2008 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Predictions


July 2, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

Ohio State has been to the national title game in three of the past six seasons.  They have fallen short each time since a victory in 2002, but will be hungry to get back there again with a plethora of players returning to try and revenge last year’s 38-24 loss to LSU.  Let’s see how this team stacks up with the rest of the Big Ten in our 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football predictions below.

Offense:

Nine starters return on offense, including Heisman Trophy candidate in running back Chris Wells.  He scampered for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns last year while playing with a bum ankle and a broken hand.  Todd Boeckman is back for his second season at quarterback and must shake off his late-season struggles from a year ago.  Boeckman threw six interceptions in his final three games, an unacceptable number for a Buckeyes’ QB.  Coach Jim Tressel has stated he’d like to implement some elements of the spread offense that worked so well for Troy Smith in ’05 and ’06. 

That’s where freshman phenom Terrelle Pryor expects to factor into the equation.  Known as the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Pryor became the first player in Pennsylvania high school history to rush and throw for more than 4,000 yards in a career.  Just 10 to 15 snaps per game with Pryor under center will be enough to give opposing defensive coordinator fits.  It could be similar to the approach the Florida Gators used with Tim Tebow to earn a national title in ’06.  Three NFL prospects in tackle Alex Boone, guard Steve Rehring and center Jim Cordle anchor another excellent Ohio State offensive line.

Defense:

Butkus Award Winner James Laurinaitis joined cornerback Malcom Jenkins in bypassing the NFL to lead a unit that boasts nine returning starters.  Ohio State led the nation last year in yards allowed at 233.0 and points allowed at 12.8 per game.  The one significant loss is defensive end Vernon Gholston, who set a school record with 14 sacks.  But the Buckeyes feel Lawrence Wilson can put up those numbers as long as he returns healthy from a broken leg he suffered in the season opener last year. 

The coaching staff was unhappy with the pressure created by the defensive tackle position last year.  Todd Denlinger, Doug Worthington, Nader Abdallah and Dexter Larimore are back and showing improvement already.  These four combined for four sacks in the spring game.  Middle linebackers Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman form one of the best linebacker duos in the nation.  The third member of the line backing corps looks to be Curtis Terry, who also played fullback in the spring, but this is the team’s one position where a starter isn’t obvious.  Despite being the nation’s best defense, this unit still needs to improve on QB pressure and produce more than the 19 turnovers they forced a year ago.

Ohio State Buckeyes Predictions at Info Plays:  1st in the Big Ten

With so much experience and talent returning, the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at a third consecutive BCS Championship game appearance.  Given how they’ve lost their last two trips, the Buckeyes will likely have to win at USC on September 13th to convince poll voters they can beat a quality opponent outside of the Big Ten.  But Ohio State is a very heavy favorite to win the Big Ten in 2008 and rightfully so.

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