Ohio State Buckeyes 2009 Football Season Preview (Part II)

Here is my second part.

Ohio State has upset USC, and was upset by Illinois. They are now 5-1 at the halfway mark, and still looking to finish strong down the stretch and possibly win The Big Ten.

Terrelle Pryor has continued to develop and garner attention, and the defense is getting better in the middle of a tough conference race.

Ohio State may be the most talented team in the Big Ten, but they are still a young squad, so there are going to be some inconsistencies on that side of the football.

Week 7: at Purdue Boilermakers

This game has a history of being somewhat competitive. There are a lot of Big Ten teams who matchup uniquely with one another, and this is one of those matchups.

Purdue has lost two quarterbacks in the offseason, as well as Kory Sheets, and the Boilermakers have a major task ahead if they want to think about a bowl game.

Ohio State is primed coming down the stretch, and the Buckeyes should win this game by a solid margin even if it is not a blowout.

Ohio State 27, Purdue 10

OSU Record: 6-1

Week 8: vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

This game could get a little tricky, as Minnesota is a team on the rise in the Big Ten.

Minnesota is looking to get back to a second consecutive bowl, and OSU is simply doing what they do best—be consistent.

Minnesota may score a little, but I don't think they will get much more than 20 points in this game, whereas Ohio State will likely score 30 or more.

Ohio State will play well in all three phases of the game, scoring a defensive and/or a special teams touchdown, and will win by a couple of touchdowns.

Ohio State 41, Minnesota 24

OSU Record: 7-1

Week 9: vs. New Mexico State Aggies

New Mexico State was 3-9 in 2008, and got outscored in the WAC by 11.4 points per contest.

This should bode well for The Ohio State offense, as it gets a boost going into the last three games.

This will be a nice tune up game going in to the Penn State contest, which could have BCS implications. Plus, young guys can get some work on both sides of the ball.

This shouldn't be close at halftime.

Ohio State 49, New Mexico State 7

OSU Record: 8-1

Week 10: at Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State has never beaten Ohio State in back-to-back seasons.

Could this be the year to end that trend?

Penn State has the senior leadership from Daryll Clark to win the game in Happy Valley.

Penn State has an established running back unit led by Evan Royster, and the offensive line will be solid by this point in the season.

Also, expect their defense to be strong especially at linebacker—OSU won't get much between the tackles.

Terrelle Pryor will have to carry The Buckeyes if they want to win this game. He will have to do better than six yards on nine carries in this game, while making sure to hold on to the football.

I wouldn't be surprised if he were used as a wide receiver in a game very similar to the Texas game in 2008.

Any big play for Ohio State, and the Buckeyes will come close to winning.

But Penn State will win in the end.

Penn State 24, Ohio State 21

OSU Record: OSU 8-2

Week 11: vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa is a competitive team who can line up physically with anybody in the Big Ten. This should be an interesting matchup to see, and the main headline will be how Ohio State reacts in this game.

Terrelle Pryor is a super athlete and a competitor, and Ohio State has owned Iowa over the last decade.

I'll give this one to Ohio State based again on special teams and defense. Ohio State will pull away late in the game, and score a decent amount as well.

Ohio State 27, Iowa 17

OSU Record: 9-2 heading into "The Game"

Week 12: at Michigan Wolverines

This game will match a 9-2 Michigan team against an Ohio State team with probably a similar record.

This will be in the Big House, and it will be Michigan's chance to redeem itself after five straight loses.

As I predicted before, I think this will be a close game With the development of a guy like Pryor, and the inexperience of their offense, 2010 may be a bigger deficit for Michigan.

Ohio State 31, Michigan 28

OSU Record: 10-2 (6-2 Big Ten)

PF: 419 PA: 224

Ohio State will score 34.9 points per game, and give up 18.7 points per game.

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