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Mr. Sweatervest isn't going
anywhere for awhile |
With the
recent acquisition of Terrelle Pryor to their 2008 recruiting class, THE Ohio State Buckeyes are locked and loaded for years to come. Even without him, this team will continue to retool and reload each year, no matter how much they lose.
For instance, flash back to January of 2007; the Buckeyes were coming off an embarrassing loss to the Florida Gators in the BCS Championship game. After that game it was like abandon ship on the Titanic, not only did Ohio State lose seniors like Troy Smith but other talent such as Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, and Antonio Pittman decided to jump ship and go to the NFL. On offense, many thought that the Buckeyes would struggle, but as I said before they just reloaded and became dangerous. When most people (such as myself) were predicting them to finish no better than third; they went out and won the Big Ten conference outright for the second year in a row. Likewise for the second year in a row, they went to the BCS Title game...and lost.
Which brings us to the 2008 season, and there should be no surprise to anyone when I make this statement...Ohio State has to be one of the top 5 favorites to be in the BCS title game this season. Returning on offense is Todd Boeckman at quarterback, and now with Pryor, they can bring him in as a chance of pace; Chris Wells a Heisman candidate, returns at running back, and Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie return at receiver. Their offensive line is always good, so there are no worries at that position. On defense the Buckeyes' return the Animal James Laurinaitis at linebacker as well as a slue of other talented players.
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| GO BUCKEYES!! |
Now let's
take a look at their schedule. Ohio State starts out with two cupcakes, and then they travel to Los Angeles to play USC. Even if the Buckeyes' lose that game, their title hopes would not be dashed. Looking at the Big Ten this season, I do not see it to be as tough as other years
. In my opinion, Wisconsin will be their biggest obstacle and that game will be on the road. Penn State returns a lot of starters, but as we all know the Nittany Lions have had issues beating ranked teams on the road and the game this year is at Ohio Stadium. One can't forget Illinois, but I suspect the Buckeyes will not take them lightly two years in a row. Then we have the rivalry game with the Wolverines...which I think the Buckeyes should dominate for at least another two years. Mainly until RichRod gets the right players in his offensive system.
So for those hoping not to see Ohio State in the BCS title game in 2009, I am sorry to burst your bubble. I realize there will most likely be a backlash with the voters if the Buckeye are tied with a few other teams for the final two spots, but if they can somehow get past USC, it could be smooth sailing. And with the way the Big Ten looks, the Buckeyes have another good opportunity to win it again and force their way into the BCS Title game. The big question now is...Which SEC team will have the luxury of blowing them out this year? Could it be Georgia?
