Ohio State Football: 10 Dream Scenarios for the 2011 Season

For most Buckeye fans, the best thing might be for the team to finally play games considering the high amount of turmoil this offseason.

The scandal that ended the Buckeye careers of Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor might not have a great ending, but the best thing for Ohio State would be to finally get to the practice field.

Fall camps are less than two months away, meaning the start of football season is getting closer and closer.

Here is a look at 10 best-case scenarios for Ohio State going into a tumultuous 2011 season.

1. Ohio State Avoids Lack of Institutional Control Charge on August 12

Although there is no question Ohio State made a major violation when it came to Tressel's coverup of emails that implicated the Suspended Five for improper benefits, the case for the dreaded LOIC is still up in the air.

The original notice of allegations was very specifically guided at Tressel, leaving the university slightly less to blame for the scandal.

If Tressel is able to prove without reasonable doubt to the NCAA Infractions Committee on August 12 that his employers did not know about the aforementioned emails, he might be able to make the situation into an isolated incident with only the players and the coach to blame.

Therefore, the NCAA would be very unwise to offer a LOIC charge, especially considering the cooperation the school has had with the investigation throughout this process.

However, the NCAA has proven to be maddeningly unpredictable and inconsistent, which means guessing what they will do is not an easy thing to do.

But the best thing for Ohio State is that, at worst, they get a Failure to Monitor charge from the COI on August 12, which would eliminate the most severe of sanctions.

2. The NCAA Announces Sanctions Quickly

One other thing about the NCAA investigation that would play well for Ohio State is to announce their sanctions as quickly as possible.

It would be a bad thing for Ohio State's football program to have the mystery of what the NCAA will levy hanging over them for several months. 

Although it seems like the vacating of the 2010 season is a given that Buckeye fans accept will happen, it's likely the Buckeyes will have at least probation for about two to three years, a slight reduction of scholarships and a minimum one-year postseason ban.

For Ohio State, it would be better for those to be handed down quickly and deal with them as they come instead of waiting months and especially after the season is over. 

Timeliness is the name of the game and, regardless of what punishment the NCAA hands out, the Buckeyes would be better to get the word sooner rather than later.

3. Ohio State Goes into Nebraska with a 5-0 Record

The initial scenario for Ohio State was it would be without five seniors and Jim Tressel for the first five games of the season.

Through the first five games, Ohio State has only a pair of games that can be considered potential losses: September 17 at Miami and October 1 at home vs. Michigan State.

Nothing in these first five games has changed except that OSU's new QB, possibly freshman Braxton Miller, will get a full slate of first-team reps and not have to share them with Terrelle Pryor.

Ohio State still may be among the most talented teams in the country, meaning that it still has a good chance to start the season 5-0 until its toughest test of the year, a trip to Lincoln to face the Cornhuskers in their first Big Ten home game.

If they do, pending NCAA penalties, they still might have a chance to make an impact in the Big Ten title race.

4. Braxton Miller Starts and Outdoes Pryor's Freshman Stats

Since Tressel's resignation on Memorial Day, the odds-on favorite to start at QB is freshman Braxton Miller.

Miller, who enrolled in January, played pretty well during the spring scrimmage late in April, showing the dual-threat ability to make him a dangerous player at the college level.

That ability alone combined with shear potential might convince Luke Fickell to start him over senior Joe Bauserman, who did not perform well in the scrimmage.

With some good offensive talent around him and a coach who could have more of an aggressive mentality on offense than Tressel, Miller could put up some really good numbers this season—better than Pryor.

If he is able to do so, then 2012 could prove to be a very entertaining year for the Buckeyes.

5. Corey Brown Eliminates the WR Question and Has a Breakout Season

It's no secret that, besides DeVier Posey, Ohio State lacks quality proven depth at the wide receiver position.

One thing that could fix all of that is if sophomore burner Corey Brown has a big-time season as the No. 2 receiver in the Buckeye offense.

He had hand problems his freshman season, dropping many sure catches that could have led to some big plays.

But he has shown the ability to get some good separation with his speed, and getting the hands into the equation could make him a dangerous playmaker.

6. The Buckeye Defense Doesn't Lose a Step

The Ohio State defense lost quite a bit in the way of top talent going into this season, including DE Cameron Heyward, LBs Brian Rolle and Ross Homan, and DB Chimdi Chekwa.

In all, Ohio State has seven defensive starters to replace, and one potential starting candidate, LB Dorian Bell, is suspended for the entire season.

But Ohio State reloads as well as anyone, and it has some potential studs to fill in the gaps, including DT John Simon, LB Etienne Sabino, DB Travis Howard and S C.J. Barnett.

This year's unit might be the most intriguing in some time due to the numerous position battles, but there is no doubt the 2011 Silver Bullets will be among the most athletically gifted defenses OSU has had in some time.

7. Ohio State Can Avoid the Injury Bug

C.J. Barnett, pictured above, was having a tremendous game September 11 of last year against Miami, registering some massive hits and a deflection leading to an interception. That was before a knee injury ended a promising start to his Buckeye career.

Throughout the season, the Buckeyes were hampered by a rash of injures all over the field, especially in the back seven, where they lost multiple safeties to injury along with Ross Homan for a couple of weeks.

Even Pryor was hurt for a couple of weeks by an ankle injury that left him unable to run well in several games during the season.

Ohio State, given its off-field problems, can't afford to have injury problems like it did last year, or else things will get even worse this season.

8. The Seniors Can Step in Without Losing a Step

Ohio State would have been in for quite an interesting dilemma when the suspended players were eligible to play until Pryor's departure from the team.

Now that he is gone, essentially the change is different, whereas the players that were suspended—Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas—could be re-inserted to the lineup as if they were coming off of an injury.

This could end up being a huge advantage as changing the starting RB and WR is much easier to adjust to than changing the starting QB.

By having the better skill players throughout the offense, it could make life for Braxton Miller or Joe Bauserman much, much easier through the rigorous Big Ten schedule.

9. Urban Meyer Hired as Next Head Coach, Fickell Stays as Defensive Coordinator

The trendy choice among Buckeye fans for the next coach after this season appears to be former UF coach Urban Meyer. 

The northeast Ohio native and former OSU graduate assistant won two national titles at Florida after making Utah into the original BCS buster in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

But even if Meyer is hired, Fickell should stay on the staff because of what he has done to make him worthy of the interim coach title this season. Fickell has been a great recruiter for the last few seasons and has turned OSU's defense from slow and easily solvable into a fierce, attacking force.

That kind of defensive transition makes Fickell a sure lock to stay with Ohio State in some capacity, and a combination of his defense and Meyer's offense is something that could be potentially deadly in the Big Ten.

10. Ohio State Is Bowl Eligible and Wins the Rose Bowl, Finishes 13-1

While it is a very unlikely scenario that would keep OSU postseason-eligible, it could still have a chance to smell roses at the end of the season.

The Buckeyes still have the talent to win the Big Ten, and the only thing that could keep them from winning a Big Ten title is the NCAA COI.

If the sanctions don't include a postseason ban or aren't made until after the season, Ohio State could fight their way to the Big Ten championship, getting revenge from a loss at Nebraska to win the inaugural Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on December 3.

That win would put the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl for the second time in three years, likely against Oregon again.

History has a chance to repeat itself, and Ohio State could have a chance to win the Rose Bowl title once again on January 2, 2012.

While it is unlikely given the off-the-field drama, anything can happen in college football.

For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.