Ohio St Buckeyes
2010 Record: 12-1
2010 Bowl Result: Beat Arkansas 31-26 in the Sugar Bowl
2010 Against the spread: 10-2-1
2010 over/under: 7-5-1
Returning Starters: 10 (6 offense, 4 defense)

Throughout August we are releasing pre-season previews for all the major college teams.  Our College Football Handicappers are doing plenty of research to make sure we release  winners every week during the upcoming season.

It was just a quiet, uneventful off-season in Columbus with nothing of note occurring. Unless, you count players being suspended 5 games for trading memorabilia for cash and other perks such as tattoos. Head coach Jim Tressel resigned in May because of the incident, and quarterback Terrelle Pryor who was one of the players suspended, ended up leaving school completely to apply for the NFL’s supplemental draft. Luke Fickel takes over the program for Tressel.

No one knows how the off-field issues will affect this team. They might “circle the wagons” so to speak and come together as a team, or perhaps the issues will be too much for them to overcome. One thing is certain, this still THE Ohio St University and the talent is still there. Very few schools could lose the starting quarterback, leading rusher, #1 receiver and left tackle and still have to tools to be good on offense.

Here is a look at Ohio St’s offense, defense, special teams, and schedule.

Offense

Despite a passing game that only ranked 54 in the country Ohio St had a top 20 offense last season. The Buckeyes averaged 450.6 yards yards a game last season including 221.1 rushing yards a game. Ohio st scored 38.8 points a game which was 11th in the country.

Despite all the hype that Pryor received he was inconsistent especially throwing the ball. He was a better runner than passer. Pryor accounted for over 3,500 combined passing and rushing yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.  Senior Joe Bauserman will be the starter in place of Pryor. He doesn’t have the running ability of Pryor, but he is a much better passer. Last season he threw 22 passes and 2 touchdowns plus an interception. Freshman Braxton Miller and sophomore Kenny Guiton will also compete for the starting job but it is Bauserman’s job to lose.All three could see significant playing time as they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

The rushing game will miss Pryor and Brandon Saine who used up his eligibility last year, especially during the first 5 weeks when senior Dan Herron  sits out his suspension. Herron was the team’s leading rusher with 216 carries, 1,155 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sophomore Jammal Berry should get most of the carries during Herron’s suspension. Berry had 32 carries for 266 yards and 1 touchdown last year. Redshirt freshman Rod Smith, and Junior Jordan Hall will also get carries. Junior Zach Boren will be the fullback and is excellent at blocking.

Senior DeVier Posey is the top returning receiver but he will miss the first five games due to suspension. He had 53 catches for 848 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. Sophomore Corey Brown will serve as the temporary #1 receiver until Posey returns. He has tremendous potential but only caught 8 passes last season with a touchdown. Sophomore Chris Fields & redshirt freshmen James Louis, Verlon Reed, and T.Y. Williams will also be targets. However all are mostly untested. Junior tight end Jake Stoneburner had 21 catches and 2 touchdowns last season, but will get more targets as he is one of the most experienced receivers on the roster until Posey gets back.

The offensive  line returns 3 starters but will be without All American Tackle Mike Adams who will miss 5 games due to suspension. Sophomore Marcus Hall and freshman Tommy Brown will compete to replace him. The line will be anchored by All-American Center Mike Brewster. Ohio St will shuffle players in an out of the lineup especially during the first 5 games as they try to find the right formula.

Defense

Last season Ohio St had a dominant top 5 ranked defense. Ohio St allowed only 263.2 yards per game last season including only 97.6 rushing yards a game. Both were ranked #3 in the country. The pass defense was #8 with 165.5 yards a game. The Buckeyes allowed only 14.3 points a game which was #5 in the country.

The defense only returns 4 starters from a year ago and must depend on some of the highly touted recruits to step up. The line will be the strength of the unit with junior DT John Simon, senior left end Nathan Williams, and sophomore DT Johnathan Hankins. The linebackers and secondary had to replace numerous starters but do have some solid young  players ready to take over such as linebackers Storm Klein and Etienne Sabino. Junior Orhian Johnson returns at strong saftey but he is the only returning starter in the secondary.

Special Teams

Sophomore Drew Basil takes over at kicker for Devin Barclay. Basil had both field goal attempts he tried last year blocked, but the coaches do think he better range than Barclay who graduated.

Junior Ben Buchanan returns as the punter after averaging 41 yards per punt last season. Buchanan also put 15 punts inside the 20 last year. The punt coverage wasn’t good though as Ohio St ended up 94th in the country in net punting.

Jaamal Berry and Jordan Hall were both excellent at returning kickoffs which each averaging over 25 yards a return. Hall also returned punts and averaged 9.9 yards a return. Both will handle the return duties thsi year as well.

Schedule

During the first 5 games, aka the suspension games, The Buckeyes host Akron, Toledo, Colorado, and Michigan St along with a road game at Miami-(FL). They should be no worse than 3-2 after the players come back from suspension. The rest of the schedule includes conference home games against Wisconsin, Indiana, and Penn St, and road games at Big Ten newcomer Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue, and arch-rival Michigan. Expect plenty of taunts about tattoos and sweater vests for the Michigan game in the Big House. The game at Nebraska will be interesting as the two powerhouses haven’t played each other since the 1950’s. This could be a down year for the Buckeyes with so much turmoil but I will say they still win 9 games, but don’t compete for the Leaders division title with Wisconsin and/or Penn St.

Betting trends

The Buckeyes were great against the number last year going 10-2-1 including 9-0 at home and 1-2-1 on the road. The over/under was 7-5-1 last year including 6-3 at home and 1-2-1 on the road.

Game to Play Ohio St

I would stay away from Ohio St for the first 5 games because of the suspensions as we don’t know how they will react. That leaves 7 conference games to play, and I will take Ohio St to cover against Indiana team November 5.

Game to bet against Ohio St

Ohio St’s first game after the suspensions are over is at Nebraska October 8. That is not really a good game to break in your number one rusher receiver and left tackle playing in their first game of the season. Nebraska looks pretty good at home in this match-up, even if Ohio St has similar talent to Nebraska.

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