Mallet and crew will make some noise and it should be fun to watch them do it. He actually began his college career at Michigan, and played sparingly in 2007 behind current Miami Dolphins starting QB Chad Henne. When Rich Rodriguez came to Ann Arbor in 2008, Mallet withdrew soon after and transferred to Arkansas. Mallet was one of the best QB's in the SEC and the nation last year. After sitting out the 2008 season per NCAA transfer rules, he threw for over 3,627 yards and tossed 30 touchdowns, both Arkansas school records. Too bad UM didn't keep Mallet and reject Dickrod. Those poor Michigan faithful just can't catch a break...


Number One—Case Keenum (Houston)

Let's forget the "system QB" or "weak conference" excuses right now and acknowledge the facts about Keenum. He puts up ridiculously amazing passing stats, and pretty much all of Houston's wins in 2009 can solely be credited to him. If it wasn't for a pathetic defensive unit last season, Keenum, not Alabama's Mark Ingram, might have been the 2009 Heisman winner. Other than in Houston's bowl game vs. Air Force, Keenum blew up opposing defenses all season long. He passed for 5,671 yards and 44 touchdowns to only 15 interceptions. It's just too bad that his amazing play couldn't help Houston's wet-paper-towel defense. The Cougars, who went 10-4 last year, outscored most of their opponents comfortably thanks to Keenum. More of the same should be expected from him in 2010, and maybe for once the Heisman will actually be given to the best player in the nation instead of the best player on the best team as in recent years.


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Ohio State Football 2010 Season Forecast: Sunny And Successful, Part II

I have been a little busy lately with work, and the birth of my second daughter on April 27^th, so I haven't had any real free time to do much with the blog, or to just touch base with my "millions" of fans...

Until today!

Please, hold your applause until the end...

So anyway, I began a three-part series back in mid-April entitled Ohio State Football 2010 Season Forecast: Sunny And Successful, and am glad to FINALLY bring you Part II.

Part I didn't even have anything to do with Michigan, since as you know, "The Game" is the last game of the year for both teams, and yet I still managed to take a few shots at scUM in Part I.

Here's to doing my best to repeat that performance in this installment! And by the way, here's a link just in case you missed Part I of this series.

Just a reminder—Nobody can guarantee for sure how the 2010 season will play out, and it is only mid-May—several months before the games will actually be played—but if you want a general idea of how it might all go down before then, you can read this article and settle for some of my best educated guesswork in the meantime.

So without further delay, onward to Part II...

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Game Five @ Illinois—October 2, 2010



The Buckeyes will open their 2010 Big Ten schedule on the road vs. Illinois in what could potentially be a very lopsided matchup.

I for one would have bet a large sum of money that Illinois Coach Ron Zook would have been fired after the 2009 season. Amazingly however, Zook is still in charge (for now), and that doesn't bode well for Illini fans as the Zooker is just 21-39 in his five seasons at the helm.

In my opinion, anything short of seven-plus wins and a bowl game invite would mean 2010 will likely be his last in Champaign.

Once-heralded QB Juice Williams and WR Arrelious Benn are gone, and it looks as though redshirt freshmen Nathan Sheelhaase and Florida transfer Jarred Fayson will be asked to replace them each respectively.

Zook, who "coached" the Illini to a 30-0 shutout loss in Columbus last season, is 1-4 against Ohio State in his career—his lone win coming in Ohio Stadium during the 2007 season, in which he led Illinois to a 9-3 record and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

That 2007 season is a distant memory now though. Whether at home, or on the road, I believe it is safe to say that there won't be much fight coming out of the depleted "Fighting Illini" in 2010, especially against the top teams in the conference, i.e. Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc.

Sorry Zooker, but your hot seat is about to explode...

Win (5-0)

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Game Six vs. Indiana—October 9, 2010



The Buckeyes will open their 2010 Big Ten home schedule by hosting the Hoosiers of Indiana.

Ohio State leads the all-time series (66-12-5) and since 1991, the Buckeyes are a perfect 17-0 vs. IU.

Coach Tressel is 7-0, and his teams have outscored Indiana 255-71 in those meetings, but this ain't exactly your Daddy's' Indiana Hoosiers heading into 2010—well, at least not on offense.

Coach Bill Lynch and his Hoosiers can actually run the spread offense effectively, unlike Dickrod and company thus far in that state to our North that smells of boiled hot dog water (hey, maybe they should consider hiring Lynch after they fire RR?).

Offensively, they should be fine moving the ball, and they shouldn't have have much trouble scoring against most of the teams on their schedule. Senior QB Ben Chappell, who will be one of the best passers in the conference, has plenty of talented options surrounding him, including wide receivers Tandon Doss, Demarlo Belcher and Terrence Turner, as well as RB Darius Willis.

I suspect we will see a lot of what you see in this video around the 1:25 mark from Chappell and his receivers.

The problem for the Hoosiers will be their defense. Will they be able to hold on in a shootout and win some of their sure-to-be high-scoring, down-to-the-wire games in the final minutes? It's hard to say.

The Ohio State defense should be just as good as they were in 2009, while IU should be better on offense than they were last season. For that reason, I will be kind of shocked if IU doesn't score a couple-three times, but in the end, they won't be able to "out-shoot" the Buckeyes. I'm thinking 38-17 ballpark for the final score.

See you in Maize and Blue in 2011 Coach Lynch!

Win (6-0)

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Game Seven @ Wisconsin—October 16, 2010



A year ago, Ohio State was almost completely anemic on offense, yet still defeated Wisconsin 31-13 with defense and special teams.

In what looks to be one of the Big Ten's best matchups of the upcoming season, the Buckeyes will need much more from their offense if they expect to win in Camp Randall.

The defense will also have their hands full though as Wisconsin returns 10 starters on offense including Scott Tolzien, one of the better quarterbacks in the conference, and star running back and reigning Big Ten player of the year, John Clay. Of course, the Buckeyes held Clay to only 59 yards on 20 carries last season, so he may or may not be a huge factor in the meeting this coming fall.

Along with new TE Lance Kendricks, who is replacing the departed Garrett Graham, wide receivers Nick Toon and David Gilreath are underappreciated targets that could give smaller, less experienced defenses fits down the field. Unfortunately for the Badgers, Ohio State is not small or inexperienced on defense.

The Badgers will have to prove that they can live up to high expectations really for the first time since A.D. and former head coach Barry Alverez stepped down. That is often easier said than done.

Also, Wisconsin has some concerns on defense that could make that task more difficult, specifically on the defensive front, as only one of four starters returns. The Buckeyes should be able to exploit the inexperienced line with their stable of talented running backs, not to mention their extremely fast and mobile quarterback, Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor, who was integral in helping the Buckeyes win in Madison in 2008, running in the game-winning touchdown in the final 70 seconds to break the hearts of Badger fans everywhere, will be seeking his third win over Wisconsin in as many tries.

The Buckeyes lead the all-time series (53-17-5). Overall, Coach Tressel is 4-3 against UW in his career and 3-0 against current Badger coach Brent Bielema.

Wisconsin is a dangerous team and I expect another closely contested game like the meeting in 2008. I do not take them lightly, nor do I project that winning this game will be easy.

Both teams have the talent on offense to win, but for me the coaching edge, and the defensive advantage favors the Buckeyes and as was the case in both 2008 and 2009, each of those factors (along with how well Pryor plays) will once again ultimately be what decides the outcome in 2010.

Win (7-0)

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Game Eight vs. Purdue—October 23, 2010



Terrelle Pryor played one of the worst games of his career, as he and the entire Buckeye Nation completely overlooked Purdue in 2009.

The shocking 26-18 loss was 100% absolutely a fluke, but upsets happen when the clearly superior team loafs off and shows no sense of urgency.

I really don't mean to be sound overly insulting to Purdue here, but if we could load up everyone from each teams' 2009 roster into the hot tub time machine, go back to that day, and replay that game 1000 times, Purdue might win once or twice.

This year, the Boilermakers return WR Keith Smith and RB Ralph Bolden, both standouts, but must replace QB Joey Elliott, who statistically was one of the better signal callers in the Big Ten for 2009. That responsibility will fall on Caleb TerBush and Coach Danny Hope can only "hope" TerBush is ready for the job.

Purdue should be OK and maybe even decent on offense, but their defense will be the pitfall yet again in year two for Coach Hope. In 12 games last season, opponents gained over 170 yards per game on the ground and scored 26 touchdowns.

I look for the Buckeyes to not overlook Purdue in 2010, and to thus have a field day running the ball. Furthermore, I will not be shocked one bit if multiple players score touchdowns, and if more than one rushes for near or over 100 yards.

Ohio State is (37-13-2) all-time against Purdue and Coach Tressel is 5-2 (3-0 at home) vs. the Boilermakers, not to mention, Purdue hasn't won in Ohio Stadium since 1988.

I see that trend continuing.

Win (8-0)

Be sure to stop back—The third and final installment is coming soon!


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Ohio State Football 2010 Season Forecast: Sunny And Successful, Part I

Since I've explored and correctly projected a high likelihood of failure at Michigan over the last couple of seasons, I suppose it's finally time for me to write and post this three-part companion series.

Although, Michigan fans really aren't going to like this one either, especially my projected outcome for The Game this-coming November 27^th.

More on that later, but let's just say (cough, hint, spoiler alert) I see a certain recent trend, established in 2001, continuing this year—and in the foreseeable future—but for now, I digress...

Certainly we Buckeye fans have very high expectations for our team this year (just like every other year), and rightfully so—but, will our expectations ultimately meet reality?

There's only one way to know for sure, but since it's only April and the games won't actually be played for several months, you'll have to settle for some of my best educated guesswork instead...

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Game One vs. Marshall—September 2, 2010



At the risk of sounding unintentionally disrespectful to Marshall, now that running back Darius Marshall has left for the NFL, I can't name one player of note that remains on their roster other than LB Kellen Harris, and he can't beat the Buckeyes alone.

This game will be played on Thursday night where highly ranked teams seem to lose quite often, but again to sound probably somewhat unintentionally disrespectful, Marshall has ZERO chance of coming into the Horseshoe and even keeping it close, let alone winning this game.

Win (1-0)


Game Two vs. Miami-FL—September 11, 2010



Following their usual tradition, the Buckeyes scheduled another home-and-home series with one of college football's all-time elite programs, this time with the Miami Hurricanes.

Coach Randy Shannon led the 'Canes to an unexpected 9-4 season in 2009, and with the athletes he has the cupboards stocked with, led by junior QB Jacory Harris, expectations, much like those in Columbus, are very high in South Florida.

This game is one of several that will be billed as the game of the week, with both teams projected to be ranked in the top 10. Harris and Terrelle Pryor are very similar in their abilities and I expect a great game between these two Goliath's.

Miami, which lost 20-14 to Wisconsin (yes, the same Wisconsin that Ohio State defeated 31-13) in the Champs Sports Bowl, will be improved squad over last year's team, but so will the Buckeyes.

In the end, experience and an ever-so-slight advantage in talent (even if not speed), along with the home field advantage will be enough for the Buckeyes to win what I expect to be a closely contested game.

Win (2-0)


Game Three vs. Ohio—September 18, 2010



The last time the Bobcats came to Columbus back in 2008, they put a scare into the Buckeyes for sure. I'm not trying to take anything away from Ohio U. in that game because they played very well and they nearly pulled off a huge upset, but the Buckeyes were absolutely looking ahead to their week three showdown in Los Angeles vs. USC. Plus, almost only counts in hand grenades and horseshoes, but not in The Horseshoe.

Without cheating, I can't name one single player from the 2010 Bobcats, although I do know their coach is still Frank Solich if that counts for anything. Eastern Michigan comes to Columbus the following week and unfortunately for Ohio, Ohio State won't be looking ahead to a team that lost badly a year ago to lowly Michigan. (See, I told you UM fans would hate this article, and I'm just warming up!)

Win (3-0)


Game Four vs. Eastern Michigan—September 25, 2010



Other than Miami, I admit this OOC schedule is very light, but if it's good enough for teams from the SEC to play four cupcakes (often including a team from the FCS) out of conference EVERY year and still be given the opportunity to play in the BCS title game, then surely it's good enough for the Buckeyes to play three (all FBS mind you) Hostess-like opponents as well then, no?

Again as was the case above with Marshall (other than Kellen Harris) and Ohio, no disrespect intended, but I can't name one single player on the 2010 Eastern Michigan roster without cheating. Wait, does Charlie Batch count?

There's not much else to say about this game really. Think Ohio State vs. New Mexico State from last season. Tressel doesn't run up the score for those ever-coveted "style points" that pollsters love, but in-spite of "Tressel-ball" it just can't be prevented that the Buckeyes will defeat EMU by a significant margin.

Win (4-0)

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