Ohio State Football: 2008 Season Preview

After reading countless other writers’ preseason predictions for the 2008 college football season, I figured it was time to sit down and do one myself.  I wanted a unique spin on the preseason prediction for my beloved Buckeyes, and decided to combine two of my greatest passions – Ohio State football and the Canadian power trio Rush – using Rush lyrics to sum up my thoughts on the result of each game.

This is probably one of the dorkiest articles ever published on the Bleacher Report.  As always, I could be way off on my predictions, but hey, this is just one man’s opinion.  I could, and hope, that some of my predictions are wrong.

So after two seasons in which the Buckeyes became the whipping boys of the SEC champion, have things finally started to turn around?  Yes and no. 

Yes, in that Ohio State brings back everyone from last year (what was essentially a rebuilding year after losing half the 2006 squad).  Superstar linebacker James Laurinaitis returned to make one more run at the crystal football, Beanie Wells is only a junior, and the Brians (Hartline and Robiskie) offer an embarrassment of offensive riches in the wide receiver department.

No, in that Todd Boeckman cannot pass under pressure, and Tressel’s play calling is sometimes questionable.  For example, why did Sweater Vest stop running Beanie through the LSU defense when it was clear that was the only thing that worked in the BCS Championship Game?  Many in Buckeye Nation salivate at the thought of using Terrell Pryor (aka “The greatest college quarterback to have never played a game”) as Tim Tebow to Boeckman’s Chris Leak, switching back-and-forth between veteran Boeckman and rookie Pryor when needed.

The only problem with that assumption is that we really have no idea if Pryor possess the ability to throw the football as well as he runs with it.  While Ohio State’s offensive scheme of “Three yards and a cloud of dust” worked well back in the olden days, if we learned anything from the Gators 41-14 slaughtering, it’s that if you want to make any progress on the field, you need to pass the ball, and do it quickly.

Were I Tressel, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with Pryor anywhere near a the football field on game day until he’s shown he can possess Troy Smith-like passing abilities, especially when under pressure, which is where Ohio State’s offense seems to get into the most trouble.

But enough bitching about what I think needs to be worked on.  Let’s get to the games so I can show you how bad my taste in music is:

August 30

Youngstown State vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“Modern day warrior

Mean, mean stride

Today’s Tom Sawyer

Mean, mean pride” – Tom Sawyer

I really don’t think the Buckeyes have to worry about an Appalachian State-style upset against Tressel’s former team.  All Boeckman has to do is hand Beanie the ball, and Laurinaitis and Jenkins should have no problem keeping the Penguins’ offense at bay.  Ohio State wins 45-7

September 6

Ohio University vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“I get up at seven, yeah

And I go to work at nine

I got no time for livin’

Yes, I'm workin' all the time.”  – Working Man

Another game against a MAC patsy in which Ohio State needs to simply jump through the hoops to secure a win and maybe toy around with some offensive schemes before next week’s monster game.  Hey, at least the Bobcats get state money for subjecting themselves to torture in the Shoe.  Ohio State wins 42-7

September 13

Ohio State vs. USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles California

“The world weighs on my shoulders

But what am I to do?

You sometimes drive me crazy

But I worry about you” – Distant Early Warning

In what is already being hyped as the game of the season, Ohio State travels outside the friendly confines of the Buckeye State and into one of the most hostile environments in college football.  USC’s defense concerns me (if you’ve seen the picture of Laurinaitis standing next to two USC linebackers at the Playboy Mansion, you’d know why), and while the Trojan  offense is questionable with a new quarterback at the helm, I don’t see this game turning out the way Buckeye Nation hopes.  SC’s defense is going to shut down Ohio State, especially if Tressel gets nervous and has Boeckman throw the ball. 

If the game goes the way I predict and the offense is shut down by USC’s defense: USC wins 28-17

If Beanie can find a way to get through USC’s linebackers, and Tressel is willing to bank on his rushing capabilities: Ohio State could win 20-17

September 20

Troy University vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“Those who wish to be

Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination

The real relation

The underlying theme” – Limelight

After a killer game in Los Angeles, Ohio State returns home to take on Troy in what could be a potential trap game for the Buckeyes.  Troy has shown it’s more than capable of holding its own against SEC powerhouses, but either way, I see the Buckeyes beating the ever loving crap out of Troy, taking out their frustrations from the previous week’s game on the scrappy team from Alabama.  The Trojans will come out strong early in the game, but watch for Boeckman to channel his near-perfect passing capabilities from the away game the Bucks had at Penn State last year.  We’ll be wondering why this Todd Boeckman was absent from the USC game.  Ohio State wins 28-14

September 27

University of Minnesota vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“Sun dogs fire on the horizon

Meteor rain stars across the night

This moment may be brief

But it can be so bright” – Chain Lightning

The Buckeyes start their conference schedule with a vengeance, riding the euphoric wave from the previous week’s victory over Troy and looking unstoppable against perennial cellar dweller Minnesota.  The Golden Gophers will be lucky to get a field goal out of the ordeal.  Ohio State wins 42-3

October 4

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison Wisconsin

“All of us get lost in the darkness

Dreamers learn to steer by the stars

All of us do time in the gutter

Dreamers turn to look at the stars” – The Pass

Another trap game for Ohio State, playing in another hostile environment.  For a while in their 2007 matchup, it looked like Tressel still couldn’t beat the Badgers, and then he remembered that Barry Alvarez was no longer the head coach.  Beanie lit up the field late in the game.  Had PJ Hill not been absent from the game last year, the score might’ve turned out differently.  Assuming that Hill will be primed and ready to play Ohio Statethis year, look for either Allan Evridge or Dustin Sherer to connect with him more times than the Buckeyes care for.  All in all, this will be one hell of an offensive battle, but the Buckeyes need to watch out for Wisky offensive lineman Kraig Urbik, Andy Kemp and Eric Vanden Heuvel.  Throw in the fact that Camp Randall is a tough place to play, and I have a feeling this game will be an upset.  Wisconsin wins 35-28

If Ohio State can score early and often by getting past Wisky’s offensive lineman: Ohio State can eke out a 24-21 win, but it won’t be pretty.

October 11

Purdue vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“I spin around with shrieking tires

To run the deadly race,” – Red Barchetta

Curtis Painter can pass, but whether or not he can do so in an intimidating sea of scarlet and gray is the question.  Fortunately, Boeckman doesn’t need to rely on Hartline or Robiskie too much as it seems Purdue’s defense is still overcoming some staggering injuries from the previous year.  So long as there are holes, Beanie will run through them.  Ohio State wins 24-14

October 18

Ohio State vs. Michigan State at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing Michigan

“Then you learn the weapons

And the ways of hard-knock school“ – Kid Gloves

Fun fact: Almost ten years ago, November 5 1998, top-ranked Ohio State blew a fourth quarter lead to unranked Michigan State, costing the Buckeyes the chance to play in the Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship.  Even more fun fact: That team was coached by oft-maligned coach John Cooper, who hasn’t been allowed anywhere near the city of Columbus since January 2001.  Mark D’Antonio has shown that he is more than capable of turning the Spartans from an in-conference punching bag into a team that has the capability to win the Big Ten in upcoming years.  Unfortunately, 2008 is not a year the Spartans will beat the Buckeyes, even with home field advantage.  Ohio State wins 31-21 

October 25

Penn State vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“We sometimes catch a window

A glimpse of what's beyond” – Mystic Rhythms

Penn State should keep Ohio State on their toes in this game, but all Boeckman needs to do is once again channel himself from the Penn State game last year, switching back and forth between Robiskie, Hartline and Beanie.  The Penn State’s offensive line could manage to stop Laurinaitis and the rest of the Buckeye defense for a little while early in the game, but not for long, especially in the Shoe.  The Buckeye offense shouldn’t have any trouble getting past the Nittany Lions’ defensive backfield.  Ohio State wins by a touchdown, 28-21

November 8

Ohio State vs. Northwestern at Ryan Field, Evanston Illinois

“If you pick up the beat

You can forget about the heat” – Marathon

I wish I could say something nice about Northwestern, but unfortunately, any attempt at a complement would sound condescending.  If anything, the Buckeyes should to use this game to mess around and tweak with offensive schemes that can get them prepared for next week’s game downstate in much the same way they did against Ohio before playing USC.  Ohio State wins 48-7

November 15

Ohio State vs. Illinoisat Memorial Stadium, Champaign-Urbana Illinois

“I'm not giving in to security under pressure

I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure” – The Enemy Within (Part I of Fear)

The good news is that Juice Williams won’t have Rashard Mendenhall to rely on to screw with the Buckeyes’ defense.  The bad news is that Juice Williams is still the quarterback, and Ron Zook has taken what he learned at Florida playing against the monsters of the SEC and is forcing the rest of the Big Ten to adapt to whatever it is that makes southern football superior to its northern counterpart.  Juice could get a lot of mileage out of Daniel Dufrene by the time they host the Buckeyes.  After last year’s upset in Columbus, the Buckeyes would love nothing more than to return the favor to the Illini in front of their home crowd.  Somehow though, Illinoisalways manages to give Ohio State a tough game (remember that 23-16 nail biter victory back in 2002?).  If Boeckman can connect with the Brians, the Buckeyes shouldn’t have much trouble reclaiming the Illibuck Trophy.  Ohio State should win 14-10 in what will be their lowest scoring game of the season.

If the Ohio State defense can’t stop Juice or the Illinois offensive linemen: The Illini could win this game 17-14    

November 22

Michigan vs. Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Ohio

“We can move with savage grace

To the rhythms of the night

Cool and remote like dancing girls

In the heat of the beat and the lights” – Force Ten

On paper, there’s absolutely no way Ohio State could lose to That School Up North at home when TSUN is led by a brand-new coach in Rich Rodriguez, and lacking the key component of his offense, who just so happens to be the backup quarterback for Todd Boeckman.  However, if we learned anything from the 1993, 1995 and 1996 games (same goes for Michigan in the 2001, 2004 and 2005 games), it’s that nobody knows what the hell will happen in this game when both teams are throwing everything they’ve got at each other.  Fortunately for Ohio State, TSUN has no offense, but if RichRod can’t figure out a way to use what he has by the time his team faces the ever-hostile Buckeye faithful on their home turf, he’ll do everything he can to erase memories of the 2008 rendezvous in the off-season. 

It may not look like much now, but we could very well be on the verge of another Ten Year War between Sweater Vest and RichRod.  Somewhere in Heaven, Bo and Woody will be keeping an eye on this one and smiling, knowing that a new chapter in Ohio State and Michigan’s historic rivalry is about to begin.  All Boeckman has to do is hand Beanie the Ball and Ohio State should win 30-21.  It worked well last year and there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work again this season. 

As it stands, I have the Buckeyes going 10-2 this season with a loss to USC and either Wisconsin or Illinois, sharing a Big Ten Conference co-championship with either the Badgers or Illini if both they and the Buckeyes end up with 7-1 conference records.  My predictions could be way off, and I hope they are.  It’d be nice to get that whole “blowing big games” monkey off our back, if only to rub it in the faces of all the Ohio State haters out there.  Yeah, I’m vindictive and biased, but who here isn’t to some extent, especially after two bowl losses?

With the roster Tressel possesses this season, there’s no reason why they couldn’t go the entire season 12-0 followed with a win in a BCS Bowl. 

They’re long overdue for it.

Some pre-game predictions were determined thanks to team analysis written by the folks over at Big Ten Fans.com.  Their team previews website can be found at: http://www.bigten-fans.com/big-ten-football/index.php