2007 Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Predictions
June 5, 2008
The Ohio State Buckeyes start ranked 13th in the Nation after making last year’s National Championship game. After returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown in that game, everything has gone downhill for the Buckeyes. Ted Ginn Jr, the recipient of that Kickoff Return, decided to enter the NFL Draft early. As did tailback Antonio Pittman and Ginn’s wideout partner in Tony Gonzalez. Oh yeah, they don’t have Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith to rely on this season either. The Buckeyes only return 11 starters in which four of those returnees are on offense.
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Junior Todd Beckman should get the first shot at replacing Troy Smith at quarterback. Without a stable of proven playmakers in Ginn Jr. and Gonzalez, it will be a big work in progress for this play caller. Beckman hasn’t taken a meaningful snap since his senior season in high school which was back in 2002. Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline replace Ginn and Gonzalez. Ray Small is capable of the big play, but hasn’t proven himself as a Big Ten receiver.
Chris Wells will be the main focus on offense after coming off a year where he rushed for 576 yards and 7 scores. Wells was more of a short-yardage back, but fought fumble issues while committing four turnovers. If he can get 30 carries a game for the Buckeyes, he will be a big load for any Big Ten defense to handle with his bruising running style. He just has to learn to hold on to the ball.
Ohio State will rely on winning games with their defense like they did a year ago. That was before Michigan and Florida combined for 80 points in their final two games of the season. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is the headliner after winning the Bronco Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding defensive player. Laurinaitis held down a defense that featured nine new starters a year ago and this defense is expected to be even better this year as OSU adjusts to six new faces.
Three new starters are needed on the defensive line. This shouldn’t be a problem with a handful of candidates from the recent recruiting job of Jim Tressel and company. Lawrence Wilson, Doug Worthington, Robert Rose, Nader Abdulah, Todd Denlinger, Alex Barrow and Dexter Larimore are the young guys that you will be hearing about to accompany the lone returning starter in defensive end Vernon Gholston. Marcus Freeman returns with Laurinaitis at linebacker so Ohio State’s strength will definitely be in their backers. Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins should be added to the long list of great defensive backs in the Buckeyes’ history when he returns this season. A plethora of youth and talent will have to step in right away to help him out in the secondary in 2007.
A cake-walk home non-conference schedule with Division I-AA Youngstown State, Akron, and Kent State to go along with a smooth start to the Big Ten in Northwestern and Minnesota should give OSU time for their youth to prosper and be ready for a tough stretch run. The Buckeyes could easily be 8-0 before their schedule stiffens. Games at Penn State and at Michigan are ones we expect them to lose. Ohio State will finish in the top half of the Big Ten. We just don’t see them being ranked at the 13th spot come seasons’ end which is where they stand in the preseason.